Taiwan’s Teresa Lu yesterday fired one-under-par round of 71 for a final-round total of 204 to score a five-shot victory at the Nichirei Cup World Ladies Golf Tournament in Chiba, Japan.
It was her second title of the year on the LPGA of Japan Tour, following a win at the Studio Alice Women’s Open in April, and the 14th of her career on the LPGA of Japan Tour.
Lu has been in good form in recent months, finishing in the top 10 in four of her six most recent competitions.
Photo: Liberty Times
Lu’s final round 71 gave her a three-day score of 204, or 12 under-par, to finish five shots clear of Japanese trio Saki Takeo, Rumi Yoshiba and Miyu Shinkai, as they tied at 209 for second place.
The tournament has an ¥80 million (US$721,326) purse.
Lu entered yesterday’s final round with a comfortable four-shot lead over Shinkai, but that lead was down to one after seven holes.
“I did not play very well today and I started to feel the pressure when I saw how well she was playing,” Lu said of Shinkai, who was in her final-round grouping. “I was a bit shocked to make bogey on the par-5 seventh hole.”
However, Lu matched Shinkai’s birdie on the ninth hole, and an approach shot to within 90cm of the par-5 10th hole led to another birdie that helped her retake the lead.
After Shinkai bogeyed on the 12th and 13th holes, and Lu hit another birdie on the 14th, Lu was able to cruise to victory.
Lu, 29, who has been playing regularly in Japan since 2010, earned ¥14.4 million with the victory and moved up to second on this year’s LPGA of Japan Tour money list with winnings of ¥55.5 million.
Taiwan’s Phoebe Yao had her best performance of the season as she carded a five-under-par 211 to finish in sixth place.
Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke, 29, has died, the NBA team said in a statement on Tuesday, while the family of Jason Collins, the first openly gay man to play in a major US pro sports league, announced the former Grizzlies and Brooklyn Nets player had died after a battle with brain cancer. “We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of Brandon Clarke,” the Grizzlies said in a statement posted on social media. “Brandon was an outstanding teammate and an even better person whose impact on the organization and the greater Memphis community will not be forgotten.” The statement did not provide
Mathys Tel was hero and villain as Tottenham drew 1-1 at home to Leeds United on Monday — a result that leaves their English Premier League future hanging in the balance. The Frenchman broke the deadlock early in the second half to ease the tension at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but then gave away a penalty with a reckless attempted clearance. In the dying minutes, Spurs were grateful to Antonin Kinsky, who produced an astonishing save to deny the visitors a win. Tottenham are now two points clear of 18th-placed West Ham United with just two games left this season. The
Houston Astros right-hander Teng Kai-wei, the only active Taiwanese pitcher in MLB, on Sunday suffered his third loss of the season, throwing a season-high 63 pitches in his second start of the year. Teng allowed three earned runs over three innings on five hits in the Astros’ 5-0 road loss to the Cincinnati Reds. He struck out one, walked one, and hit one batter among the 15 hitters he faced, raising his earned run average to 3.12. It was the Astros’ second attempt to use the 27-year-old Taiwanese as a starter, after he had established himself as a reliable bullpen
‘DONE IT ALL’: LeBron James is now out of contract with the Lakers and would head into the off season as a free agent with uncertainty swirling around his future LeBron James on Monday said he would take time to consider his future after the Los Angeles Lakers were swept out of the NBA playoffs by the Oklahoma City Thunder in what could turn out to be the final game of his career. James, 41, delivered a typically defiant performance with 24 points and 12 rebounds, but it was not enough to prevent the Lakers from falling 115-110 as the Thunder completed a 4-0 sweep in the Western Conference semi-finals series. The four-time NBA champion is now out of contract with the Lakers and would head into the off season