LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Jasmine Suwannapura eagled the second playoff hole to win the LPGA NW Arkansas Championship, denying Lucy Li after a spectacular last-round duel.
Li, a 21-year-old Californian chasing her first title, had an LPGA record-tying three eagles in her 11-under par 60 and had the clubhouse lead on 17-under 196.
But 31-year-old Thai veteran Jasmine recovered from an errant tee shot to eagle the 72nd hole and force the playoff with a 10-under round of 61.
It would be more than an hour before they returned to the par-five 18th, where Jasmine’s eagle putt was an inch short and they settled for matching birdies to start the playoff.
‘There was a time that I thought I’m probably not going to win again.’
Off the tee of 18 again, Jasmine gained the edge when she found the fairway as Li hit into the left rough.
Jasmine’s second shot raced through the green and spun back and with Li trying to get up and down for birdie the Thai rattled in her eagle putt for the win.
“It’s been a long time,” said an emotional Jasmine, who claimed a third LPGA title but her first since the 2019 Dow Invitational pairs event.
“There was a time that I thought I’m probably not going to win again.”
“But today, everything just fell in the right place at the right time.”
Meanwhile, Filipina Dottie failed to sustain her big opening rounds as she wound up tied at the 44th spot of this $3-million tourney.
After an impressive 65-67 in the first two rounds, Ardina struggled with a 75, prompting her to kiss her chances of lifting her first LPGA trophy goodbye.
She entered the final 18 holes at 10-under, but the 31-year-old Canlubang native wasn’t in her usual elements, bogeying three times in the first seven holes to set the tone for a horror finish.
Still, it was the best finish for Ardina this season after finishing tied for seventh in the Dana Open last July and 13th in the Paris Olympics.
Li, for her part, became just the seventh player to post three eagles in an LPGA tour round.
The first was a hole-out at the par-four eighth, part of a burst that saw her pick up seven strokes in seven holes.
She had birdied the fifth and seventh, then birdied the ninth, 10th and 11th to seize a share of the lead on 12-under.
It was all the more unlikely considering she was one-over for the day after three-putt bogeys at the second and fourth.
“I had honestly no clue that this was going to happen,” Li said.
“I did not think I was in it at all. I mean, after two three-putts in the first four holes I was just like, I don’t know.”
“And then some magic came and I shot 60. Even though I didn’t win, just this is the greatest thing.”