A short par putt on the final hole of the LPGA Hana Bank Championship yesterday lifted world No. 1 Yani Tseng (曾雅妮) of Taiwan to her sixth LPGA title and ninth overall this year.
Coming into the final round tied for second, one shot out of the lead, Tseng edged out two-time defending champion Choi Na-yeon of South Korea by one stroke with a flawless final round 5-under 67.
The 22-year-old Taiwanese star, the LPGA Championship and Women’s British Open winner, finished at 14-under 202 on Sky 72 Golf Club’s Ocean Course.
“It was very tough out there,” Tseng said. “Choi Na-yeon was playing so good today ... She made two birdies in a row and I missed the birdie putt. I really enjoyed it out there. It’s not easy. I tried to focus on every shot, every hole.”
Tseng earned US$270,000 to push her tour-leading total to US$2,396,838. She has 11 victories in four full seasons on the LPGA Tour.
Tseng needed to sink a three-footer for par on the 18th to secure the win after Choi had pulled to within a shot with a birdie in front of the large home crowd.
Choi, the winner in 2009 and last year, shot a 68 on the final round.
“The crowd is amazing,” Tseng said. “When Na-yeon makes birdie, it was like a huge crowd, and I think it’s the first time in my life I saw that many people on a golf course.”
In 2009, Choi birdied the final hole to beat Tseng by a stroke.
“I didn’t think anything like two years ago,” Tseng said. “I kind of forgot and learned from that. She played great and I played good. I did my best then, and I feel like she just played better than me and she deserved to win the tournament.”
“Two years after, we both have got some more experience and we both got more wins. It’s very different out there,” Tseng said.
Brittany Lincicome (66), Jamin Jang (68) and second-round leader Yang Soo-jin (71) tied for third at 11 under. Michelle Wie had a 69 to tie for 35th at 1 under.
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