Dream come true for Lydia Ko as she finally adds ‘Asia’s Major’ to trophy haul
The New Zealand golfer conquers the HSBC Women’s World Championship on her 11th attempt
ON AN extremely humid day with unpredictable shifting winds and frequent leaderboard changes at Sentosa Golf Club, there was just one constant.
The pre-tournament favourite and three-time Major winner Lydia Ko relied on her own steady game and kept her overnight perch intact on Sunday (Mar 2) as she stormed her way to the HSBC Women’s World Championship in dominant fashion.
The 27-year-old from New Zealand claimed the winner’s cheque of US$360,000 at the US$2.4 million event for the first time in 11 attempts as she won by four shots.
And as she revealed at a press conference later, her milestone victory was something she had dreamed of just the night before.
“I had a dream of winning here. I got up at 3 am (on Sunday morning) and suddenly realised it was only a dream, it was not real yet,” she said.
“I knew that my flightmates Jeeno Thitikul and Charley Hull (would be) aggressive in their approaches, so anything could have happened. But I played my own game, working from tee to green in a calm and steady fashion.”
A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU
Friday, 2 pm
Lifestyle
Our picks of the latest dining, travel and leisure options to treat yourself.
Ko – the 2024 Olympic gold medalist and Women’s British Open champion – fashioned five birdies and rued two bogeys for a 69 that gave her a 13-under 275 total.
Thai star Thitikul, who won here as an amateur in 2018, shot 70 while Japan’s Ayaka Furue bagged 68 to finish joint-second. Hull from the UK crumbled to a 74 for tied-fourth on minus-seven.
Sharing fourth place were South Korean Im Jin-hee (lowest round of the day at 67) and Mexico’s Gaby Lopez (70).
While Ko’s triumph was largely convincing, there was a brief period when Thitikul and Furue reduced the gap to three to raise some fans’ hopes of a more exciting finish.
But Ko provided the knockout punch when she even surprised herself and her caddie Paul Cormack with an immaculate putt on the 181-yard par-three 15th from what many considered the “three-putt zone”.
From about 25 feet, she rolled a tricky putt that veered to the left and kissed the left lip before eventually spinning in.
Reflecting on that miraculous putt, she said: “My big goal was just to two-putt. I honestly didn’t think it was going in until it lipped in. When these things happen, you think, oh, maybe it’s going to be my time to win the event.”
At 14-under and with three holes to play, the door seemed close for a predictable victory. And despite Ko’s bogey on the 144-yard 17th, there was no stopping her.
Just before the trophy presentation, she was seen obliging fans – one of whom carried a banner that read “She believed she could, so she did it” – by signing everything in sight such as golf balls, caps, bags and shirts.
As for Thitikul, she enjoyed a second straight top-three finish in 2025 and her 10th top-10 finish in a row on the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour.
“I really want to keep it going because the more really consistent that you are, it’s giving you a good chance every week,” said the 22-year-old.
Furue, meanwhile, had her best result in her last four LPGA starts.
“I’m very happy with this outcome because this year, I was not playing well until this tournament,” said the 24-year-old Japanese.
Singapore’s Shannon Tan finished a creditable tied-34th after her 74 from two birdies and four bogeys, while local amateur Chen Xingtong ended in 64th position with her 79.
Copyright SPH Media. All rights reserved.
