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The LPGA Tour made their final stop on their southeast Asia swing at the Honda LPGA Thailand. The event, which began in 2006 is played at the Siam Country Club on a par 72 layout of 6576 yards. Amy Yang entered as defending champion in the 2019 event with a 22-under par total of 266. The purse was a lofty $1.6 million with 500 points up for grabs for the Race to the CME Globe.

First Round

The ladies from Thailand dominated the top of the leaderboard, led by Patty Tavatanakit, who recorded nine birdies and a bogey for a round of 64. She was tied with 18-year-old AtthayaThitikul, who had five birdies, two eagles, and a bogey. Just a shot off the pace was Ariya Jutanugarn and Nanna Koertz Madsen. Sitting two shots back was a group of three led by Lydia Ko. Brittany Altomare and Carlota Ciganda were among six players at five-under par. Celine Boutier and Gerina Piller lurked four shots back after rounds of 68. The scoring across the board was excellent in the first day as 42 of the 72 players shot under par.

Second Round

Patty Tavatanakit separated a bit from the pack after another round of 64, capped with an eagle on the 18th. She was three shots clear of AtthayaThitikul, who posted a round of 67 after four birdies, an eagle, and a bogey. Caroline Masson got into the mix after four birdies on the back nine put her at 12-under par. Among those at 11-under was Gaby Lopez of Mexico, who eagled the par four 15th in her round of 64. Lydia Ko and Nanan Koertz Madsen were five back and defending champion Amy Yang was in the mix at 10-under along with Ariya Jutanugarn and Hee Young Park. A notable round was shot by Katherine Kirk, whose 64 was a nine-shot improvement over round one. At the midway point, 50 of the 72 players were under par.

Third Round

After blistering the golf course the first two days, Patty Tavatanakit posted a relatively mediocre 70. She still finished the day with a one-shot lead over Masson and Thitikul, who posted rounds of 67 and 68, respectfully. The leaderboard tightened with Gaby Lopez and Lydia Ko lurking at two shots behind. Hannah Green vaulted up the leaderboard after a round of 64 put her three shots back. Agnel Yin and Chella Choi both posted rounds of 65 and were only four behind. Looking for her first win in nearly three years, Ariya Jutanugarn finished the third round in 9th and five shots behind. With scoring getting better by the day, 62 of the 72 players were under par entering the final round.

Final Round

Already a winner of a major championship this season, Patty Tavatanakit looked to bring home the title in her homeland. It was not to be after a rollercoaster ride that included six birdies, two bogeys and three-putt double bogey on the 12th. She finished at 20-under and tie for third. Defending champion Amy Yang shot a 64 including five straight birdies on the front nine. She was also at 20-under, along with So Yeon Ryu and Angel Yin. Chella Choi and Hannah Green posted strong finishes at 19-under while Gaby Lopez and Caroline Masson were are 18-under. Other notables who played well but came up short were Lydia Ko, tied for 11th, and Danielle Kang, tied for 13th along with PajareeAnannarakurn, who posted a 63.

It appeared that AtthayaThitikul would take home the title after cruising to 22-under par after the 10th hole. However, she recorded no birdies the rest of the way. Meanwhile, Ariya Jutanugarn was playing like she did in 2016 when she was number one in the world. Heading to the 18th with eight birdies and no bogeys, she stuck a long iron to within 10 feet for eagle. Although she missed, the birdie that followed tied her with Thitikul, who was playing the 17th. A missed short putt for par put Thitikul a shot back, needing a birdie to tie and eagle to in on the 18th. Needing to sink a four-foot putt to force a playoff, the putt failed to drop and the win went to Jutanugarn. The emotional win was her 11th LPGA win and first in 1015 days. In addition, this was the first time in the history of the event that a native from Thailand brought home the victory.

Coming Up

The ladies will tee it up at the Pure Silk Championship presented by Visit Williamsburg May 20-23 in Williamsburg, Virginia. The event, which started in 2004 takes place at the River Course at Kingsmill Resort, a par 71 layout of 6445 yards. Bronte Law is the defending champion, winning the event in 2019 by two shots over Madelene Sagstrom, Brooke Henderson, and Nasa Hataoka. The purse for this event is $1.3 million and 500 points up for grab towards the Race to the CME Globe.