Jang Ha-na held off Feng Shanshan by a stroke in wind and rain yesterday at the Fubon LPGA Taiwan Championship in New Taipei City’s Linkou District for her third victory of the year.
Eight strokes ahead of Feng after a birdie on the sixth hole, the 24-year-old South Korean bogeyed two of the next three holes and scrambled to par the final nine for a one-under 71.
Feng finished with a 66.
Photo: Ritchie B. Tongo, EPA
The Chinese star chipped in for birdie from 35 feet on the par-four 15th to pull within two strokes and nearly holed a bunker shot for eagle on the par-five 18th.
Jang then lagged her 15-foot birdie putt to inches and briefly danced on the green after tapping in.
“I was like nervous every hole,” Jang said. “Shanshan really good play today. That’s why I got very nervous and then I’m just simple every hole because weather is just so bad. And then just keep going the fairway and the green.”
She kept the celebration short after drawing criticism in South Korea for her flamboyant victory celebrations — a “Samurai Lasso” routine in Florida in February and a “Beyonce Single Ladies” dance in Singapore in March.
Also, before the Singapore event, Jang’s father dropped a hard-case suitcase that tumbled down an airport escalator and injured rival player Chun In-gee.
“After Singapore’s not really good happening. That’s why little, small dancing,” Jang said.
“Yesterday my agent and all the people text me say just try small celebration. Please just you try it,” she said. That’s why I got try a little more small one, but I think it’s really good. Celebration is a little small, but looks like a little bigger. It’s like dancing like: ‘I like it. I like it.’ Like that. So happy.”
Jang finished at 17-under 271. She set up some key par saves with sharp play around the greens, hitting to within inches on 14, to a foot on 15 after Feng holed out and to two feet on 16 and 17.
“Really solid chipping,” Jang said. “My chipping is pretty good first time my life. That’s why every par is good score, because raining so bad. So that’s these why every hole is par ... My first win weather is rainy, exactly same. I like it raining on the golf course.”
Canada’s Brooke Henderson birdied the final two holes for a 70 to tie for third place with South Korea’s Kim Hyo-joo (69) at 10-under.
Kaohsiung-born Candie Kung (69), South Africa’s Lee-Anne Pace (71) and South Korea’s Park Hee-young (72) were another stroke back.
Hsu Wei-ling carded a 72 to finish tied for 34th place on one-under, a shot ahead of fellow Taiwanese Phoebe Yao and Cheng Ssu-chia. Former world No. 1 Yani Tseng shot a 70 to finish on five-over.
Jang shot a 62 on Saturday to take a six-stroke lead over Feng into the final round.
The 62 was the lowest score in her LPGA Tour career and matched the best round in the three years the tournament has been staged at the Miramar Golf Country Club.
The South Korean earned US$300,000 to jump from 12th to seventh in the money list. She was projected to go from 12th to eighth in the world rankings.
Feng had her third straight top-four finish.
The Olympic bronze medalist was fourth at the Evian Championship and tied for fourth last week in China in the Asian Swing opener.
World No. 1 Lydia Ko shot a 70 to tie for 20th at three-under. She won by nine strokes last year.
The LPGA Tour moves to South Korea later this week week, then it is due to visit China, Malaysia and Japan.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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