Kusuma ends 10-year drought with playoff win in Kunshan

Kusuma Meechai picked up her first victory in a decade on Friday when the Thai veteran beat compatriot Pakin Kawinpakorn in a second-hole playoff to win the CTBC Ladies Classic, a China LPGA Tour event.

With Pakin (70) and Kusuma (68) deadlocked at 5-under-par 211 through 54 holes at Shanghai Silport Golf Club in Kunshan, neighboring Jiangsu Province, the Sa Kaeo Province native ended it when she sank a three-foot birdie in the second extra playoff hole on the par-5 18th hole.

The victory, Kusuma’s first since winning the 2013 Wuhan Challenge, was worth 52,500 yuan (US$7,230).

China’s Shi Yuli (70) and Zeng Liqi (70) finished one shot out of the playoff, while Cao Xinyu (69) was the top amateur a shot further back.

Tan Lingling (73) and Japan’s Senno Yasufuka (73), the overnight co-leaders with Pakin, finished three strokes off the pace in a group that included Thai Saraporn Chamchoi (72).

In the first-hole playoff at the 539-yard last hole, Pakin left her approach 30 feet from the pin but made two putts for par. Kusuma had a 12-foot putt for birdie but missed. 

Playing the same hole again, Pakin left her first putt from 35 feet short. Kusuma, who had found the green with a pitching wedge on her third shot, then made a three-foot birdie putt to take the trophy.

SHINE

Kusuma finished the tournament strongly with her second consecutive round of 68 that featured five birdies and a lone bogey.

“I worked hard and tried a lot. This is my second title in China, the first was in Wuhan many years ago. I am so happy,” said Kusuma, 28. “I want more wins, so I will keep working harder and harder to get the next one. This win gives me more confidence.”

Pakin, a standout at Kansas University in the United States, had a rough start with a bogey five at the first hole, followed by a triple-bogey at the 158-yard sixth hole when her tee shot hit the water to make the turn at 37. She then closed with a bogey-free back nine featuring three birdies.

“It was a fun week for me. I did my best. I couldn’t ask for more because on the front nine I had a triple bogey and then I had a lot of birdies coming in. It was a fun round for me chasing the championship,” said the 32-year-old Pakin, who has been winless on the CLPGA Tour since 2018 when she captured the CLPGA Zhuhai Heritage.

Another Thai Sherman Santiwiwatthanaphong (71) maintained her spot atop the CLPGA Tour Order of Merit, ahead of China's Zeng Liqi (70). Keeping pace on the Order was Shi Yuli, who missed a 12-footer for birdie on the final that would have allowed her to join the playoff. Earlier this year, she also missed a short putt in Beijing that would have put her in a playoff.

“I expected that birdie putt would drop into the hole, but it didn’t, which is disappointing. I didn’t feel stressed over that putt after many tournament experiences. It’s just a technical problem, not a mental problem,” said Shi. “I also missed a putt from six feet at the ninth hole and made only one bogey, which is not good.”