By: Max Bechtoldt
Lydia Ko won the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions by two strokes over 19-year-old Alexa Pano for her first LPGA win since the CME Championship in 2022.
Ko was in control since Friday, holding a stable lead after overcoming Ayaka Furue’s record-setting 65 on Thursday. Ko hit 10 fairways and 13 greens en route to victory. Her driving distance was up around 260 in the final round, 15 yards more than her average for the rest of the week.
Ko’s consistency was strong, her short game was clicking as it should for the best player within 50 yards on the tour. Though on 18 she struggled near the green, it didn’t matter, the event was already over.
Ko finished with 28 putts on Sunday, right around her consistent average through the week. Ko became the first member to win at Lake Nona. A roster that includes Leona Maguire, Nasa Hataoka and the Jutanugarn sisters. Lydia Ko now is only one point away from clinching a hall-of-fame spot.
Pano continued to show why she’s a rising star, emerging as Ko’s lone realistic contender in the final stretch of holes. Expect Pano to win more this year and compete for a Solheim Cup spot.
On the celebrity side, MLB star Jeff McNeil took the event by four strokes over LPGA legend Annika Sörenstam. It was McNeil’s first time playing in this event.
