The JTBC Classic was there for Nanna Koerstz Madsen to win on Sunday — until it wasn’t.
Madsen, the first player from Norway to win on the LPGA Tour, was trying to make it back-to-back victories on Sunday at the Aviara Golf Club in Carlsbad.
It was a back-and-forth back nine. Madsen missed a six-footer at the 16th that would have given her the lead but she bounced back with a birdie putt from seven feet at the 17th to get to 17-under and took a one-shot lead over 19-year-old rookie Atthaya Thitikul into the 72nd hole.
Thitikul, who finished an hour ahead of the final group after posting a closing 64, was waiting at 16-under par.
Madsen hit the 18th green but left herself some 70 feet away. She left her approach putt seven feet short then made a weak effort for par. She knew when she hit it that it was bleeding weak to the right of the hole. The bogey set up a playoff with Thitikul, who never went to the range to warm up.
Both players made pars their first trip down 18.
On the second, Madsen hit an absolutely abysmal snap hook that went less than 180 yards. She left herself in a tough spot with 216 yards for her second and water guarding the right side of the green.
Her hybrid shot was pushed to the right, into the water and the writing was on the wall. Thitikul’s approach left her 60 feet from the hole and her approach put left her seven feet for par.
Madsen took her drop, she would miss a 10-footer for bogey and of course, Thitikul two-putted for a winning bogey.
“A lot things going through my head,” Thitikul said. “But one thing that I really want to focus is like just, `Do your every single shot.’ Just like, `If you lose, if you win, this is another chance to learn. So do your best every single shot.’ That’s it.”
At 19 years, 25 days, Thitikul is the youngest winner on the LPGA Tour since Brooke Henderson in the 2016 Portland Classic at 18 years, 9 months, 23 days. The Thai player also has two victories on the Ladies European Tour.
“It wasn’t a very good playoff,” Koerstz Madsen said. “I played a good week and I’m happy with the game. I could have maybe have done a little better today, but it was what I could do.”
World No. 1 Jin Young Ko finished eagle-birdie-par and tied for fourth at 14-under par.
Ko will be the favorite this week at the LPGA Tour’s first major — The Chevron — formerly the ANA Championship.
Ewen Ferguson Triumphs In Windy Qatar:
The winds blew and blew all week at the Qatar Masters and on Sunday, Scotland’s Ewen Ferguson came through for his first DP World Tour win on a day when it blew 25-30 miles per hour.
Ferguson started the day three shots behind co-leaders Adrian Meronk and Matthew Jordan. He shot up the leaderboard with and eagle and birdie over his final three holes to post seven-under with a closing round of 70 at the Doha Golf Club.
The eagle at the 16th came courtesy of a chip-in from off the green.
By day’s end, he stood in the winner’s circle, a shot better than American Chase Hanna, whose closing 71 got him solo second at six-under par.
Meronk’s 75 left him in a tie for third with Marcus Kinjult (71).
“I just can’t believe it at all. Years and years of hard work,” Ferguson said afterward. “My mum, dad, sister and brother and all my family gave me everything to try and get to this moment and it’s an absolute dream come true. I think I’ve been in contention enough now on the Challenge Tour and out here at the start of this year a little bit, and I just managed to deal with it today.
“I’m obviously a winner now – it’s incredible.”
