뉴질랜드 교포 리디아 고가 LPGA투어 KIA 클래식에서 우승하며 여자골프 세계랭킹 1위의 올랐다.
[하이코리언뉴스] 리디아 고는 28일(일) 미국 캘리포니아주 칼즈배드의 아비아라 골프클럽(파72·6천593야드)에서 열린 대회 마지막날 4라운드에서 버디 7개와 보기 2개를 묶어 5언더파 67타를 쳤다.
최종합계 19언더파 269타를 적어낸 리디아 고는 세계랭킹 2위 박인비의 막판 추격을 뿌리치고 우승컵을 들어올렸다.
이번 우승으로 리디아 고는 2016 시즌 LPGA 투어 첫 우승을 신고하며 통산 11승째를 올렸다. 지난 2월 우승한 ISPS 한다 뉴질랜드 여자오픈은 유럽여자골프투어였다. 세계랭킹 2위 박인비는 이날 버디 6개를 잡고, 보기는 1개로 막아 5언더파 66타를 치며 한 때 리디아 고를 1타차까지 추격했으나 아쉽게 준우승에 머물렀다.
그러나 올 시즌 개막전 바하마 클래식에서 허리를 다쳐 대회 출전하지 못하고 지난주 파운더스컵에서는 컷 탈락했던 박인비는 부진 탈출을 알렸다.
리디아 고와 함께 챔피언조에서 출발한 장타자 박성현(23·)은 긴장한 탓인지 첫 티샷이 아웃오브바운드가 되면서 1번홀부터 더블보기를 적어내 일찌감치 우승권에서는 멀어졌다.
World No. 1 Lydia Ko (-19) held off a charging World No. 2 Inbee Park during the final round of the Kia Classic to win her first LPGA event of the 2016 season. The 4-shot victory was the 11th of Ko’s short career, including her two wins as an amateur. Ko has now won five times when she slept on a 54-hole lead and continues the dominant start to her career in just her third year on Tour.
“I started off really well and I gave myself good opportunities on 1, 2, 3, 4. I was able to make birdies on 1 and 2 and then I just kind of peeked at the leaderboard and saw Inbee was making a lot of birdies,” Ko described. “Inbee doing her Inbee things; I knew that I needed to focus up until the last moment and fortunately I made some birdies down the stretch which really helped today.”
Ko started the day with a four shot lead and looked to be running away with it before she called a penalty on herself for a double hit as she was putting off the green on 10. Inbee Park then cut Ko’s lead down to one thanks to clutch 15-foot birdie putt on 17 but Ko responded with three consecutive birdies to finish her round. The lead was just too much for Inbee to overcome.
“Well, you know, nothing is impossible, and obviously on this golf course anything can really happen,” Park described of her belief in a comeback. “I mean, it is hard to be four behind Lydia going into the final round but I just gave it my best and I think I was just maybe too much behind.”
Ko now heads to the ANA Inspiration looking for her second career major victory with a great deal of confidence.
“I’ve been playing consistently well so I’m really happy with that and it’s just good to see the hard work we’ve put in the off-season,” Ko said. “All the work we’ve put in as a team kind of paid off. Yeah, a really happy moment, but I have to focus for next week and I’m really excited to go back to ANA.”