After her third round Ko — a member of the Lake Merced club — said that a bit of luck and "members bounces" were helping her cause.
The pressure to find a victory hardly showed during the final holes today - Ko skipped around in joy after the 15th hole with putter in hand.
Ko has won two majors and was world No. 1 for two years in one of the LPGA's longest reigns. The extraordinary success she achieved so quickly tended to magnify her problems, but until today there were no real signs that she had turned a corner.
Lee holed a bunker shot on the par three 17th for a birdie to keep the pressure on, joining Ko at 11 under. Korda's putting faltered though.
A horrible short putt on the 17th was birdie chance lost for Ko. Lee birdied the 18th, leaving Ko one behind. Ko was millimetres away from chipping in on the 18th, completing a simple par putt to force the playoff.
Ko and her fans will hope that the victory was down to a lot more than an affinity with the Lake Merced course.
