Lilia Vu birdied the third playoff hole to defeat Lexi Thompson and Australian Grace Kim and win the Meijer LPGA Classic on Sunday in Belmont, Mich.
Vu, Thompson and Kim all finished at 16-under 272 after 72 holes at Blythefield Country Club. After they replayed the par-5 18th hole twice, with each player making birdie both times, the trio went to the par-5 fourth hole.
Vu was the only player to put her drive in the fairway, and Thompson and Kim could merely punch out for their second shots. Vu’s second shot landed in a greenside bunker, but she escaped and left herself roughly 6 feet for birdie. After her competitors missed longer birdie tries, Vu sank her putt to claim her fifth career LPGA win and her first of 2024.
Kim started the day with a five-shot lead but squandered it by shooting a 1-over 73 while her competitors closed in.
Vu’s bogey-free, 7-under 65 was the round of the day and set the 16-under mark early. Thompson birdied the 18th to shoot 68 and tie Vu, and Kim made one birdie and eight pars on her back nine, missing opportunities to surpass 16 under.
Ally Ewing had a string of four straight birdies on her front nine and briefly touched 17 under for the tournament. But a bogey-bogey-birdie finish to her round knocked her out of contention.
“I knew I probably needed a hot start it kind of chase down Grace with such a substantial lead to start the day,” Ewing said. “So being 4-under through six holes, certainly right where I wanted to be. 5-under through eight. … I had a chance to make (an eagle) on the last hole to potentially force a playoff, which now we know would’ve forced a playoff. And at the end of the day that’s what you compete for, a chance to win the golf tournament.”
Allisen Corpuz and South Korea’s Narin An both shot 2-under 70 and tied for fifth at 14 under. An bogeyed two of her final three holes to drop out of the playoff hunt.
–Field Level Media
