PALOS VERDES ESTATES, Calif. — UCLA alum Ryann O’Toole gave it everything she had on a blustery Sunday at the FIR HILLS SERI PAK Championship but ultimately fell to Nelly Korda in a one-hole playoff at Palos Verdes Golf Club after carding a final-round, 5-under 66.
The California native started the day in a tie for 15th at 4-under, and after parring her first three holes of the day, she got things rolling with a pair of back-to-back birdies on holes four and five to move to 6-under overall. The highlight of the 37-year-old’s day came on the par-5 7th hole when she made an eagle to get to 8-under and within a few of the lead, but she dropped a shot on the par-4 9th hole to sit at 7-under overall with nine holes to play.
O’Toole made three straight pars on 10, 11 and 12, and then rolled in a lengthy birdie putt on the par-3 13th hole to get back to 8-under, erasing that effort with a bogey on No. 14. The LPGA Tour veteran dug deep in her final four holes, making birdies on the par-5 16th and par-3 17th holes before burying a lengthy par putt on 18 to finish with a 66 and post the clubhouse lead at 9-under, seemingly out of contention as Korda had a two-shot lead coming down the stretch after a birdie on 16.
But when Korda went bogey-bogey on 17 and 18 to also post at 9-under, O’Toole ultimately found herself in the first playoff of her 14-year career against a formidable opponent in incredibly difficult conditions with a second LPGA Tour victory on the line.
On the first and only extra hole, O’Toole hit her tee shot in the right rough, knocking her approach shot to approximately 15 feet and barely missing her birdie try as her ball skirted the left edge of the cup. She then tapped in for par, hoping like crazy that she’d have another crack at it as Korda lined up her birdie putt from a similar distance.
But Korda’s when ball ultimately tumbled over the edge of the cup, eliciting a triumphant cheer from a windswept crowd and spelling the end for O’Toole’s bid for victory, the LPGA Tour veteran didn’t hang her head. O’Toole had fought as hard as she could to give herself a chance to win and couldn’t be too upset with how things played out, particularly considering she didn’t expect to find herself in a playoff in the first place at the FIR HILLS SERI PAK Championship.
“I can't be more proud to be in this position,” said O’Toole, whose Sunday 66 is her lowest round on the LPGA Tour since day two of the 2023 LPGA Drive On Championship at Superstition Mountain when she carded an 8-under 64. “That was actually my first playoff ever, so I really enjoyed it. At least I gave it my best attempt. That putting could have gone either way. Nelly played really great. Obviously, the last couple of holes for her put her in the position to be in a playoff with me. I came from behind and gave it my best chance. I can't be more proud.”
This week in Southern California marks O’Toole’s second start of the 2024 LPGA Tour season, and her runner-up result at Palos Verdes Golf Club is a vast improvement from her missed cut at the LPGA Drive On Championship in late January in her season debut.
Electing to take a seven-week break following the difficult start at Bradenton Country Club, the 2021 Women’s Scottish Open champion spent her nearly two-month sabbatical fine-tuning her golf swing with her coach Jorge Parada, work that appears to have been well worth it considering the fact that her second-place finish is her best result on the LPGA Tour since she finished fourth at the ISPS Handa World Invitational last August and is her first-ever runner-up result as an LPGA Tour member.
So, all in all, while she didn’t walk away with a trophy in hand on Sunday at Palos Verdes Golf Club, O’Toole will surely be chalking up this week at the FIR HILLS SERI PAK Championship as a resounding success, a finish upon which she’ll look to build as the LPGA Tour season ramps up.
“This is my second event of the year. I feel like the first one, I was not in a good place,” said O’Toole. “I didn't go Asia. Wanted to work on myself, get my routine back, work with Jorge (Parada) on stuff. I just felt like that was probably the best choice I could have had. I only played one round with these irons prior to this event, so obviously made a good choice there. I just think it sheds light on, okay, it's a nice start. Let's keep going.”
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