ICYMI: It was a Whirlwind Finish at Whirlwind Golf Club

The LPGA's 2025 Ford Championship had everything: birdies, cacti, lead changes (and lots of them), a playoff, drivable par-4s, HBO's "White Lotus" mentions—and that's just naming a few things.

The Tour's weekend in the Arizona desert certainly lived up to the hype. With the return of Nelly Korda and 40 of the top 50 in the Rolex Rankings teeing it up at Whirlwind Golf Club—a name quite fitting for what went down—this is the level of play we expect from a major-caliber field and they delivered.

Setting The Tone

Things got off to a hot start in the desert with Charley Hull's early 9-under 63 to place her as the clubhouse leader after Thursday's first round. The English golfer was just having one of those days, she even said at some point walking down the 12th hole she felt that a 59 was a real possibility. Is there anything better than when a player openly admits to being locked in? (The answer is no.)

And with such a strong start to the weekend, Hull forced everyone to bring their A-game to Whirlwind GC.

As the morning wave on Friday kicked off, birdies were dropping, and the stars were going low.

Taking The Lead

Like clockwork, the top two players in the world started showing us exactly why they're the best. Nelly Korda and Jeeno Thitikul lead the charge during the second round, going toe-to-toe with one another all day long.

Thitikul made the turn at an insane 29, but slowed a bit down the stretch. Playing alongside Korda, the two kept up the tempo throughout the round (reminder, the new LPGA pace of play rules went into effect, but those two are notoriously fast players).

Korda shot 7-under 65 while Thitikul shot 8-under 64, both tied at 12-under to take the lead...until former world No.1 Lilia Vu had an afternoon surge, storming her way up the leaderboard.

Vu gave us a mini putting tutorial in her bogey-less round in which she racked up eight birdies to get two shots clear of Korda and Thitikul after 36.

Vu had the quote of the week, crediting her caddie for giving her the perfect off-course distractions, "My caddie and I have been discussing "White Lotus", with the recent episode. He hasn't been caught up, but his wife is here now, so they can watch the episode together, and I expect him tomorrow to give me his spiel on it because he's not caught up yet."

We must also show a little love to Lydia Ko, who was starring down the cut line (4-under) and rallied to be inside the top-10 by the end of the second round.

A Twilight Victory

But the early weekend ultimately was commanded by Vu and Hull—the two exchanged birdies all throughout moving day, placing them in the final pairing Sunday with Vu leading by two. The last time we saw a Sunday final pair between Vu and Hull was at the 2023 AIG Women’s Open, and Vu won by six strokes.

This Sunday shaped out to be much different, and many new players suddenly got themselves in the mix. In golf we know, no victory comes easy—anyone can get hot—and it felt like a couple of familiar faces started to heat up for a late push to the top.

Four previous winners on tour this season already, A Lim Kim, Angel Yin, Lydia Ko and Yealimi Noh each showed weekend surges. Kim and Yin finished T-13 while Ko and Noh climbed inside the top-10, both at 18-under.

And then came Thitikul, who shared a part of the lead at one point during Sunday's round to shoot a final-round 66, placing her in solo fourth. After Friday, Korda cooled down and a Saturday 73 pulled her out of contention. She finished the week T-22.

But man, it all came down to the wire between Vu and Hyo Joo Kim. Kim entered the final round just four shots back of Vu—and she put the pedal to the medal—making the turn with five birdies, forcing Vu to come up clutch down the stretch.

Kim was sinking putts left and right, and taking the out right lead on three separate occasions on the back nine. She missed a birdie putt on the 18th, but managed to save par and maintain a one shot lead.

But the door was still cracked for Vu. After finding herself in a green-side bunker on the 17th she made a stellar save to tee up a tap-in birdie to go into the 18th with a share of the lead.

With a par on the 18th, Vu forced it to extra holes.

It only took one playoff hole to decide the 2025 Ford Championship winner. After two solid approach shots, both with chances for a birdie. Kim, with ice in her veins, sank the putt to capture his first title since 2023.

Building Momentum in Major Szn

But through the all theatrical, whirlwind moments—one performance stands out among all the rest. Allisen Corpuz, the 2023 U.S. Women's Open champion, recorded her first top-five since last August.

She narrowly missed out on the playoff, finishing solo third, just one stroke behind Kim and Vu. It's been a while since Corpuz has had the opportunity to fight for a win. She's only posted six top-10 results since her USWO win at Pebble Beach.

Corpuz got a taste this weekend, and the timing couldn't be more perfect. As the first major of the season, the Chevron Championship, inches closer Corpuz has found herself in rhythm, gaining confidence.

After her round, Corpuz reflected on what the weekend's performance means, “I think it definitely is a comfort thing. [I’ve been] working on a few things the past year. I felt like I haven't really been in this spot in a while, so it's really nice to see all the work come together and at the top of the leaderboard again.”

When asked her takeaways from the week would be, Corpuz explained, “I think the grind and knowing you don't have to have your A-game to be contending. When it's there, I'm looking forward to that.”