Nanna Koerstz Madsen claims maiden LPGA Tour victory with play-off win at Honda LPGA Thailand
Madsen became the first Danish winner in history on the LPGA Tour after eagling the second extra play-off hole to defeat China's Xiyu Lin; Leona Maguire finished tied-12th after a final-round 64
Sunday 13 March 2022 14:24, UK
Nanna Koerstz Madsen secured her maiden LPGA Tour victory with a dramatic play-off win at the Honda LPGA Thailand.
The Dane took a one-shot lead into the final day at Pattaya Old Course and held a four-shot advantage over the chasing pack with three holes to play, only for Xiyu Lin to capitalise on an expensive finish from Madsen to take the contest to extra holes.
Madsen bogeyed the 16th and Lin picked up a shot at the par-three next to halve the lead, before a two-shot swing at the last saw Madsen fail to get up and down from the back of the green and Lin roll in a five-foot birdie to level the contest.
The pair broke the 72-hole tournament record by finishing on 26 under and both made par on the first extra play-off hole, only for Madsen to drain a 10-foot eagle on the next to become the first Danish winner on the LPGA Tour.
"It's amazing. It's a dream come true," said Koerstz Madsen, an LPGA Tour Member since 2018. "It was a crazy day; a lot of good things. I'm really excited to be standing with the trophy right now."
Lin had birdied three of her final four holes to post a final-round 66 and almost chipped in for eagle at the first extra hole, matching Madsen's birdie, with another at the next not enough to claim her breakthrough win.
"I'm very proud," Lin said. "Sometimes it's just weird. You shot 26-under and then cannot win a tournament. But that's my lowest ever shot in a tournament week, and like four days of very solid golf. Like I'm going to take a lot from this."
LPGA Tour Golf
A final-hole eagle from Celine Boutier secured the Frenchwoman outright third, while Amy Yang finished three off the pace in tied-fourth with Canada's Brooke Henderson.
Ireland's Leona Maguire carded a bogey-free 64 to jump into a share of 12th, while England's Mel Reid ended the no-cut event - where there was a two-and-a-half-hour weather delay due to thunderstorms - in tied-51st.
"Game doesn't need an awful a lot of work," Maguire said. "Just kind of a fine-tuning and check-up, few home-cooked meals and sleep in my own bed and be good to go again."
