Lee Da-yeon celebrates her come-from-behind victory after making consecutive birdies on the 17th and 18th holes. [Photo=KLPGA]
Lee Da-yeon celebrates her come-from-behind victory after making consecutive birdies on the 17th and 18th holes. [Photo=KLPGA]

Lee Da-yeon, known as the "Little Giant," claimed a come-from-behind victory at the KLPGA Tour Aurora World Championship, which carries a purse of 1 billion won ($694,000), riding back-to-back birdies on the 17th and 18th holes to seal the win.

In the final round Sunday at Aurora Golf & Resort (par 72, 6,648 yards) in Wonju, Gangwon Province, Lee carded a 3-under-par 69 to finish at 12-under 276, edging runner-up Kim Su-ji by one stroke. The victory made Lee the 17th player in KLPGA Tour history to reach 10 career wins.

Lee's finishing kick defined the final round. She opened with a birdie from 6.3 meters on the par-4 3rd hole, then suffered a triple bogey on the par-4 5th, only to recover with a shot eagle on the par-4 9th. Three birdies on the back nine completed the turnaround.

The triple bogey on the 5th came after Lee's second shot from the rough could not be found, drawing a penalty, and she eventually holed out in seven. On the 9th, she holed her second shot from 134 meters for the eagle.

Lee created a birdie opportunity from 1.9 meters on the par-4 15th to pressure leader Kim Su-ji, but Kim — playing in the same group — drained a long-range birdie putt of more than 15 meters first, meaning Lee's birdie still left her two strokes back.

The opening came at the par-3 17th, where Lee stuck her tee shot to 2.6 meters and converted the birdie to pull within one of Kim. She then repeated the feat on the par-4 18th, hitting her second shot from the rough to within 2.6 meters and making the birdie to complete a two-shot swing and a one-stroke come-from-behind victory.

Kim had led by one stroke through 17 holes, but her second shot on the 18th bounced off the green and rolled over the back, and her third — a chip — finished 2.5 meters from the pin. With Lee already in the clubhouse after making birdie to draw level, Kim needed to hole her par putt to force a playoff, but her stroke was off and the ball slid past the right edge of the cup.


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