Nanna Koerstz Madsen finished regulation play at the Honda LPGA Thailand tied with Xiyu Lin with a tournament record score of 26-under, then made an eagle on the second playoff hole to secure her first LPGA Tour title. In the process, she became the first woman from Denmark to win on the LPGA Tour as well.
Koerstz Madsen isn’t exactly a household name, but if you’ve been paying attention, you knew this win would come. The 27-year-old won three times on the Epson Tour in 2017, which granted her an automatic promotion to the LPGA. She entered three events in late 2017 before joining the tour full-time in 2018, after earning her card by finishing fourth on the 2017 Epson Tour moneylist.
From 2018 to 2020, she had three top-10 finishes. But in 2021, she demonstrated her potential by finishing in the top five in two Majors and earning her first start in a Solheim Cup for Europe. She was T-3 at the ANA Inspiration, but seven shots off the lead. Her T-5 at the AIG Women’s Open could’ve been a win. Instead, it was a nightmare.
She was tied for the lead on the 72nd hole at Carnoustie, and a shank led to a double-bogey. Anna Nordqvist walked away with the title. Had Madsen’s double been a par, she would’ve been in a playoff with Nordqvist. On that day in Carnoustie, she talked about how nervous she’d been, how she was out there trying to not make mistakes.
Fast-forward to the Honda LPGA Thailand, and she found herself in a similar situation: on the 18th hole, a tournament win just a par away. But her approach shot launched out of the rough. A flier. Koerstz Madsen couldn’t get up and down and had to settle for a bogey. Lin, her playing partner (who goes by Janet), made birdie to force a playoff.
After the tournament, Koerstz Madsen wasn’t talking about trying to avoid mistakes like she had at Carnoustie. This time, she enjoyed herself. This time, Koerstz Madsen had a chance for redemption. And she made the most of it, going birdie-eagle to end the playoff in two holes.
“It’s amazing,” Koerstz Madsen said. “It’s a dream come true. It was a crazy day; a lot of good things. It was actually fun playing the playoff with Janet at the end. I’m really excited to be standing with the trophy right now.”
PHOTO: Thananuwat Srirasant
