Ai Suzuki - © LPGA

JLPGA star Ai Suzuki thrilled his Japanese fans at the 2019 TOTO Japan Classic. Fourteen times winner of the JLPGA, Ai Suzuki conceded only one bogey over 54 holes (43 consecutive holes without the slightest error). The Japanese signed her first title on the LPGA Tour this Sunday with a total score of 199 (-17), leaving South Korean Jyo Joo Kim behind by three lengths. Australian Minjee Lee, only third, is six points away…

“I was at home and my game stayed solid,” Suzuki said through a translator. “So I didn't have to worry about the other players. I just have to play every round without bogey. One thing I wanted to improve was getting more birdies on Sunday. Because I think good players are like that. It was my 15th victory. This one is special because it's the event of the LPGA's American tour. It is beyond Japan and the international event. »

World No. 1 Hyo Joo Kim, played late alongside Suzuki as she birdied her final three holes to finish 12th in the season top 10 and third, finishing 14 under. normal.

“Next week I will train more and then I will train a bit the same hopefuls for CME, top 10”, said Kim of her goals for the CME Group Tour Championship ending at the end of the season.

Minjee Lee notched a final 68 to finish 11 under par and claim her second straight top-three finish.

"Obviously it would be nice to win, but we were pretty much playing for second place I think, so I just tried to birdie as much as I could and play my game. », Lee said of the finals in Japan.

Jennifer Kupcho, the 2019 LPGA rookie, started Sunday with five birdies on her first seven holes. She scored 68 points and tied for fourth place with Jing Yan for her third top five in her first season. Afterwards, Kupcho said she was really happy to finish her first round in Asia with a good result and to go into the CME Group Tour Championship with great hope.

“I was hitting the ball very well. I made a lot of putts. I also missed a pair, I left them on the lip”, Kupcho said. “I played really well this week and I'm pretty happy about it… It was really cool to discover all these countries and all these cultures. This is definitely something I never would have imagined. It's pretty cool to be able to see everything."

Two-time TOTO Japan Classic champion Shanshan Feng finished T6 at -9 with Gaby Lopez, Sakura Koiwai and Erika Kikuchi.

2019 AIG British Open winner Hinako Shibuno finished in T13 in her third career LPGA start, while top American in the field Lexi Thompson finished in T24 in her first start since September.

To consult the leaderboard: click here

To read our last article on the TOTO Japan Classic:

TOTO Japan Classic: Nasa Hataoka ready to defend title at home