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Ariya Jutanugarn grabs third straight LPGA victory

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May 29, 2016

It started with the Yokohama Tire Classic. Then came the Kingsmill Championship. And now add the Volvik Championship to the impressive win streak Ariya Jutanugarn has built.

Her victory Sunday in Ann Arbor, Mich., where she closed with a 67 at Travis Point C.C. to beat Christina Kim by five strokes with a 15-under-par 273 total has the 20-year-old from Thailand making history. The first woman from her country to win on the LPGA Tour, Jutanugarn became the first player to win her first three career victories in back-to-back-to-back appearances.

The record for the most consecutive wins in scheduled LPGA events is four, held by Mickey Wright, Kathy Whitworth, Annika Sorenstam (three Hall of Famers) and Lorena Ochoa, who likely will be in the 2017 World Golf Hall of Fame class. Because Jutanugarn is skipping this week’s ShopRite Classic in Atlantic City, N.J.,—she’ll play next at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in two weeks at Sahalee Country Club outside Seattle—she’ll miss the chance to match that mark.

Still alive is the record for most consecutive wins in events participated play. That number is five, and it’s shared by Sorenstam and Nancy Lopez.

Jutanugarn is one of the longest hitters on the LPGA, but did not hit a driver at the Volvik, a strong indication she has a well-rounded game.

Move over Lydia. Step aside Inbee. A new star has arrived in women’s golf. And she seems totally comfortable making history.