By: Max Bechtoldt
We are in the top half of the list now, and have reached the point of thrillers that all came down to the final putt. Through 10 events, four tournaments have been decided by one stroke or in a playoff. Spoiler alert, the two tournaments in this article are the ones that ended in regulation. Here are No. 4 and 3 of the best tournaments of the year so far:
4. Honda LPGA Thailand – While Thai players traditionally play well in their home country event, perhaps none of the previous results were as meaningful as Patty Tavatanakit’s win in 2024. After winning the Chevron Championship and Rookie of the Year in 2021, Tavatanakit went through one of the worst slumps in recent memory. In mid-2022 she missed eight out of nine cuts and in the middle of 2023 missed four in a row. In that two-year stretch, she had only four top-10s. The tide started to turn in the later portion of 2023 with some decent results, then a win in early 2024 on the LET. The journey made her final tap in for birdie on the final hole that much more exciting. Once viewed as the next superstar of the LPGA Tour, Tavatanakit finally had her second victory, and the next week she followed the strong result up with a top-10.
3. HSBC Women’s World Championship – The first of Hannah Green’s two wins of the season took place in Singapore while the tour was on its Asian swing. Green entered the final round one stroke ahead of Celine Boutier, a lead that was lost by the time the two were on the back nine. Stepping onto 16 tee, Boutier had opened up a two-stroke advantage and was looking to cruise into the clubhouse for seventh-career win. Hannah Green got red-hot at the right time though, with birdies on the par 5 16 and par 3 17. On 18, green hit one of the shots of the year, nailing a 30-foot putt to win her fourth-career LPGA Tour event. Any time a comeback on the back nine occurs, the tournament takes on a different dramatic level, a long putt to win was just the cherry on top of a great Sunday.
Stay tuned tomorrow for the conclusion of the list, with the top two tournaments of the season so far.
