Lydia Ko wins AIG Women's Open after late Nelly Korda collapse at St Andrews

Lydia Ko took advantage of a late back-nine collapse from World No.1 Nelly Korda to win the AIG Women's Open at St Andrews.

Korda had moved serenely into a two-shot lead with five holes to play but she came untstuck with a double-bogey seven on the par-5 14th.

She then followed it up with a bogey on the par-4 17th after finding the Road Hole Bunker.

While all that was going on, Ko, in the group ahead, was holding her nerve and she put the finishing touches to victory when converting a six-footer for birdie on the par-4 18th. 

Ko's final round of 3-under 69 was enough to close out a two-shot victory over Korda (72), defending champion Lilia Vu (73), Ruoning Yin (70) and Jiyai Shin (74).

The New Zealander said: 

"It's been a crazy past few weeks. You know, something that was too good to be true happened, and I honestly didn't think it could be any better and here I am as the AIG Women's Open Champion this week. Obviously that being here at the Old Course at St Andrews, it makes it so much more special."

Korda said of her late collapse: 

"Listen, it's golf. I'm going to mess up and unfortunately I messed up over the weekend twice in two penalising ways coming down the stretch. Theoretically that's what kind of cost me the tournament but I played well. I played solid. I even fought after that. I'm going to take that into the next coming events."

More than eight years since she claimed her second major victory as a teenager, Ko has now added the AIG Women’s Open title to an Olympic victory in Paris a fortnight earlier that sealed her place in the LPGA Hall of Fame.

Vu put up a solid defence of her title and could have forced a playoff with a birdie at the 18th, but the champion from Walton Heath 12 months ago finished with a bogey to share second with Korda, Shin and Yin.

The Smyth Salver awarded to the low amateur went to England's Lottie Woad, who rounded off her terrific week by finishing in a tie for 10th on 1-under par.

England's Charley Hull had a weekend to forget with back-to-back rounds of 75.

Hull finished the week on 1-over par in a tie for 20th. 

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