SYLVANIA, Ohio (AP) – Lydia Ko outlasted Ariya Jutanugarn and Mirim Lee to win the Marathon Classic on Sunday for her fourth LPGA Tour victory of the season.
The top-ranked Ko made a 10-foot birdie putt on the fourth extra hole after Jutanugarn and Lee ran into trouble.
“Just to see a putt drop for birdie I think kind of got my emotions going,” Ko said. “I’m not really a huge fist-pump kind of person, but I think it’s probably the biggest fist-pump I’ve ever done.”
Also the 2014 winner, Ko closed with a 2-under 69 at Highland Meadows to match Jutanugarn and Lee at 14-under 270. They played the par-5 18th four more times to finally decide the winner.
“Not a very easy hole,” Ko said. “It’s a dogleg left and, with the wind blowing left to right and the pin tucked on the left, it was probably the toughest it’ll play. I think we were all getting a little bit physically and mentally tired as we were continuing to play the same hole.”