LPGA Tournament of Champions: Dame Lydia Ko can’t recover from poor start to final round

Dame Lydia Ko lines up her shot from the eighth tee during the final round of the Tournament of Champions. Photo / Getty Images

Dame Lydia Ko’s quest for another winning start to an LPGA season derailed on the first six holes of the final round of the Tournament of Champions at her home course at Lake Nona, Florida.

The Kiwi Olympic gold medallist, who was defending her title, had three bogeys early in round four that ended any hope of chasing down eventual winner A Lim Kim.

After beginning the round four shots back from Kim, the early mistakes put Ko too far back to make a chase. She went five-under-par for the rest of the round, to finish in sixth place, seven back from Kim.

Kim finished at 20-under after shooting a final-round 67, with all four rounds in the 60s, for her third LPGA victory and second wire-to-wire win.

Ko bogeyed the first hole and picked up another bogey at the par-four third. Another mistake at the par-three sixth dropped her back to eight-under, eight shots off Kim.

The New Zealander responded with a bounce-back birdie at the par-four seventh followed by a second birdie at the ninth hole, a par five. She then went three-under on the back nine to finish with a final-round 70.

It would have taken something spectacular to chase down Kim. World No 1 Nelly Korda almost did just that, shooting a final-round 65. Korda was tied with Kim with three holes to play before the Korean moved a shot clear – a margin she held until draining a lengthy birdie putt on the 72nd hole.

Australian Minjee Lee had the round of the day, shooting a 10-under 62 to finish in a share of third place at 14-under.

The next tournament is the Founders Cup, to be played at Korda’s home course at Bradenton Country Club, the same course she pipped Ko in a playoff at last season’s Drive On Championship.