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ARIYA WINS
KINGSMILL CHAMPIONSHIP
hortened to 54 holes by brutal weather , the Kingsmill Championship was just too good to end in that abbreviated time frame and instead needed two extra holes before Ariya Jutanugarn outlasted In Gee Chun and Nasa Hataoka to take the title . Jutanugarn , who won this tournament in 2016 , closed with a 66 to finish at 14 – underpar 199 , tied with Hataoka , who posted a 67 , and Chun , who closed with a 68 .
Ariya with the trophy
In the playoff , both Jutanugarn and Hataoka birdied the first extra hole – No . 18 – and that eliminated Chun , who made par . Ariya again birdied the 18th while Hataoka made par and that gave her the eighth title of her LPGA career . The 22-year-old from Thailand won five times in 2016 , including the Ricoh Women ’ s British Open , and twice last year , capping the season with the CME Group Tour Championship . “ Actually , I feel it ,”
Jutanugarn said asked how she blocked out the pressure in the closing round . “ I was just really excited about that . I did not feel that much pressure because I did a great job today . So whatever , I ’ m going to win or lose , I ’ m very proud of that .” And proud she should be . To birdie the difficult 18th twice in a playoff is a stunning accomplishment . After 12 events , there still hasn ’ t been a repeat winner this LPGA season , but at least now we have repeat sisters . Moriya , a year older than Ariya , picked up her first tour title in April at the HUGEL-JTBC LA Open . On this day , Ariya sizzled the soggy course on the banks of the James River with power and precision . She started the final round two strokes behind Chun but took control with birdies on Nos . 3 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 10 and 11 . She stumbled when she made a bogey of the par-5 15th hole . Then Hataoka birdied No . 15 to pull even at 14 under par and Chun birdied the 17th , setting up the three-way playoff . One of the longest hitters on tour , Jutanugarn , who almost never hits a driver , averaged 270 yards off the tee in the final round but was sharp with all her shots as she missed only three fairways and two greens while using only 29 putts . A decade ago , Annika Sorenstam picked up the last of her 72 LPGA victories at Kingsmill , and in Jutanugarn the tour may be identifying another star . It is a tribute to her talent that after her breakout year in 2016 ,. Jutanugarn is a momentum player who won three events in a row in 2016 with Kingsmill the second in that run . This win could very well launch a similar outburst . Her coaches , Pia Nilsson and Lynn Marriott , say Jutanugarn is much more prepared to handle success this time . That could make for a very interesting rest of the season .
MINJEE LEE , A BIRTHDAY TO REMEMBER
Minjee Lee made her 22nd birthday one to remember , giving herself a one-stroke victory in the LPGA Volvik Championship on Sunday with a birdie on the final hole . Lee turned in 33 to maintain the twostroke lead she had when the final round started and closed with a 68 that left her at 16-under-par 272 , one stroke better than In-Kyung Kim and two better than Moriya Jutanugarn . Lindy Duncan and Su Oh , who like Lee is a product of the Australian junior program , were at 275 with Megan Khang at 276 . Minjee , who won the 2012 U . S . Girls Championship and the 2013 Australian
She didn ’ t let this trophy slip from her grasp and her fourth LPGA win was a signature effort , featuring long , straight tee shots , precision iron play and rock-solid putting . She made only three bogeys over 72 holes and none after No . 14 of the second round until she three-putted from 60 feet on No . 17 , a day when she sent a message to the field that they would have to beat her , she would not beat herself . “ I ’ ve been playing pretty solid golf the whole year ,” Lee said . “ Next week is going to be a totally different week ,” she said about the upcoming U . S . Women ’ s Open , then ominously added : “ I know I ’ m striking it well and putting it well .”
Minjee Lee with the trophy
52 G o l f P l u s JUNE 2018