‘Q Series Leader’ Anna Lin Ryn ‘3rd Place by 1 Stroke’... "Ah, 3-Putt Bogey on 17th Hole"

JTBC Classic: '19-year-old' Titikul Wins Extended Victory, Massen 2nd, Ko Jin-young 4th, Defending Champ Park In-bee 8th

Anna Lin is teeing off at the 2nd hole on the final day of the JTBC Classic. Carlsbad, USA = Getty Images / Multibits Photo by Multibits

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] ‘Q-Series top scorer’ Anna Lin (26, Mediheal) narrowly missed joining the playoff.

On the 28th (Korean time), at Aviara Golf Club in Carlsbad, California, USA (par 72, 6,609 yards), she finished the final day of the LPGA Tour JTBC Classic (total prize money $1.5 million) with a 4-under-par, securing 3rd place by 1 stroke (15-under-par 273). This is her best result in just her third tournament since debuting this year. The 19-year-old Atthaya Thitikul (Thailand) won her first title (16-under-par 272) after a playoff battle, defeating ‘Honda Champ’ Nana Massengale (Denmark).

Anna Lin started 2nd, 3 strokes behind, and racked up 5 birdies (1 bogey). She created momentum with ‘stepping stone birdies’ on holes 3 and 5 and back-to-back birdies on holes 9 and 10, eventually reaching a tie for the lead with a birdie on the 16th hole (par 4). However, she stumbled with a ‘3-putt bogey’ on the 17th hole (par 5). On that hole, Massengale, who was tied for the lead, added a birdie, quickly extending the gap to 2 strokes. The triple bogey on the 18th hole (par 4) on the third day also weighed heavily on her.

Anna Lin debuted on the Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour in 2017 and achieved victory on her 93rd attempt at the Otek Carrier Championship in October 2020. In November of the same year, she won the Hana Financial Group Championship, marking her second career win. Last November, she gained confidence after a commanding 3-stroke victory at the KLPGA Tour’s prestigious season-ending championship. Following that, she created a success story by finishing as the top scorer in the grueling Q-Series, which consisted of 8 rounds and 144 holes.

Atthaya Thitikul is receiving congratulations from the gallery after finishing the round as a co-leader on the final day of JTBC Classic.

After steady performances including a tie for 34th at the Gainbridge LPGA in January and a tie for 37th at the LPGA Drive On Championship in February, she broke into the top 3. Thitikul unleashed a powerful 8-under-par performance. On the second playoff hole following the 18th, she recorded a ‘winning bogey.’ The winner’s prize money is $225,000 (approximately 275 million KRW). She is a promising player who left a strong impression as the youngest winner at the 2017 Ladies European Tour (LET) Thailand Championship.

"I focused on my game," she said, celebrating, "Winning on the LPGA Tour means a lot." Massengale, who started with a 3-stroke lead, finished with 2-under-par, ending her dream of a second win this year. Korea’s ‘Number 1’ Ko Jin-young (27) performed well, shooting 4-under-par to finish tied for 4th (14-under-par 274). She also extended her record of 34 consecutive rounds under par. ‘Golf Queen’ Park In-bee (34, KB Financial Group) tied for 8th (11-under-par 277), and Yang Hee-young (33, Woori Financial Group) tied for 10th (10-under-par 278).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.