English golfer Charley Hull fired a 7-under final-round 64 to hold off all challengers and secure her second career LPGA tour championship at The Ascendant LPGA in The Colony, Texas.
The 26-year-old scored a bogey on Hole 8, but more than offset that hole with eight birdies elsewhere to secure the one-stroke victory.
“I love a challenge,” Hull said, “and this course was challenging.”
The seven-year pro had birdies on 12, 13, 14 and 17 late to preserve the win and finish 18 under for the tournament.
“I putted well; I rolled it very well,” Hull said. “I hit good strikes and felt confident.”
She was pursued most closely by China’s Xiyu Lin, who carded a birdie on 16 and an eagle on 17 to apply late drama. But both golfers scored par on the final hole with Hull nursing a one-stroke lead, giving Hull the victory.
“It was fun,” Hull said. “I find stuff like that fun, because it puts the pressure on me and I’ve gotta commit to it and do it. I really enjoyed that.”
Lin finished 17 under after her 6-under 65.
New Zealand’s Lydia Ko scored a matching 65 Sunday to finish third at 16 under. Her round included no bogeys and six birdies.
Atthaya Thitikul, from Thailand, finished alone in fourth place at 12 under after her final-round 67.
Tied for fifth were Cheyenne Knight (63) and Thailand’s Moriya Jutanugarn (68).
Lizette Salas (67) and South Korea’s So Yeon Ryu (69) finished in a tie for seventh, while the rest of the top 10 was rounded out by Celine Boutier (72) and Lexi Thompson (70).
–Field Level Media
