LPGA Tour: Marina Alex won the Palos Verdes Championship by one stroke over World No. 1 Jin Young Ko, claiming her second LPGA Tour championship.
The 31-year-old birdied the par-five 16th and then parred 17 and 18 to match Ko’s five-under-par 66 and finish 10 under overall.
Alex’s win in California came three and a half years after she won her maiden LPGA tournament, the Cambia Portland Classic, in 2018.
Alex was three strokes behind 54-hole leader Hannah Green heading into the final round, despite recently battling a herniated disc in her lower back.
“The hard work has paid off,” Alex stated. If I’m being completely honest, I wasn’t sure if this would ever happen again. It’s been difficult.
“We’re all getting older. I’m getting older. There are so many amazing players out here and the competition is really, really difficult.
“I just didn’t know if my mind and body were going to put me back in a position that I was going to be able to do it again. Today was the day.”
Winner of two major awards Ko finished roughly an hour before Alex and had to watch as the American took the lead by two-putting from 40 feet on the 16th hole and then held her calm on the final two holes.
Alex added: “Covid-19 slowed all of us down and then I was injured really quick after that. I had seven months off.
“It’s just been really tough rebuilding [but] coming into this year I have finally felt good physically.”
Lydia Ko, the world No. 3, and Megan Khang shared for third place on eight under par, with Ko shooting a one-under 70 on Sunday and Khang shooting a three-under 68.
After her second consecutive one-over-par round of 72, overnight leader Green ended in a tie for fifth place on seven under par.
Gemma Dryburgh of Scotland finished in a tie for 21st place on three-under after shooting two-over in her final round.
The 28-year-old made birdies on the sixth, seventh, and eighth holes, but then double-bogeyed the ninth and finished the back nine with four bogeys.
Bronte Law, who finished in a tie for 39th place after a three-over-par final round, was the highest-placed Englishwoman.
Jodi Ewart Shadoff (+1), Charlotte Thomas (+2) and Charley Hull (+4) came 49th, 59th and 65th respectively, although Ewart Shadoff did rise 20 places on the final day with a three-under 68, which featured four birdies on the back nine as she came home in 31.
