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LOS ANGELES: South Korea’s Hyo Joo Kim rolled in a six-foot birdie putt at the first playoff hole to win the LPGA Ford Championship on Sunday ahead of American Lilia Vu.

Kim had nine birdies in her 8-under par 64, the lowest round of the day at the Whirlwind Golf Club in Chandler, Arizona, taking her to a 22-under total of 266.

Overnight leader Vu carded a four-under-par 68, but when they returned to the par-four 18th for the playoff Kim put her approach six feet from the pin while Vu left herself more than 15 feet.

The American’s putt came up short and Kim sank hers to claim her seventh LPGA victory, and her first since 2023.

“So it’s been a while since I had any wins so I was getting a little bit stressed,” the 29-year-old Kim admitted.

“But I did work out a lot during the winter time so now that I have a win I’m a little bit lighthearted.”

“The feeling was great today,” said Kim, who needed just 24 putts. “I just thought one birdie at a time.”

Having started the day four shots off Vu’s lead, Kim had seven birdies in the first 11 holes to seize the solo lead on 21-under.

However, she found the water off the tee at 12 on the way to a bogey, missing a short par save attempt.

Kim then drained a birdie putt from off the green at 16 and added another birdie at 17 to land in the clubhouse with a one-stroke lead.

But Vu got up and down for birdie from a greenside bunker at the 17th, blasting out of the sand to about a foot.

Vu, who had endured a long wait for the green to clear at 17 had another tense delay on the 18th tee as Nanna Koerstz Madsen searched for her ball in the desert scrub.

Vu’s second shot bounded through the green but the two-time major winner and former world number one chipped to about six feet and holed the par putt to force a playoff.

Kim had been waiting and watching as Vu finished her round.

“I kept on thinking we might go on a playoff, so I kept stretching,” she said. “I thought I would be very nervous, but I really wasn’t.”

Vu, who missed three months last year with a back injury that still troubles her, was pleased with her week, despite the playoff disappointment.

“I’m proud that I kind of stuck to my goal, my weekly goal. The only goal is to be in tune with my body,” she said.

“This is probably the most I’ve felt like me in the past year and a half.”

American Allizen Corpuz, the 2023 US Women’s Open champion, thrust herself into contention with a bogey-free seven-under-par 65 but had to settle for third on 267.

World No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand was in the hunt, sharing the lead after her sixth birdie of the day on 13.

But the birdies dried up and her six-under 66 left her alone in fourth on 268.

ROME: Victor Osimhen left in September. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia departed in January.

Now it’s almost April and Antonio Conte’s Napoli — somehow — are still in contention for the Serie A title.

Matteo Politano and Romelu Lukaku scored first-half goals, Alex Meret saved a second-half penalty kick from Santiago Gimenez, and Napoli beat visiting AC Milan 2-1 on Sunday for a statement victory.

Luka Jovic pulled one back for Milan in the 84th to set up a tense finale during which Milan came close to equalizing.

The result kept Napoli within three points of Serie A leader Inter Milan, who edged Udinese 2-1 earlier.

It’s developing into a two-team title race after third-placed Atalanta lost their second straight game, falling 1-0 at Fiorentina to drop nine points back.

While Lukaku has filled the void left by Osimhen after the Nigeria striker left to sign a loan deal with Galatasaray, it has taken a group effort to replace Kvaratskhelia’s output after the winger signed with Paris Saint-Germain.

One player picking up playing time in Kvaratskhelia’s absence has been Politano. He seized upon a ball over the top from Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo and evaded three defenders to blast in a long-range shot 63 seconds in at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

Then Billy Gilmour set up Lukaku all alone in front of the goal to double the advantage after less than 20 minutes – helped by poor positioning from Milan defender Kyle Walker.

It was Lukaku’s 400th goal for club and country.

Milan remained ninth.

Sommer’s saves help Inter preserve a victory

Goalkeeper Yann Sommer made two clutch saves in Inter’s win.

Marko Arnautovic took advantage of a rare start at center forward, opening the scoring early in the first half by redirecting in a cross from Federico Dimarco with one touch.

Davide Frattesi quickly doubled the lead with a nearly identical goal.

Center back Oumar Solet pulled one back for Udinese midway through the second half with a long, curling shot for his first Serie A goal.

Sommer then palmed away a dangerous effort from Lorenzo Lucca to preserve the lead.

Sommer also made a save on a close-range effort from Solet in stoppage time, after which vehement protests from Simone Inzaghi resulted in the Inter coach being sent off.

Arnautovic replaced Lautaro Martinez, who picked up a knock with Argentina.

Inter, which faces Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarterfinals, also sorely missed injured center back Alessandro Bastoni.

Atalanta’s fading title hopes take another hit

Atalanta were also beatwn 2-0 by Inter before the international break.

Fiorentina striker Moise Kean scored his 16th goal of the season at the end of the first half with a solo action.

“In terms of the title race, I would say we’re done,” Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini said. “It was an impossible dream that I think had already faded away during the match with Inter.”

Also, Cagliari beat last-placed Monza 3-0.