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The LPGA Tour headed to Sylvania, Ohio at the Highland Meadows Golf Club for the Marathon LPGA Classic. The scheduled 72-hold event began in 1984 and plays on the par 71 layout of 6555 yards. The purse was a lofty $2 million with 500 points awarded to the winner towards the Race to the CME Globe. Danielle Kang came from five shots behind with six holes to play last year to defeat Lydia Ko, who stumbled to a double bogey on the final hole.

First Round

Nasa Hataoka came out hot and had a stretch of six consecutive birdies and nine in 11 holes. She finished with a 61 and led Lauren Stephenson by four shots. Ariya Jutanugarn was on her game and was in a group at five-under along with Matilda Castrin. Amy Yang and Mirim Lee were among six players who posted very solid rounds of 67. There was a logjam of 13 players at three-under, including Stacy Lewis, Cristie Kerr, Meghan Kang, and Chella Choi. A stretch of four straight birdies got Paula Creamer into a large group of 18 at two-under. Although under par, big names such as Brooke Henderson, Moriya Jutanugarn, Jessica Korda, and Sophia Popov were nine off the pace. Notables that were ten or more shots back included Yuka Saso, Inbee Park, So Yeon Ryu, and Natalie Gulbis.

Second Round

Mina Harigae made a move after a round of 66 that included five birdies and no bogeys. She got within two of the lead still held by Nasa Hataoka, who had six birdies and four bogeys in her round of 69. Allison Lee and Elizabeth Szokol both shot a 66 and were three shots back. Esther Henseleit posted the round of the day with a 64. She was at eight-under par along with Jennifer Kupcho, and Gerina Piller. Big names were lurking at seven under par, including Danielle Kang, Ariya Jutanugarn, and Matilda Castrin. Alana Uriell impressed with one of her best rounds, posting a 66 and was in a group of six at six-under par. Paula Reto had one of the best rounds of the day. Her 65 put her back into the mix at four-under par. Top players that made the cut but were well off the pace included So Yeon Ryu, Jessica Korda, Brooke Henderson, and Celine Boutier. Paula Creamer stumbled to a round of 75 and missed the cut, along with Moriya Juntanugarn and Sophia Popov.

Third Round

Nasa Hataoka took control of the tournament after birdies on four of the last five holes. Her round of 64 increased her lead to six over Elizabeth Szokol and Mina Harigae. At 12-under par was Esther Henseleit after another solid round of 67. Yuka Saso vaulted up the leaderboard with help from an eagle on the par 4 ninth. Her 64 placed her in a group of four at 11-under par. Stacy Lewis made some noise after her round of 65 put her in a tie at 10-under along with Jennifer Kupcho, Danielle Kang, Gerina Piller, and Jasmine Suwannapura. Ariya Jutanugarn, Meghan Kang and Matilda Castrin were among those at nine-under, while Inbee Park was a shot further back at eight-under. Notables that were a non-factor heading into the final round were Carlotta Ciganda (six-under), Mel Reid, Brooke Henderson (five-under), Jessica Korda (three-under), and So Yeon Ryu (Even).

Final Round

All players began their final rounds as scheduled, but play was suspended at 9:40 a.m. with leader Nasa Hataoka on the first hole. The LPGA Tour hoped to completed the final round and monitored weather conditions throughout the day. However, the conditions never improved and the forecast for Monday called for additional storms. Therefore, for the first time since the 2020 Cambia Portland Classic, and LPGA event was reduced to 54 holes. Nasa Hataoka, a 22-year-old from Japan, took home the win. It was her 4th career LPGA victory and her first since winning the 2019 Kia Classic.

Coming Up

The LPGA Tour makes a short trek to the Midland Country Club in Midland, Michigan for the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational. The 72-hole event takes place on a par 70 layout of 6256 yards. This event is the first official team even on the LPGA Tour. The purse is an attractive $2.3 million with 400 points toward the Race to the CME Globe to the winner.

Jasmine Suwannapura and Cydney Clanton cruised to a six-shot victory with a score of 27-under par in 2019.