On a steamy Sunday in Singapore, Lydia Ko turned a dream into reality, literally. The 27-year-old New Zealander, already a Hall of Famer, finally nabbed the HSBC Women’s World Championship title in her 11th attempt, finishing at 13-under-par 275 to win by a commanding four strokes.
It was Ko’s 23rd career LPGA victory, and it came with a $360,000 check, pushing her past Karrie Webb to second on the LPGA’s all-time career money list at over $20.6 million.
Ko started the final round at Sentosa Golf Club’s Tanjong Course with a one-shot lead over Charley Hull, and a stacked leaderboard had everyone expecting a dogfight. Jeeno Thitikul and Ayaka Furue were lurking, both hungry for the trophy. But Ko, who’d woken up that morning bummed that her dream of winning wasn’t real, made it so with a clinic in poise and precision.
The Olympic gold medalist opened with a steady front nine, then rattled off three straight birdies from the 6th to the 8th, pulling away like a freight train. A bogey on the 11th briefly tightened things — Furue birdied the 15th to get within three — but Ko answered with a jaw-dropping 40-foot birdie putt on the 15th that had her laughing in disbelief as the crowd roared.
That stretched her lead back to four, and from there, it was a victory lap. She closed with a 69, while Furue and Thitikul tied for second at 9-under, carding 68 and 70, respectively.
Hull, who’d been pegged as Ko’s biggest threat, faded with a 74, settling for a share of fourth at 7-under alongside Im Jin Hee (67) and Gaby Lopez (70). Ko’s dominance was clear in the stats: she was the only player to post three rounds in the 60s that week, navigating windy conditions and a tough course with the kind of grit that’s made her a legend since her teens.
“I just wanted to focus on my game,” Ko said post-round, still grinning from the champagne shower. “To win here in Singapore and get all the love… it means a lot.”
The win capped a whirlwind stretch for Ko, who’d already cemented her legacy with Olympic gold in 2024 and induction into the LPGA Hall of Fame as its youngest member at 27.
This was her first victory since the Kroger Queen City Championship the previous September, and it felt like a statement: even with nothing left to prove, Ko’s still got plenty of fire. She called the HSBC “Asia’s Major,” adding it to her collection of big titles — she’s now won three of the five LPGA majors, with the U.S. Women’s Open and KPMG Women’s PGA Championship still on her radar for a career Grand Slam.
As the LPGA’s Asian swing rolled on to its next stop in China, Ko soaked in the moment, signing autographs for fans — some holding homemade signs—and savoring a win that felt like a homecoming.
“I’ve made some great friendships here,” she said, reflecting on her years playing in Singapore. “The junior girls who come out with signs every year—they make it so memorable.”
For a player who’s been in the spotlight since she was 15, this victory was both a full-circle moment and a reminder: Lydia Ko’s nowhere near done.
Grok 3.0 assisted.
