Watch: Ariya Jutanugarn nearly whiffed on 18 while leading the Chevron Championship
Watch: Ariya Jutanugarn nearly whiffed on 18 while leading the Chevron Championship
THE WOODLANDS, Texas – After Ariya Jutanugran intentionally aimed at the grandstand and let a hybrid fly long into the par-5 18th – literally hitting the volunteer she was aiming at – she nearly whiffed her third shot from a gnarly lie in the rough during the final round of the 2025 Chevron Championship.
The shocking development happened so fast it almost didn't look real. An aerial view of the shot shows Jutanugarn's ball advance just a couple inches.
She proceeded to make a bogey on the 72nd hole to drop into a tie with Hyo Joo Kim and Ruoning Yin at 7 under. Two more players behind her at 6 under – Mao Saigo and Lindy Duncan – have a chance to either join them at 7 under with a birdie or win outright with an eagle.
Jutanugarn, 29, is a two-time major winner and former No. 1 trying to win her third different major. She last won on the LPGA in 2021 alongside sister Moriya in the Dow Championship, a team event.
The trailblazing Thai player immediately went out to work on practicing chip shots from the rough, which she could easily experience again as the playoff format goes back to the 18th.
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