TOLEDO (Ohio) • Danielle Kang has a formula for success - having trust in her abilities, mixing it with patience and topping it off with respecting the golf course.
The American used those traits to good effect when she held off France's Celine Boutier over the final holes on Sunday to win the LPGA Drive On Championship, the Tour's first tournament since February after the Covid-19 shutdown.
It was the fourth career title for the 27-year-old, whose first win was a Major at the 2017 Women's PGA Championship.
The final round at drizzly Inverness Club in Ohio began with Kang, Boutier and Britain's Jodi Ewart Shadoff all sharing the lead and ended in sunshine with Kang on top after carding a two-under 70.
Tough scoring all week saw only five players finish under par, and Kang's seven-under 209 total was enough to earn the world No. 4 a one-stroke win over Boutier.
"I think just keeping patience and trusting all aspects of your golf game brings it out," she said.
"And you have got to respect the golf course. Even little putts I didn't take it for granted.
"I kept telling myself, stick to the game plan. The game plan was to play aggressive and play my game."
Boutier, who missed a four-foot birdie putt on the last hole that would have forced a play-off, was alone in second after a closing 71.
Australian Minjee Lee (70) was third on 212, Japan's Yui Kawamoto (72) fourth on 213 and Ewart Shadoff fifth on 214 after a closing 75.
Working on an error-free day, Kang opened up a three-shot cushion at the 11th before things began to tighten. Boutier rolled in a seven-foot birdie putt at the par-four 14th to join her atop the leaderboard.
The Frenchwoman was the first to blink with a bogey at the par-four 15th while Kang held her nerve till the finish with four straight pars.
The comeback event, held without spectators on the host course for next year's Solheim Cup, was played ahead of next week's LPGA Marathon Classic in nearby Sylvania so players could stay in the same area for both events, easing concerns about contracting Covid-19.
There were social distancing protocols that were apparent on the 18th green as Kang celebrated her win. Friends wearing masks poured champagne on her while she made hugging gestures with her arms. But she embraced the occasion nonetheless.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS
