MIDLAND, Mich. — Atthaya “Jeeno” Thitikul of Thailand made a 12-foot birdie putt on the ultimate gap as she and Ruoning Yin of China received the Dow Championship on Sunday by closing with an 8-under 62 within the four-ball format.
Thitikul and and Yin, good associates who every briefly had been No. 1 on this planet rating, gave themselves a staff nickname of “Jin and Ronic” and had each cause to have fun.
They led by two on the again 9 over Ally Ewing and Jennifer Kupcho till Ewing practically single-handedly rallied to tie for the lead. She birdied the 14th and fifteenth holes at Midland Nation Membership and hit a troublesome chip to avoid wasting par on the sixteenth to remain tied.
Thitikul and Ruoning performed within the group forward, and Thitikul hit a tee shot on the par-3 18th over water to 12 toes behind the cup. Her birdie putt was true all the way in which, they usually had been all smiles as they headed to the clubhouse to see if it will maintain up.
“I used to be so nervous,” Thitikul stated. “I knew this putt was for each of us. I wished to make it so dangerous.”
The important thing to four-ball is to have two appears at birdies on each gap, and Ewing needed to carry the load down the stretch. Kupcho began misfiring off the tee and together with her irons, and he or she was scrambling for par. Ewing saved them within the recreation together with her regular play.
Realizing they wanted birdie on the ultimate gap, Kupcho made a shot that got here up quick and rolled again, spared from going into the water by a thick patch of tough. Nevertheless it gave her a troublesome chip up a slope to the inexperienced, and he or she left it some 15 toes quick.
Ewing had about 25 toes beneath the outlet for a birdie likelihood to pressure a playoff, nevertheless it was on the low facet of the cup the entire means they usually needed to accept par and a 64.
“We obtained off to a sluggish begin, however we hung in there. It wasn’t simple,” Ewing stated. “I feel in these tournaments, for those who get to Gap 18 and you’ve got an opportunity to win the golf match or pressure a playoff, that is all you ask for.”
Ewing and Kupcho have been teammates within the Solheim Cup however by no means companions. Which may change for this 12 months, notably in foursomes.
“It was a enjoyable week with Jen, and it is hopefully one thing we will do once more on the Solheim,” Ewing stated.
Kupcho received the Dow Championship two years in the past with Lizette Salas as her teammate.
The Dow Championship is the one official staff occasion on the LPGA Tour. Thitikul and Yin every get credit score for his or her third profession LPGA titles, and every received $366,082. That was sufficient to push Yin over $1 million for the 12 months together with her first official LPGA win because the KPMG Ladies’s PGA Championship final 12 months.
“We simply had numerous enjoyable,” Yin stated. “We preserve one another accountable. For that [winning] putt, I had a sense she’s going to make it. Simply stroll in.”
Then she seemed over at Thitikul and stated with a smile, “Good job.”
Nanna Koerstz Madsen and Nicole Broch Estrup of Denmark closed with a 63 and tied for third with the South Korea duo of Haeji Kang and In Kyung Kim, who shot a 65.
Lexi Thompson and Brooke Henderson had 14 groups in entrance of them after they began the ultimate spherical and by no means had a severe likelihood. They shot 63 however nonetheless completed six pictures behind in a tie for eighth.
