Paula Reto held off Nelly Korda to win her first LPGA Tour title at the CP Women’s Open on Sunday in Ottawa, Ontario.
Reto shot a 4-under-par 67 in the final round to tie up a 19-under 265 for the week. The South African set the course record at Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club on Thursday with a first-round 62, but she entered Sunday trailing rookies Hye-Jin Choi and Na Rin An of South Korea by a stroke.
Reto birdied the first, third, sixth, eighth and ninth holes to shoot ahead to20 under for the tournament. She played the back nine in 1 over, but by that point she had enough of a cushion to see the win through.
Her tap-in par at the par-5 18th secured the milestone victory.
“I was so nervous, oh my gosh,” Reto said on the CBS broadcast. “Coming to thelast hole, I (told myself) ‘OK, just calm your nerves.'”
9 years on tour.
6 Top 10 finishes.1st #LPGA win for South African Paula Reto!! What a moment 🍾 pic.twitter.com/MyN9YrjeMJ
— Claire Hanna (@clahanna) August 28, 2022
The 32-year-old has played on the LPGA Tour since 2014. Her previous best finish was a third-place mark at the Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic in her rookie year.
“I’m really happy, and it’s been such a long time,” Reto said. “I was like,‘I hope one day I’ll win.’ You know? But it came true. A dream come true for sure.”
Korda, the world No. 3, made a late push after playing the front nine in even par. She birdied No. 11 before holing out for an eagle at the par-4 12th,jumping to 17 under at the time.
What a difference one week makes. ⛳️
Paula Reto's first 156 LPGA Tour starts:
– Six Top 10 finishes
– One Top 5 finish (2014)Paula Reto's 157th LPGA Tour start:
– LPGA Tour Champion 🏆 pic.twitter.com/Y4vKOiBsE9— LPGA (@LPGA) August 28, 2022
After a bogey and two more birdies, Korda couldn’t hole a birdie putt at either of the last two holes to tie Reto at 19 under. She also carded a 67 and tied for second with Choi (69).
Lydia Ko of New Zealand, ranked fourth in the world, rolled in birdies at each of her last four holes to shoot an 8-under 63, tied for the low round of the day. She finished alone in fourth at 17 under. A Lim Kim of South Korea (67)was fifth at 16 under.
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