South Korea’s Choi Na-yeon fired a final round 67 to win the USLPGA Hana Bank Kolon Championship yesterday by a stroke from Taiwan’s Yani Tseng and Sweden’s Maria Hjorth.
Choi, runner-up to Tseng as 2008 Rookie of the Year, closed it out to take the US$255,000 winners’ check, sinking five birdies for her first win on the LPGA Tour since joining.
Fellow Korean Ran Hong was four shots back in third, while Kim Song-hee was fourth and Shin Ji-yai fifth.
But it was a tournament to forget for Mexican world No. 1 one Lorena Ochoa, who ended at six-over-par and a massive 16 shots behind the winner.
Defending champ Candie Kung of Taiwan also had a horror weekend, finishing alongside Ochoa.
■SINGAPORE OPEN
REUTERS, SINGAPORE
Adam Scott enjoyed a welcome return to form with a third place finish at the rain-hit Singapore Open yesterday, the Australian finishing a couple of shots behind champion Ian Poulter after two solid final rounds.
The 29-year-old has struggled since reaching a career high world No. 3 after his last victory on the PGA Tour in April last year, but after sneaking into the weekend on the cutline at one-over par, he came close to pulling off an unlikely win.
Scott has slipped to No. 76 in the world rankings but his form over the last 36 holes at the US$5 million co-sanctioned event will give him cause for optimism.
The event was dogged by weather delays and forced the players to abandon the course three times in as many days because of the threat of lightning.
Facing a race against time to complete the event yesterday, organizers opted to have the final two rounds played from two-tee starts, meaning Scott played the back nine first and would have putted for victory on the ninth hole had he overhauled Poulter.
Taiwan’s Lin Wen-Tang was two over par after shooting a 75.
■WORLD MATCH PLAY
AFP, CASARES, SPAIN
American Anthony Kim was to meet Ross Fisher of England in the final of the Volvo World Match Play Championship here after both players won their respective semi finals on Saturday.
Kim defeated Australian Robert Allenby for the second time last month, while Fisher emerged victoriously from a 39-hole marathon against Masters Tournament champion Angel Cabrera of Argentina.
Los Angeles native Kim secured a five and four victory over Allenby, whom he beat five and three at the Presidents Cup three weeks ago, and was to meet Fisher yesterday.
In their scheduled 36-hole semi-final, Fisher went from two up to one down against Cabrera with five to play, but came back into the match by winning the 32nd and 33rd holes.
He then paid the price for laying up at the par five last, where Cabrera made birdie from the rough to force a sudden death playoff. In total, the pair returned to the final tee three more times before Fisher hit a brilliant fairway wood to 12 feet.
Cabrera, who had bunkered and then hit over the green, then conceded defeat.
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