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Lopez birdies seventh playoff hole Monday morning to win Diamond Resorts TOC

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Gaby Lopez rolled in a 25-foot birdie putt at the seventh playoff hole Monday morning to win the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions.

She took home the $180,000 winner’s check after Nasa Hataoka missed a 12-foot chance to extend the playoff.

Lopez, 26, wears her native Mexico’s colors on Sundays and did again in Monday’s playoff, peeling off her cold-weather gear to show off those colors for photos with the trophy, despite a frigid breeze than made the 45-degree temperatures feel even colder.

“Since I was a little kid, I fell in love with golf by representing Mexico outside Mexico, in the United States,” Lopez said. “It was always team events and we were always wearing red, white and green. I’m extremely proud to represent Mexico.”

Lopez represented Mexico in the 2016 Olympics and took a big step in qualifying to represent her country again in Tokyo this summer.

It was Lopez’s second LPGA title. She won the Blue Bay LPGA in 2018.

Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz successfully defended his title on Sunday in the celebrity portion of the pro-am.