Suzann Pettersen kept saying that her major meltdown 10 weeks ago was a distant memory. For those not listening, all they had to do was watch her on Sunday at the LPGA Championship.
Pettersen never flinched down the stretch, closing with a 5-under 67 to hold off a spirited challenge by Karrie Webb and a late charge by 18-year-old Min Na-on for a one-shot victory and her first major championship.
The 26-year-old Norwegian had ample opportunity to fold at Bulle Rock, but she didn't budge. She hit the ball so purely that she never missed a green on the back nine and only twice had a birdie putt longer than 3.6m. One of those was on the final hole, when she had two putts from 9m for the victory.
PHOTO: AFP
The pace was perfect -- just like everything else on the back nine -- and settled just more than 7cm from the cup.
It was nothing like her performance at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, where Pettersen squandered a three-shot lead over the final four holes with two bogeys and a double bogey, a collapse that left her in tears.
She bounced back to win the Michelob Ultra Open a month later, then removed any doubts about her psyche at Bulle Rock.
Webb, a runner-up for the second straight year, made her earn it. The seven-time major champion made a clutch par from the bunker on the 16th, then closed with two straight birdies for a 67.
"I knew what happened to her at Kraft, and I just knew I needed to keep putting pressure on her," Webb said. "She obviously executed very well coming down the stretch, and she should be very proud of herself. It shows a lot of courage and guts and trust in her ability."
Min, trying to become the youngest major champion in LPGA history, ran off four straight birdies on the back nine to get within one shot, but settled for pars on the last two holes for a 70 to finish third in her first major championship.
Taiwan's Teresa Lu (盧曉晴) finished at 287, while her compatriot Lin Yu-ping (林玉萍) was at 294.
Pettersen made four birdies on the back nine, none bigger than a 12-footer on the 17th to give her a cushion going to the final hole. She finished at 14-under 274 and earned US$300,000 to go more than US$1 million for the season.
Lorena Ochoa remains No. 1 and without a major. She was close enough to make a move, one of eight players separated by three shots at various stages of the back nine, but missed key birdie chances and had to settle for 69 and a tie for sixth, six shots behind.
Michelle Wie completed an acrimonious stay at Bulle Rock with a small consolation -- her first performance-based paycheck of the year.
"It's a good feeling to get a paycheck," she said with a laugh.
Then again, she had to make a 2.4m bogey putt on the final hole to break 80, it was her 20th consecutive round without breaking par, she finished in last place by 10 shots, and her 21-over 309 was the highest 72-hole score of her career, professional or amateur.
"I think it was a good decision [to play], but also maybe a couple of weeks too early," Wie said. "I have to test the waters sometime. I felt like this week is a lot better than last week, and I hope the US Open is going to be a lot better."
The Women's Open is in two weeks at Pine Needles.
The teenager who stole most of the attention through three days was Min, an 18-year-old from South Korea who had a one-shot lead going into Sunday. She got plenty of breaks early, making par from the bunker on the opening hole and building a two-shot lead with a birdie on the fourth.
But the lead was gone in two holes, and soon she was an afterthought.
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