The final round of the LPGA Blue Bay Championship in China was suspended yesterday due to darkness, with South African Lee-Anne Pace atop the leaderboard after rain delayed play. Play at the par-72 Jian Lake club in Sanya on the southern island of Hainan was set to continue this morning, according to the event’s Web site.
Pace (67, 66) stood at 15-under-par yesterday through 13 holes, four shots ahead of Michelle Wie of the US (67, 68) who finished the same hole.
The South African scored four birdies yesterday including on the par-four 12th hole before play was suspended.
Jessica Korda of the US (66, 67), who had shared the lead with Pace going into the final round, stood at 10-under-par through 13 holes after racking up a pair of bogeys on the ninth and 12th holes.
Germany’s Caroline Masson (67, 69) was at 10-under-par through 14 holes, while Danielle Kang (68, 68) of the US was at nine under through the same hole.
Lydia Ko of New Zealand (69, 70, 68) was one of only two golfers among the top 10 names on the leaderboard to finish the final round, firing a four-under par 68 to end the tournament at nine under.
Jenny Shin of South Korea (71-70-67) was the other, finishing at eight-under par.
Pace is aiming for her first LPGA Tour career win after coming off a ninth career victory on the Ladies European Tour in South Africa.
The Jian Lake club has been hit by heavy rains, with organizers being forced to reduce the US$2 million tournament from four rounds to three.
Taiwan’s Candie Kung carded a 73 for one-over 217, while her compatriot Yani Tseng shot a 76 for a three-over 219.
Additional reporting by staff writer
Asia-Pacific Amateur
AP, MELBOURNE, Australia
Antonio Murdaca of Australia earned a place in the field for next year’s Masters at Augusta after winning the Asia-Pacific Amateur Golf Championship by seven shots yesterday on Royal Melbourne’s composite course.
The 19-year-old Murdaca led by eight strokes overnight and shot a one-under 71 yesterday to finish at 13-under 275, becoming the first Australian to win the title.
Japan’s Horikawa Mikumu had a 69 to break out of a tie with Australian Todd Sinnott and take second place.
“I was worried in the practice rounds whether my game would fit the course here,” Mikumu said. “But as I played through the weak I got a bit more adjusted to the course and I was able to figure out a little bit how to challenge the course.”
Murdaca and Mikumu will also be exempt until the final stage of qualifying for next year’s British Open at St Andrews.
Murdaca’s lead was cut to five shots when he shot 36 on the front nine, but he came home strongly with birdies on the 10th and 14th holes.
Sinnott finished with 71 to take third place ahead of 16-year-old Australian amateur champion Ryan Ruffels in fourth.
Taiwan’s Pan Cheng-tsung shared fifth with China’s Dou Zecheng and Guan Tianlang, who won the 2012 tournament aged 14, at two-under 286.
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