Lydia Ko was not part of Sunday’s sudden-death playoff at the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic won by rookie Sei Young Kim, but the youngest golfer ever to attain the world’s top ranking held on to her No. 1 spot with a T7 finish.
Lydia Ko hangs on to No. 1 ranking as LPGA rookie wins playoff in Bahamas
Ko shared 7th place in the Bahamas but that’s enough to keep her atop the world rankings.
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Ko came on strong, with a final-round 5-under 68 on Sunday at the Ocean Club Golf Course, as 54-hole co-leader Inbee Park faded down the stretch. The player Ko overtook last week as the Rolex Rankings leader, Park shared fifth place after finishing with a 72.
Park, who birdied two of her first four holes, seemed poised to depose Ko from the No. 1 position after just a week but two bogeys on the back nine ended her challenge. She needed at least a top-three close, with Ko ending no higher than T13, to reclaim the Rolex Rankings advantage.
“I wasn’t really thinking about [the rankings] all week,” Ko said after her round. “All I could do the last two days was just try my best and try and shoot a good score today.”
Meanwhile, Kim drained a six-footer for birdie on the 18th green on the first hole of overtime to beat Ariya Jutanugarn and Sun-Young Yoo to capture her first LPGA title. A five-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole gave Kim a 68 for the day and a share of the 14-under lead with her playoff competitors.
