Cristie Kerr won the rain-delayed LPGA State Farm Classic by one shot over Anna Nordqvist and Na Yeon Choi on Monday.
The final round of the event was played a day late because of weekend rain interrupting play. Kerr fought off flu-like symptoms and late challenges from Nordqvist and Choi, shooting a 3-under 69 in the final round to finish at 22-under 266 at Panther Creek Country Club.
On her final round, Taiwan’s Yani Tseng shot a 67 to total 272.
Kerr had a two-shot lead heading to the final hole, so a bogey on the final hole gave her the one-shot victory. It is her second State Farm Classic win, and she becomes the first American to win on the LPGA tour since Michelle Wie won the Lorena Ochoa Invitational last November.
“That definitely motivates me to be the top American and top player on tour,” said Kerr, who won US$255,000 to move into the second on the money list, US$60,000 behind Ai Miyazato. “I’m just happy not to have to answer, ‘Why are there no American winners anymore?’”
Juli Inkster, whose first-round 65 had her tied for second, shot 68-71 on the weekend to end in 35th.
Karrie Webb made her way into a tie for 11th with a final-round 65. Natalie Gulbis went 4 under in her closing round to finish tied for 36th and Wie finished at 6 under, tied for 52nd.
Kerr led after third-round play was completed on Sunday morning and would have been the champion if the fourth round had been washed out. However, with more than half the round completed when heavy rain and lightning rolled in Sunday, tour officials decided to try to finish the tournament on Monday.
Kerr never wavered. After Saturday’s delay, she made six more birdies to finish with a 63. On Monday, she birdied three holes before an inconsequential bogey on 18.
Kerr said the stormy conditions on Sunday helped her.
“It was actually to my advantage that they called play last evening, because I was just exhausted,” she said. “I didn’t sleep well at all on Saturday night, just up coughing the whole night.”
Kerr came down with flu-like symptoms early in the week and then weathered two storm postponements that left birdie putts on the course to post rounds of 67-67-63-69. She missed the green and bogied 18 on Monday, but with a two-shot lead over Nordqvist and Choi, her two-putt was good for the victory.
“You know, you always want to try and complete the tournament to be able to feel like you earned it,” Kerr said. “I would have taken it, don’t get me wrong, but this feels better.”
Choi birdied three of her last four holes to get to 21 under, but Nordqvist, who birdied four straight before the rain stopped play on Sunday, was up and down after the break. She bogeyed the par-4 12th and before birdies on Nos. 13-14. She had another birdie chance on the par-5 16th, but missed a short put. She had to get up and down from the sand on 18 to save par, but the bad read on 16 is what really cost her.
“I knew I had to make a couple of birdies those last couple of holes to give it a shot, but I gave this my best,” she said. “I thought I hit a pretty good putt, it just broke a little too much. I mean, that’s life.”
First-round leader Shanshan Feng and Park Hee-young, who just missed a birdie putt on 18 that would have given her a final-round 62, ended tied for fourth at 20 under. Feng, the only Chinese golfer on the tour, loves to play Panther Creek.
“I think this course fits me. It’s not an easy course, but I feel like it’s good for me as a long hitter,” she said. “My putting was really good. My putting is not usually that good, but it’s good here.”
Park’s 63 was a personal best and included nine birdies. She was playing on an injured knee and the delay may have helped.
“It’s getting worse, so I rested it,” she said. “That was a good choice.”
A day into the new week on tour, Kerr was already thinking of what lay ahead.
“Winning is a great feeling, but you can’t stop there,” she said. “You’ve got to be able to set new goals. I’ve got another tournament [this] week and then I’ve got another major.”
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY STAFF WRITER
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