SAMMAMISH — Lydia Ko played well enough to win, but challenger Brooke Henderson simply outshone the world’s top-ranked player on Sunday afternoon with a remarkable final-round charge and a playoff-hole birdie putt to win the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Sahalee Country Club.
In a showdown of teen-agers, the 18-year-old Henderson chased down the 19-year-old Ko over the final nine holes, making up a three-shot deficit to force a playoff. Then, with Ko safely in the center of the green on the first playoff hole, Henderson coolly dropped her 7-iron approach 3 feet from the pin.
Putting first, Ko’s 15-foot birdie try slid past the hole, missing about 4 inches left. After she tapped in, Henderson lined up her 3-footer and sent it right in the center of the cup, setting off a roar from the large crowd surrounding the final green.
“Coming into this week, I had really good vibes,” said Henderson, a Canadian who closed with a bogey-free round of 6-under-par 65. “I love Sahalee Country Club. I was really looking forward to this week and it turned out to be a good one.
“This is maybe one of the favorite tournaments I’ve ever played in,” she said. “The fans were incredible, and the way the noise echoed here was really cool. … It was fantastic. And then a lot of those cheers ended up being for me, which was even cooler.”
It was “an amazing day, for sure,” added Henderson, who pocketed the winner’s paycheck of $525,000.
New Zealand’s Ko, who gets the runner-up prize of $320,917, was nearly as good with a 4-under 67, also bogey-free.
“I played really solid today,” Ko said. “My ball striking was good and I’m happy with the way I played. I just got outplayed. For Brooke to shoot 65 on the final day at a major at a (difficult) course like this is very impressive. … She just played great.”
Playing two threesomes in front of Ko, Henderson began the day with a two-stroke deficit and had lost another stroke at the turn despite playing the front nine at 2 under par. At that point, she said, “I saw the leaderboard and I knew I needed to be better.”
The magic started on No. 11, a 506-yard par 5. On her second shot Henderson bent a 3-wood around a tree to the front of the green and then sent a putt of about 80 feet — including about 20 feet of fringe — straight into the cup for an eagle 3.
“To have it go in was incredible,” she said. “I was just trying to nestle it up and make sure I made birdie. That was a huge momentum changer for me.”
Three holes later, Henderson made a terrific bunker shot to save par with a short putt. Then, after pulling her tee shot left on No. 17, a 171-yard par 3, she rolled in a left-to-right 30-footer for another birdie, moving her into a tie with Ko.
“That might’ve been the putt that won me the tournament,” Henderson said.
The 17th hole turned out to be decisive for Ko as well, but in this case unfortunately so. She hit her tee shot to 4 feet of the pin and then stood over a birdie putt that might have closed the door on Henderson. Instead Ko’s putt rolled past the hole on the right, missing by just a fraction of an inch.
“I was kind of aiming right-center, but it broke a little bit,” Ko said. “I don’t know if I pushed it. … Maybe I mis-read it a little bit.”
After both players took pars on No. 18, they returned to the 18th tee for the playoff. The two drives were in the fairway, though Henderson was several yards ahead. After Ko dropped her approach in the center of the green, Henderson sent her second shot directly at the flag. It bounced short of the pin and trickled slightly to the left, stopping 3 feet away.
After sinking her winning putt, Henderson exchanged a hug with Ko, and then got doused with bottled water and sports drinks by family members who charged the green.
“(Henderson) has been playing real solid this year,” Ko said. “She has a bunch of top-10 (finishes) and I think we all knew a win was coming. And for her to win a major is even more special.”
“Lydia is a great competitor,” said Henderson, who began the week ranked No. 4 in the world and is projected to vault to No. 2 behind Ko. “She’s already won the last two majors on the LPGA Tour, and I knew I’d have to do something special to beat her. And I was able to do that.”
Third place went to Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn, who closed with 5-under 66. She had three birdies over the final seven holes to give herself a chance, but a birdie attempt on the 18th green that would have moved her into the playoff was just wide of the cup.
“Today I played really good,” said Jutanugarn, adding, “I really, really want to win a major one time in my life. I think that would be great. I don’t know when, (but) I’m going to try to work hard to win my major.”
American Gerina Piller, who started the day one stroke behind Ko, suffered through a round of 3-over 74. She finished tied for 12th.
“I just didn’t get it in the hole quick enough,” she said. “It’s not an easy golf course. You have to execute and I don’t think I did a good job of that today.”
Henderson’s victory was the 15th in the past 16 years by a non-American in this tournament. The only American to win since 2001 was Cristie Kerr in 2010.
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