ST. ANDREWS, Scotland – After the lead changed hands several times in the final round at St. Andrews on Sunday, it was Lydia Ko who ultimately emerged victorious on the Old Course, leaving the quartet of Nelly Korda, Jiyai Shin, Lilia Vu and Ruoning Yin behind.

After making a birdie on the 10th hole, Korda looked set to win the AIG Women’s Open as she had extended her lead to two shots at that point and none of her pursuers were making impressive runs. However, the No. 1 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings made a double bogey on the par-5 14th hole and a bogey on the 17th hole, ultimately dropping to 5 under par and tied for second place.

For Korda, it was a disappointing end to an otherwise fairly solid week for the 14-time LPGA Tour winner, but the 26-year-old will take it in her stride and build on the positives she took from her performance at the home of golf as she prepares for the Solheim Cup, just weeks away.

“I made some good putts,” Korda said. “I think I putted really well this week. I hit the ball really well in the conditions. It will be interesting to see what my ball flight will be like when I’m no longer playing in 30 or 40 mph wind and it finally flies straight.”

“Look, it’s golf. I’m going to mess up, and unfortunately I messed up twice over the weekend, which ended up costing me two penalties. In theory, that cost me the tournament, but I played well. I played solid. I even fought afterward. I’ll take that into the next events.”

Shin’s T2 performance at St. Andrews is her third top-three finish at a major in the last two years. The 36-year-old was in contention at St. Andrews until the final four holes, but then conceded two bogeys on holes 15 and 17, which unfortunately spelled the end of her bid for a third major title. But Shin ended her time on the Old Course with a birdie on the par-4 18th, a fitting end to an entertaining week for the two-time AIG Women’s Open winner.

Defending champion Lilia Vu had the best opportunity to put Ko under pressure late, needing a birdie to draw level with Ko and force a playoff as the sun went down on Sunday afternoon at St. Andrews. And after having good chances to make a birdie after nearly reaching the green on the final hole at the Home of Golf, it was ultimately a three-putt on the final hole that ended Vu’s final chance to successfully defend a title for the first time in her LPGA Tour career at the AIG Women’s Open.

But despite the pesky error on the 18th hole, Vu can take comfort in the fact that her tied-second finish on the Old Course is her second T2 or better performance in a major tournament this season, as the five-time LPGA Tour winner also finished runner-up at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Sahalee Country Club in June, a week after winning the Meijer LPGA Classic in Belmont, Michigan, for Simply Give.

Yin was one of only 18 players to play a round in the red on Sunday, shooting 2-under-par 70, which included a bogey and three birdies at St. Andrews. With her final-round performance, the Chinese-born player climbed from a tie for sixth to a tie for second. This is her fifth top-15 finish on the LPGA Tour this season, not including her win at the Dow Championship with playing partner Jeeno Thitikul.

The 21-year-old has been battling an injury of late and had taken a break from the LPGA Tour since her win in Midland, Michigan, to rest and rehabilitate from her injury while working to perform well at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris and the AIG Women’s Open at St. Andrews.

That decision ultimately paid off for Yin, who also finished in the top 10 at Le Golf National. She will look to build on the positive momentum of her strong result at the AIG Women’s Open as the young talent continues to search for her third Tour title in the coming weeks.