LPGA Tour: The Kiwi connection that helped Patty Tavatanakit topple a storming Lydia Ko stuff.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from stuff.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Lydia Ko finished second at the ANA Inspiration after a course record-equalling 10-under final round.
Her coach is former PGA Tour winner Grant Waite and the golfer she calls her best friend is New Zealand’s top-ranked amateur Amelia Garvey. Both got the plaudits from Patty Tavatanakit as the relatively unknown Thai golfer held off a stunning late charge from Kiwi No 1 Lydia Ko to win the LPGA Tour’s ANA Inspiration at Rancho Mirage, California. New Zealand’s Waite won the 1993 Kemper Open as his solitary PGA Tour victory and got within one shot of Tiger Woods at the 2000 Canadian Open in a career that earned him about US$5 million, before he turned to coaching 10 years ago.