SHANGHAI — Gino Titicle rose from four strokes down with five holes left to win a playoff with Minami Katsu, then made another great shot in the fifth hole of the playoff to win the LPGA Shanghai and become the first back-to-back LPGA tournament winner of the season on Sunday.
Top-ranked Titicle’s 63 was the round of the day that included seven birdies and one eagle. The Thai player’s 24-under 264 closed the gap to Japan’s leader, who had started the day with a two-stroke lead, and by the end of the 13th hole had widened the gap to four strokes.
But the Thai player birdied the 14th, 15th and 16th holes before leveling the score with an incredible eagle that sent the ball bouncing along the speckled 17th green at Qizhong Huayuan Golf Club in Shanghai.
Katsu (65) had no choice but to respond with his own birdie on the 17th hole. She had another birdie chance on the final hole to claw back the victory, but the ball slipped through the hole, forcing a playoff.
The first four holes of the playoff, which rotated between Nos. 18 and 10, were pars, and Masaru made two birdie putts to win, but both missed the hole by a narrow margin.
On the fifth hole of the playoff, the winning second shot on the par-4 18th missed the green, and Titicle’s masterful approach put the ball 3 feet out, breaking the deadlock.
Katsu’s birdie chip was impressive but missed, and Titikul made an easy birdie putt to cap off an impressive victory, nearly two years after losing in an epic nine-hole playoff to Celine Boutier at the LPGA Malaysia.
It was Titicle’s second win of the season, following the Mizuho Americas Open in May, and helped ease the disappointment of an inexplicable four-putt meltdown on the final hole of last month’s Kroger Queen City Championship.
“What happened in the last event is still very clear in my mind, but I want to prove myself again in this tournament. It’s…like a dream come true. And you know, I’m not carrying anything on my shoulders,” she said.
Minjee Lee, who won her third major title at the Women’s PGA Championship in June, shot a 68 on Sunday for a 19-under 269, finishing third after her challenge disappeared midway through the round.
Jenny Bae of the United States shot a round of 69 and finished in a tie for fourth place with Japan’s Miyu Yamashita (67) and South Korea’s Lee So-mi (69) at 17-under 271.
Defending champion Luoning Ying of China carded a final round 68 and finished tied for 26th place.
The Shanghai Games are the first of five to be held in Asia. South Korea will host two weeks including an International Crown Team event and tournaments in Malaysia and Japan.
