Kiwi Lydia Ko has continued her extraordinary summer of success with a commanding win at the Kroger Queen City Championship.

The Olympic and AIG Women’s Open champion claimed her 22nd LPGA Tour title by a five strokes, Grace Kim the best of the Aussies in a share of 19th.

“Never in a million years would I have guessed that I now would've gone into the Hall of Fame through winning the gold in Paris and then winning my first major since 2016 at the AIG Women's Open,” said Ko, who made just one bogey for the week and shot 9-under 63 on Sunday to win.

“It's been pretty surreal.”

At the start of the final round, it looked like it was going to be a two-horse race between Ko and Jeeno Thitikul, which is what ultimately played out in Maineville, Ohio.

Thitikul led Ko by two at 16-under to begin the day, but Ko quickly got within one after making birdie on the par-4 first hole. The duo parred their next four holes before both picked up birdies on the par-5 sixth hole, leaving Ko one back of Thitikul, who had climbed to 17-under overall.

A Thitikul eagle on eight got the Thailand native to 19-under, giving her a two-shot advantage over Ko, who birdied the par 5 to get to 17-under. But Thitikul bogeyed the par-4 ninth hole, dropping back to 18-under and now sitting just one stroke ahead of Ko with nine holes to play.

Ko then tied the lead after burying a 15-footer on the par-4 10th hole for birdie to move to 18-under overall, surging two shots ahead of Thitikul when she eagled the par-5 11th hole to get to 20-under overall. But Thitikul drained a lengthy birdie putt on the par-3 12th hole to move back to 19-under and sit one behind Ko with six holes to play.

Unfazed by Thitikul's push, Ko knocked it close with a hybrid on 13 and holed her resulting birdie putt to reach 21-under, now three ahead of Thitikul after the three-time LPGA Tour winner made bogey. Thitikul birdied 14 to get a shot back and once again sit two shots behind Ko at 19-under, but Ko birdied 15 to move to 22-under total, ultimately holding a four-shot lead with three holes to play after Thitikul made another bogey on that same par 4.

Thitikul bogeyed again on 17, leaving Ko five ahead heading to the 18th tee box, with the final hole just being a formality for the reigning Olympic gold medalist to collect her 22nd career LPGA Tour title.

After Thitikul birdied the par-5 18th hole to finish at 18-under overall, Ko then did the same, polishing off a final-round, 9-under 63 with one last birdie at TPC River’s Bend to post at 23-under total to win her third 2024 title by a whopping five shots.

West Australian Kirsten Rudgeley had a share of the lead at the halfway mark of the La Sella Open in Spain but dropped to a tie for 12th with weekend rounds of 70-74.

Queenslander Cassie Porter missed the cut at the penultimate event of the Epson Tour and will now enter the Tour Championship in a fortnight's time 11th in the Race For The Card standings.

Photo: Mogie Adamchik

Results

LPGA Tour
Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G
TPC River’s Bend, Maineville, Ohio
1          Lydia Ko (NZ)                67-66-69-63—265       $US300,000
T19      Grace Kim                    70-70-71-67—278       $21,122
T27      Minjee Lee                   71-71-68-69—279       $16,425
T27      Stephanie Kyriacou      69-67-69-74—279       $16,425
T45      Gabriela Ruffels           73-69-70-70—282       $8,082
T61      Robyn Choi                  70-69-74-72—285       $4,568
MC       Hira Naveed                 74-70—144
MC       Su Oh                          73-77—150

Ladies European Tour
La Sella Open
La Sella Golf Resort, Spain
1          Helen Briem                 67-71-66-66—270       €150,000
T12      Kirsten Rudgeley          68-69-70-74—281       €20,500
T41      Amy Walsh                   74-69-72-73—288       €5,577.78
MC       Momoka Kobori (NZ)   71-74—145
MC       Kelsey Bennett             75-72—147
MC       Whitney Hillier             73-76—149

Epson Tour
Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout
El Dorado, Arkansas
1          Jenny Bae                     66-70-73—209 $US50,625
T23      Amelia Garvey (NZ)      74-69-74—217 $3,868
T25      Fiona Xu (NZ)               75-73-70—218 $3,259
MC       Cassie Porter                78-73—151

LET Access Series
Lavaux Ladies Open
Golf de Lavaux, Switzerland
1          Mimi Rhodes               68-68-64—200 €7,200
T46      Wenyung Keh (NZ)       71-73-74—218 €256.50
MC       Munchin Keh (NZ)        73-77—150