SYLVANIA, Ohio — The Dana Open has proven to be a special event in Northwest Ohio for many reasons. On Sunday, the 40th annual LPGA spectacle added to its long list of memories with a dramatic finish.
Entering the final round, Chanettee Wannasaen (from Thailand) possessed a three-shot lead following a 3rd straight round in the 60s. She started off strong, converting back-to-back birdies on hole #7 and hole #8 to extend her advantage to five strokes.
Drama built up on the back nine however when South Korea's Haeran Ryu made a push. Four birdies between holes 10-15 jumped her scorecard up to -18, which ended up evening the leaderboard as Ryu and Wannasaen tied for the lead with three holes to play.
However on the Par 4 16th, Ryu would give that shot back after bogeying. Both leaders would then birdie the 17th to set the stage for the final hole of the tournament.
Wannasaen's approach shot ended up on the green, but a fair distance away from the pin. Ryu's landed in the bunker that she almost turned into a hole out after her ball hit the flagstick and landed just feet away.
So with Ryu in prime position for a birdie, Wannasaen needed to make a lengthy putt in order to avoid a playoff. With a slight break from right to left, she found the bottom of the cup to secure her 2nd career LPGA victory.
"The last putt on the last hole, my hand is shaking," Wannasaen said. "So Haeran and I are like 'just get in, just get in.' I wanted a birdie, not par."
With an overall score of -20 to cap the weekend, she becomes the youngest player on Tour to win this season (20 years, 3 months, 5 days). Wannasaen also now holds 1st place finishes in the two oldest non-major tournaments, the other being Portland Classic in 2023.
For Ryu, her runner-up finish marks a season-best. She's now finished Top-Ten seven different times in 2024 which is the most of any LPGA non-winner.
"I wanted to go to a playoff but she [Wannasaen] hit some really good shots," Ryu said. "I almost got one in. That is the highlight I think."
Defending champion Linn Grant and Taiwan's Ssu-Chia Cheng finished tied for 3rd place at -14. Stacy Lewis carded another incredible performance (-10) to claim a Top 10 spot.
"It was a great week and some of the best golf I've played all year," Lewis said. "I played good today, I just couldn't get anything close to the hole."
The Toledo-born fan favorite walked onto the Par 5 18th green with an even-round score. With hundreds of spectators looking on, she sunk a birdie putt to finish in red (-1 for the day).
"Felt like I hit some good shots that ended up 30 feet off, just kind of one of those days," Lewis said. "Hung in there and it was cool to make that birdie there at the end."
The next LPGA event scheduled is the CPKC Women's Open in Alberta, Canada on July 25-28.
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