It came down to the last putt, but Thailand’s Atthaya Thitikul and the People’s Republic of China’s Ruoning Yin won the Dow Championship by one stroke at Midland Country Club in Midland, Mich.
Starting the final round in a tie for second, the Olympic-bound duo got off to a hot start, recording three straight birdies on Nos. 2, 3 and 4 and adding two more on holes seven and nine to take some momentum into the back nine.
Unfortunately, that momentum slowed down, and with just three birdies to account for on the back, team Ping-Pals, comprised of Ally Ewing and Jennifer Kupcho, were able to make a surge back up the leaderboard, eventually trading blows with Yin and Thitikul as played came to an end.
After No. 14, the two teams really began to take their shots at one another. Kupcho and Ewing grabbed back-to-back birdies on Nos. 14 and 15 compared to Yin and Thitikul’s pars to keep pace. Nos. 16 and 17 were a wash as both teams secured a pair of pars heading into the pivotal par-3 18t h hole. Thitikul stuck it on the green and stared down a putt to win the championship. With the newly redesigned Dow Championship trophy on the line, Thitikul left no doubt and sunk the birdie putt to give Jin & Ronic a one-stroke lead over the Ping-Pals.
“I knew that it was good when I putted it, but I'm not too sure of the line,” Thitikul said about her putt on No. 18 “I can't tell anything. I'm putting good, but I'm not too sure of the line. For example, if you have like maybe just a hole, a pitch mark, and then it kicks out. It's golf. I was just like, wow, it's in.”
Back-to-back pars for Ewing and Kupcho left needing a birdie to force the first playoff in Dow Championship history. And after both of their tee shots, that task seemed more daunting.
Ewing stuck hers on the 18th green, hitting it to approximately 20 feet, while Kupcho left hers short, hitting the front fringe of the island green. Kupcho’s attempt at a hole-out from the fringe was unsuccessful and it was ultimately up to the Mississippi State alum to force a playoff. Ewing gave it her best effort but ultimately missed just below the hole, giving Jin & Ronic the win. This was Kupcho’s first top-10 finish at the Dow Championship since winning the event in 2022 with partner Lizette Salas, and it was Ewing’s first top-10 finish in her third start in the tournament.
“We got off to a slow start, but we hung in there,” Ewing said about the round. “It wasn't easy. I think in these tournaments, if you get to hole 18, you have a chance to win the golf tournament or force a playoff. That's all you ask for. It was a fun week with Jen, and it's hopefully something we can do again at the Solheim.”
The Danish duo of Nanna Koerstz Madsen and Nicole Broch Estrup finished tied for third after going bogey-free with seven birdies in Sunday’s four-ball round. The two both earned their first top-10 finishes of the 2024 season, with Broch Estrup also making her first LPGA Tour start this year. Another duo also earned their first top-10 finish of the season as well. Haeji Kang earned her third top-10 finish at the Dow Championship and her first this season, while In Kyung Kang finished inside the top 10 for the first time since 2019.
Rounding out the top five were the two English Olympians Charley Hull and Georgia Hall. The best friends shot 63s in both of their four-ball rounds. Auston and Grace Kim also finished inside the top-five with Grace making her first career ace in the second round. John Shippen Women’s Invitational winners Georgia Oboh and Lakareber Abe finished tied for eighth going bogey-free with eight birdies. The youngest duo, Sophie Stevens Winner of the Suzann Pettersen Amateur Qualifier presented by Frankenmuth Insurance) and her partner Vanessa Borovilos ended their first start at a LPGA event in tie for 29th.
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