American LPGA Tour Rookie Alexa Pano started the day four shots behind the lead and shot the low score of the week at the ISPS Handa World Invitational, a 6-under 66 at Galgorm. It wasn’t enough for outright victory however. Leading by one shot heading to the 18th hole, Pano’s birdie on the last put her in the clubhouse at 8-under, just as Germany's Esther Henseleit birdied the 17th to move to 7-under.
“I didn't really think about (the leaderboad) much until we were kind of coming up 18. Then I was like, okay, this needs to get to 8 because this is such a reachable hole today,” said Pano. “I did a little bit of scoreboard watching, but as it got towards the end I was just trying to make as many birdies as possible. I knew the lead was deep so I needed to get deeper. I didn't know about the situation until some guy on 17 told me. He was like, shouldn't have made bogey there. Kind of rude, but it motivated me to make two birdies back-to-back… yeah, those back-to-back birdies I knew I had to do, and luckily I did.”
Henseleit hit two solid shots on the par-5 18th to make it on the green in two, then sunk a short birdie putt to force a playoff after her long eagle opportunity passed just by the hole. But it would not just be Henseleit and Pano. First- and third-round leader Gabriella Cowley of England joined the extra-hole action with a long eagle putt on the last, the highlight of her 2-under round that had stayed level par until then. On the first playoff hole, No. 18 again, a rogue tee shot from Henseleit left her unable to reach the green in two as before. She was eliminated with a par on the first playoff hole when Cowley and Pano made birdie.
“I mean, probably my first missed drive of the day. I've been hitting my driver really well. I mean, I was only like maybe five meters from the fairway and then hit a decent shot out of the rough with my 5-wood. Then I was in a good spot, but, yeah, the lie wasn't great. I had quite a bit of mud on my ball. Hit a decent chip and then the putt burned another edge,” Henseleit explained. “Yeah, just burning edges all day really. I felt like I left quite a bit out there, but to birdie three of my last four, being in contention, I guess I can take a lot from that.”
Moving to the second playoff hole, again No. 18, it was Pano this time with a poor tee shot. The American went right into the trees and had to pitch out onto the fairway, losing her opportunity for a one-putt eagle. Cowley again drove the green in two while Alexa made it in three but was unable to sink her 18-foot, downhill birdie putt. Cowley, who reached the front of the green with her second shot, hit her eagle putt just 5 feet short of the hole. It looked like it was over for Pano with a par, but the pressure got to Cowley, who hit the short putt just right of the hole. Off to the 18th tee box again, each player had a solid drive but Cowley’s second shot gave her trouble as she missed short and right of the green. Pano’s was perfect, making it all the way to the backside pin but right by about 20 feet. On the green in three, Cowley missed her birdie putt after Pano hit her eagle chance just a few feet long. Visibly nervous but determined to seize the day, Pano made her short putt to end the tournament and give herself her first win on the LPGA Tour and “the best birthday of all-time,” she said.
“I've been dreaming of this for so long, even just putts on the practice green saying, this is to win an LPGA event. To finally have that putt and have that opportunity, it just exceeded my expectations and it was so much fun,” said Pano. “This was definitely a massive goal for me, so to achieve that is really special. But, yeah, I mean, just thinking of all the little things that happen now, and, I don't know, it just hasn't fully sunk in but it's starting to.”
Henseleit and Cowley will share second, each earning their best finish of the year on the LPGA Tour and LET. American Ryann O’Toole, who led the field for most of the final-round, got to 9-under with an eagle on the par-5 No. 10 before getting caught in the sand on No. 11 and earning a double bogey. She went bogey, birdie, bogey, birdie on 15-17 and had a good chance for eagle on No. 18 to join the playoff fun. She finished the day solo fourth with a 2-under 70. Germany's Olivia Cowan finished 6-under overall with a final-round 68, rounding out the top-five.
