NORTON, Mass. (AP) — Miranda Wang lost the lead to the No. 1 player in women’s golf and then delivered the clutch shots over the final three holes for a 2-under 70 and a one-shot victory over Jeeno Thitikul on Sunday in the FM Championship for her first LPGA title.
Wang became the seventh LPGA rookie to win this year, extending a remarkable streak of no multiple winners through the tour’s first 23 tournaments of the year.
“I hope this is the first of many, and I’ll keep working hard,” said Wang, the Chinese player who delivered the winning point when Duke won the NCAA team title in 2019. “This is a dream come true.”
Thitikul, who took over the No. 1 ranking from Nelly Korda three weeks ago, was poised to end that streak and ruin Wang’s hopes when the Thai hit wedge to 2 feet at No. 9 for her fifth birdie to go out in 31 on the TPC Boston and tie for the lead.
Wang showed some nerves when she jabbed at a 3-foot birdie putt she missed on the par-5 12th. Then she came up well short from the fairway on No. 15 into a bunker, didn’t reach the green and took bogey to fall out of the lead.
But she showed plenty of moxie the way she finished, and Thitikul gave her plenty of help.
Thitikul was in the collar of rough, the ball above her feet, after an aggressive drive on the 17th. She pulled her shot left of a bunker, chipped through the green and had to get up-and-down from the other side for bogey.
“I don’t think I do anything wrong. Just technique-wise just some mistakes,” Thitikul said.
Wang missed a 7-foot birdie putt on the par-3 16th, but then hit her approach on the 17th to 6 feet behind the hole and caught enough of the cup to make birdie and regain the lead.
On the par-5 closing hole, Thitikul laid up short of a ditch and her wedge landed 5 feet short of the pin and then rolled back some 20 feet. She made par for a 67.
Wang laid up and hit wedge to 25 feet, two-putting for par to finish at 20-under 268. Rose Zhang, who played in the final group with Wang, was among those who doused her with bubbly to celebrate becoming the 11th first-time winner on the LPGA this year.
Wang set the tone for her first LPGA title Thursday when, after starting on No. 10, she made eight birdies on the front nine. Her confidence only grew with the putter, and she led by three shots going into the final round.
“On the back nine of the first round, I started hitting really good shots,” Wang said. “I felt like this could be my week. I worked really hard and didn’t give up.”
Zhang didn’t put up much of a fight, missing good birdie chances after the turn and then taking a double bogey on the 14th hole to fall out of contention.
Sei Young Kim (70) finished third, three shots behind. Andrea Lee also shot 70 and finished another shot back. Zhang had to settle for a 72 to tie for fifth with Jin Hee Im, who had a bogey-free 62.
The LPGA has 24 winners in 23 tournaments — one of them was a team event — before it’s on to Cincinnati in two weeks for the Kroger Queen City Championship.
Korda, a seven-time winner last year, closed with a 75 and tied for 35th, 14 shots behind Wang.
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