LYDIA KO SIGNS OFF SUPERB SUMMER WITH MAJOR WIN AT ST ANDREWS

Lydia Ko fired a final round of 69 (-3) to win the 2024 AIG Women’s Open by two strokes at the Old Course at St Andrews.

It is a third major championship for Ko, who won the 2015 Amundi Evian Championship and 2016 Chevron Championship, and the first time a New Zealander has ever won the AIG Women’s Open.

The 27-year-old rounds off an excellent month at St Andrews having already won the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games which saw her earn enough points to be inducted into the LPGA Hall of Fame.

“It's been a crazy past few weeks,” said Ko. “Something that was too good to be true happened, and I honestly didn't think it could be any better and here I am as the AIG Women's Open Champion this week.

“Being here at the Old Course at St Andrews, it makes it so much more special. I just loved being out there this week. I had a lot of family members here with me. I played here when I was 16 in 2013.

“I don't think I got to really enjoy and realise what an amazing place this is, and now that I'm a little older and hopefully a little wiser, I just got to realise what an historic and special place this golf course is, and it's honestly been such a fairy tale. I'm on cloud nine.”

It was a difficult final day with players battling the wet and windy conditions as Ko began the day four shots behind 54-hole leader Jiyai Shin.

The Olympic champion rolled in her first birdie of the day on the fourth hole before adding more on 10 and 14.

She dropped a shot on the 15^th but finished in style making a birdie at the last to the applause of the crowd to set the clubhouse lead of seven-under-par which ended up being the winning total.

“On 16 was when I first knew that I was tied,” explained Ko. “Then my goal was to make par on 17 and then make birdie on 18 because I just wanted to make birdie on 18, period, this week.

“Just before my second shot on 18, I realised that I was tied for the lead, and I knew I felt like the girls coming in would also birdie the 18th. I wanted to make sure that I birdied and just give myself a chance at it, no matter if I go in a playoff or end up not winning, that was kind of beside the fact there.

“I accomplished and did all the small goals, and I think that made me a little bit more focused on what was right in front of me instead of thinking, oh am I going to win or not.

“It's no lie that sometimes when you're about to win, you start thinking about what you're going to say in this speech and all that, but there was no time for that. I was just so focused on what was in front of me, and that just made it a little easier.”

Four players ended the week in a share of second place with Korea’s Jiyai Shin, Americans Lilia Vu and Nelly Korda, and China’s Ruoning Yin all on five-under-par.

Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn finished in outright sixth place on three-under-par after a final round of 70 (-2) at St Andrews.

South Africa’s Casandra Alexander recorded her best-ever major finish with a T7 alongside Japan’s Akie Iwai and Mao Saigo.

Seven players ended the final major of the year in a tie for 10^th place including English amateur Lottie Woad, Sweden’s Linn Grant, Denmark’s Nanna Koerstz Madsen, Thailand’s Pajaree Anannarukarn, Americans Alexa Pano and Angel Yin, and Korea’s Jin Hee Im.

In the LET Order of Merit, England’s Bronte Law still leads the rankings with 1,279.23 points and Charley Hull is now second with 1,242 points to her name, while Alexander jumped from 45^th up to 30^th in the standings and now has 586.51 points.

Next up for the LET is a trip to Ireland with the KPMG Women’s Irish Open taking place at the O’Meara Course at Carton House from 29 August until 1 September, 2024.

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