Five months after giving away a major championship with a late meltdown, Ariya Jutanugarn ran away with the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open at chilly Priddis Greens at Priddis, Alberta, for her fifth victory in 10 events.
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“I played pretty solid the last few days”, Ko said.
Her confidence has soared and her mammoth tee shots – usually played without a driver – have flown well down the fairway.
The Thai star set her sights on a fifth victory this year by firing a bogey-free 64 in the second round to move to 12-under and take command.
World number one and three-time champion in Calgary, Lydia Ko (69), was 10 strokes behind the victor in a tie for seventh alongside Alison Lee (68) and Chella Choi (70).
South Korea’s Kim Sei-young, a two-time victor this year, was second after a 65.
They included New Zealand’s world number one and defending champion Lydia Ko, who is gunning for her fourth victory in the tournament.
Jutanugarn received a champagne shower from playing partners Kim and countrywoman In Gee Chun after sinking a birdie putt on No. 18.
“I feel like I’m going to withdraw this week because my knee hurt so bad last week”, Jutanugarn said.
Ariya said her sore knee had improved gradually over the course of the week following her withdrawal in the third round in Rio. The finish marks the first time three Canadians have ever finished within the Top-15 in the championship’s history.
The 41-year-old showed no signs of what lay ahead when she parred the first five holes of her final round, having started at seven under par, too far back to challenge Jutanugarn at -17. “I don’t really care who the leader is”.
Alena Sharp (70) and Maude-Aimee Leblanc (69) topped the Canadians at 6 under. Her birdie putt climbed the hill on the green and curled from right to left to settle inside the hole.
“It was very important to play well here”. The Golf Canada National Amateur Team member gained a wealth of experience and memorable moments in her first LPGA Tour event.
“I can’t change what I’m going to do and my tactics because there is a player that is going to hit the ball a long way”. I just really want to be happy on the course. I feel like a lot of expectations. A member of Canada’s Golf Hall of Fame, Coe-Jones of Lake Cowichan, B.C., underwent surgery on her right leg in March to remove cancerous tumours. “My irons getting a lot better in the last week or so”.
The player of the year award is not all that is up for grabs; Ko is likely hearing footsteps from her closest challenger to her top ranking.
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“Today was a really good test because I came out and wasn’t as nervous as yesterday”, Sharp continued. I was not hitting it well the first nine holes, but I hung in there. But I figured out what is the main thing for me to be happy on the course, and that’s the key.
