New Zealand’s Lydia Ko watches her shot from the 12th tee during the third round of the LPGA Canadian Open golf tournament.
Advertisement
Jutanugarn led going into the final round by two shots which was a good indicator of what was to come, as all her other wins this season came when she was leading going into Sunday.
South Korea’s Sei Young Kim fired a 65 to finish second at 19 under while compatriot In Gee Chun had a 69 to place third at 18 under.
“I realised the second shot on the fourth also went in because of the cheers”.
The Thai native made the most of her two stroke head-start on the field on the final day to cruise to a four shot win in Calgary. The 19-year-old New Zealander won in 2012 at Vancouver Golf Club at 15 years, 4 months to become the LPGA Tour’s youngest victor and fifth amateur champion.
“After I won my first tournament, I feel like I reached my goal”, Ariya said after she won the US$2.25 million (S$3 million) Canadian Open and collected a cheque for US$337,500 on Sunday.
“Honestly, I don’t think it suits my game because it’s a little narrow and I can’t hit my driver”, Jutanugarn said of the 6,622-yard tournament track just west of Calgary.
Henderson dropped a stroke in the completion of a first-round 72 and had a double bogey on the par-3 eighth – her 17th – in a second-round 68. “But after that I feel like I changed my focus, so right now my focus is like what’s going to be good, like what I have to do to be good, so I’m thinking about like what is under my control, not thinking about anything else”. “And you know, like Japan, we have 2020 Olympics, so I’m just looking forward to that”. Henderson is the highest ranked Canadian golfer in the world and was a favorite going into the event this week, finishing at a respectable seven-under-par.
The LPGA tour heads to Ontario next week for the Manulife LPGA Classic.
Hamilton’s Alena Sharp carried her strong play into the final round, shooting a 67 to finish the event fourth at 16-under.
I could see the putting lines very well, said Chun, the 2015 U.S. Womens Open champion.
World No. 3 Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., and Maude-Aimée Leblanc of Sherbrooke, Que., matched 69s to finish with shares of 14th at 11-under.
“I had massive crowds today and it was so much fun to play in front of them”, Henderson said.
The Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation is the official charity beneficiary of the 2016 CP Women’s Open. I was not hitting it well the first nine holes, but I hung in there.
Advertisement
“I’m hoping to get a top 10”, she said.
