With birdies on its last three holes, the Mexican golfer Gaby López culminated on Sunday a frenetic comeback to prevail by a single blow in the tournament Dana Open and raise your third LPGA tour trophy.
López, number 67 in the women’s ranking, had started the decisive day in eleventh place, four shots off the lead.
But the Mexican was catapulted to victory with a fabulous card of 63 strokes (eight under par), without bogeys, to finish with a cumulative 266 strokes in the Highland Meadows Golf Club of SylvaniaOhio.
With her trio of birdies, the Mexican unseated the American Megan Khang from the lead, who concluded her tour with 64 strokes (-7) and a final accumulated of 267.
After Khang, who achieved the best result of her career, the German Caroline Masson concluded with a total of 268 strokes and a trio formed by the Chinese Yin Ruoning and the Americans Lucy Li and Sarah Schmelzel, all of them with 269 strokes.
The Spanish Carlota Ciganda closed in tenth place with a last round of 68 strokes (-3) and a cumulative of 271.
The final day in Sylvania, impacted by rain, led to a fight for the trophy in the second part of the route.
Khang had stormed the lead at the start after a run of six birdies in nine holes.
Competing alongside the American, López was also gaining ground with another four birdies in eight holes, from the third to the tenth, and with another in the 13th, he placed himself just one stroke behind the lead.
On the 16th hole she caught up with Khang and, in a heart-stopping finish, survived a shot from the bunker on the 17th to close par and sink a birdie that put her in the lead.
On the final hole, both tripped over the bunker again and López secured his victory with a difficult putt that he celebrated with his right fist in the air and a cry of victory.
The 28-year-old Mexican thus celebrated the third triumph of her career on the LPGA circuit, after the Blue Bay titles in China in 2018 and the 2020 Tournament of Champions.
Final classification of the Dana Open tournament (par 72):
266 – Gaby Lopez (MEX) 67-70-66-63
267 – Megan Khang (USA) 71-65-67-64
268 – Caroline Masson (GER) 68-67-65-68
269 - Sarah Schmelzel (USA) 67-71-65-66, Yin Ruoning (CHN) 65-69-68-67, Lucy Li (USA) 68-64-67-70
270 – Frida Kinhult (SWE) 69-68-67-66, Lin Xiyu (CHN) 67-69-66-68, Nasa Hataoka (JPN) 69-66-67-68
271 – Carlota Ciganda (ESP) 65-69-69-68, Leona Maguire (IRL) 66-70-66-69, Hannah Green (AUS) 74-62-66-69.
