Golf: Fil-Am Allisen Corpuz wins US Women's Open for first LPGA triumph

SAN FRANCISCO -- Filipino-American Allisen Corpuz captured her first LPGA victory in dramatic fashion on Sunday, firing a three-under par 69 to win the US Women's Open by three strokes.

The 25-year-old from Honolulu finished 72 holes at Pebble Beach on nine-under 279 to defeat England's Charley Hull, who fired a final-round 66, and South Korean Shin Ji-yai, who shot 68.

"Unreal. This week has just felt like a dream come true," Corpuz said. "It has been just awesome to be out at Pebble this week."

Japan's Nasa Hataoka, the 54-hole leader, finished with a 76 to share fourth on 285 with American Bailey Tardy while Japan's Ayaka Furue and South Korean Kim Hyo-joo shared sixth on 286.

Corpuz had shared a major lead at the Chevron Championship earlier this year before settling for fourth, a hint of the promise she made real at the iconic California seaside course where such legends as Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus have hoisted trophies.

"I've played a little conservatively in the past and just went out there and told myself I had the game to do it today," Corpuz said. "Little nervous at times but pretty comfortable."

A turning point came at the par-3 12th when leader Corpuz blasted out of a bunker and made a 16-foot par putt while Hataoka missed a five-foot par putt moments later to fall two adrift of the American.

Hull sank a 30-foot birdie putt at the par-5 16th to pull within two on 6-under with Hataoka making bogey at 14 to fall back.

Corpuz responded moments later by sinking a seven-foot birdie putt at the par-5 14th and when she added another from four feet at 15, she reached 10-under and surged ahead of Hull by four shots.

Corpuz had a bogey at the par-3 17th but still finished as the only player to crack par in all four rounds.

"Every few holes I just looked out and said I'm at Pebble Beach, there's not many places that are better than this," Corpuz said. "So really just tried to stay grounded and keep playing my game."

Corpuz made a five-foot birdie putt on the opening hole, saved par with a 10-foot putt at the par-5 second, followed with a 12-foot birdie at the third, then missed a six-foot par putt to bogey the fourth after missing the green with her approach.

She sank a birdie putt from just outside 10 feet at the par-3 seventh, missed the green on her approach and took a bogey at the ninth, then answered at 10 with a birdie putt from just inside nine feet.

Hull had six birdies, two bogeys and an eagle in her 66, the day's low round.

"I just got off to a fast start," Hull said. "I've been so focused and working on my game hard and today it just all clicked."

World number 20 Hataoka fell short in her bid to become the third Japanese woman to win a major title. She had runner-up major finishes as the 2018 Women's PGA Championship and the 2021 US Women's Open at The Olympic Club in nearby San Francisco.

Agence France-Presse

Golf: China's Yin Ruoning edges Yuka Saso to win Women's PGA Championship

NEW YORK -- China's Yin Ruoning sank a 10-foot birdie putt on the final hole on Sunday to win the Women's PGA Championship for her first major title.

The 20-year-old from Shanghai fired a four-under par 67 to finish 72 holes at Baltusrol on eight-under 276 and defeat Japan's Yuka Saso by one stroke.

Yin took the $1.5 million top prize and became only the second woman from China to win a major title after Feng Shanshan, who captured the 2012 Women's PGA crown.

"It's amazing," Yin said. "It's just unreal."

Saso, a 22-year-old Philippine-born Japanese star who won the 2021 US Women's Open, birdied the par-5 18th to match Yin for the lead at 7-under on the rain-soaked layout at Springfield, New Jersey.

Yin answered by landing her approach 10 feet from the hole and rolled in the tension-packed birdie putt for the victory in the year's second women's major tournament.

"After the tee shot I saw Yuka make an incredible birdie here, I knew I had to make birdie at this hole to win the championship and I'm glad I did it," Yin said.

An early afternoon storm halted play for almost two hours, but after play resumed Yin birdied the 13th and 14th to grab a share of the lead, parred the next three holes as rivals faltered, and won at the last after hitting every green in regulation in the final two rounds.

"For last couple days, my ball striking was perfect," Yin said. "I only missed six greens in four days so I think my ball striking was pretty good.

"My goal for today, just no three-putts. And I did it too. I didn't think too much. Just no three-putts Because last few days I made five bogeys and four of them were three-putts."

A third-place pack on 278 included Spain's Carlota Ciganda, Sweden's Anna Nordqvist, China's Lin Xiyu, American Megan Khang and Northern Ireland's Stephanie Meadow.

Japan's Ayaka Furue, South Korean Jenny Shin and American Rose Zhang shared eighth on 279.

Yin had joined Feng as the only Chinese women to win an LPGA title when she captured the LA Open in April.

Among those unable to match Yin down the stretch was Lin, who shared the lead when the storm struck.

"It's pretty amazing," Lin said of Yin's victory. "She's young and she's so talented. She's definitely really good at dealing with pressure. It's great to see that."

Yin rents a house in Orlando from Lin and said she hadn't thought about how her rent might now get higher.

"Actually, I'm thinking about buying her house right now," Yin said.

- 'I've got goosebumps' -

Shin and Lin were deadlocked atop the leaderboard when play resumed after the storm but seven others were within two strokes.

Lin held the lead alone after Shin made a bogey at the eighth and kept it until Yin birdied the 13th and 14th and Saso made her fourth birdie in six holes at 15 to share the lead on 7-under, although Saso stumbled with a bogey at 16.

Lin found water off the tee at the par-5 18th and closed with a bogey to leave Yin alone in the lead.

Saso responded with a tap-in birdie at 18 to share the lead, setting the stage for Yin's closing heroics.

"I actually kind of felt that I was going to make it and I made it," Yin said. "It's a very weird feeling."

She joined a list of major winners at Baltusrol that includes Jack Nicklaus, Phil Mickelson and women's icon Mickey Wright.

"I've got goosebumps," Yin said. "They're all legends. I'm glad that I can be part of it."

Yin hopes her victory can boost golf in China.

"I think it means a lot," Yin said. "I think it's going to push a lot of kids to play golf."

Agence France-Presse

Golf: Yuka Saso sizzles in 2nd round of Hawaii LPGA tournament

Yuka Saso of the Philippines produced a second consecutive stellar round Friday for a 2-shot lead at the midpoint of the Lotte Championship in Kapolei, Hawaii.

Saso, who shared first place after the opening round, carded a second consecutive 8-under-par 64 at Kapolei Golf Club on the island of Oahu.

Her 16-under 128 total has her in front of New Zealand's Lydia Ko, who recorded the best score of the tournament on Friday, a 9-under 63 that leaves her 14 under overall.

Spain's Luna Sobron Galmes (second-round 64), South Korea's Hyo Joo Kim (65), South Korea's So Yeon Ryu (68) and Nelly Korda (68) share third place at 11 under.

Brianna Do (66), Ally Ewing (69) and South Korea's A Lim Kim (64) are tied for tied for seventh place at 10 under.

Six players, including first-round co-leader Brittany Altomare (71) and amateur Rose Zhang (68), are seven strokes behind Saso, tied for 10th.

Saso, 19, is a regular on the LPGA of Japan Tour, but she finished in the top 15 at last year's US Women's Open. She is looking for her first victory on the US-based LPGA Tour.

Her scorecard Friday featured nine birdies, including four in a row around the turn, and just one bogey.

"Two more days, I'm trying to get used to it," said Saso, who admitted she was playing this course for the first time this week. "It's like Philippines but colder than Philippines and windier than Philippines. I made some good putts, had good up and downs, my driving was very consistent today."

Ko, 23, already has 15 LPGA wins, including two majors, but she hasn't been victorious since April 2018. Her bogey-free round Friday included three different streaks of back-to-back birdies.

"I started off well birdieing my first two holes, and then I think I just continuously gave myself opportunities," Ko said. "Especially around a golf course like this, the more times you're putting for birdie or having chances to putt for birdie the better. ...

"Especially when the winds come, I think it's a course where some players can go really low, so feel like I was able to do a pretty good job at that, and nice finishing off with a birdie on the last (hole)."

Zhang, who started on the back nine, had a run of three consecutive birdies before making the turn after consecutive bogeys. The 17-year-old from Southern California closed her round by birdieing three of her last four holes.

"Everything was going pretty well in that birdie stretch, then I did kind of falter on 17 and 18," Zhang said. "It was just like minor mistakes, and then I also pulled it into the water. But I think I lessened the mistakes out here today and just came back on the back nine."

-reuters-

Park Sung-hyun wins U.S. Women's Open

BEDMINSTER, New Jersey - Long-hitting Park Sung-hyun of South Korea broke a three-way tie with two late birdies to win the U.S. Women's Open at Trump National Golf Club on Sunday by two strokes for her first major championship.

The 23-year-old Park, runaway favorite to win LPGA Rookie of the Year honours, birdied the par-five 15th to forge ahead and after co-leader amateur Choi Hye-jin double-bogeyed the 16th, added another birdie at the 17th for some cushion.

Park, who won seven times on the Korean LPGA Tour in 2016 and had four top-10s on the LPGA Tour this season, saved par at the par-five last with a superb chip from behind the green to post a five-under 67 for an 11-under 277 total.

The 17-year-old Choi found water off the tee at the par-three 16th to scuttle her chance for an historic win, but birdied the last to complete a 71 for sole second at nine-under.

   
The Korean juggernaut in women’s golf was evident with the nation providing eight of the top 10 finishers.

Shanshan Feng of China, a seven-time LPGA Tour winner who had led since the opening round, needed to hole out from the fairway with her third shot at the 18th to tie Park.

After her shot bounded beyond the green, Feng went on to card a triple-bogey eight for a 75, finishing tied for fifth at six-under.

World number one Ryu So-yeon of South Korea (70) and compatriot Hur Mi-jung (68) shared third on seven-under.

For Park, it was a sweet bounce-back from last year's U.S. Women's Open at CordeValle in California. Park, the 36-hole leader, finished 74-74, losing a chance at the title when she hit into a water hazard on the 72nd hole and finished third, two shots out of a playoff.

This time, Park timed her run better, carding 73 and 70 in the first two rounds. She began the final round three strokes back before posting her second successive 67.

Choi narrowly missed becoming the second amateur in 72 years of the event to win and first since 22-year-old Catherine Lacoste of France hoisted the trophy 50 years ago at The Homestead in Hot Springs, Virginia.

(Reporting by Larry Fine; Editing by Andrew Both)

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Pettersen wins LPGA tournament in Taiwan

Suzann Pettersen carded a 3-under-par 69 Sunday for a come-from-behind victory at the Sunrise LPGA Taiwan Championship.

It was Pettersen's 10th LPGA title and second in two weeks. She beat Catriona Matthew in a playoff Oct. 21 in winning the tournament in South Korea.

Her final-round 69 included five birdies and a pair of bogeys that allowed her to make up a two-stroke deficit to Inbee Park, who had three bogeys in a 2-over 74 Sunday.

Pettersen was 19-under 269 for the tournament while Park ended up at 16-under. World No. 1 and tournament defending champion Yani Tseng was third at 15-under after a final-round 71. Matthew was 2-under in the final round for a 72-hole total of 14-under.

A birdie by Pettersen at the first hole and bogey at No. 5 by Park created a tie for first. Both players had birdies at 6 and bogeys at the seventh hole. Pettersen's bogey at 11 returned the lead to Park but Pettersen pulled even with a birdie at the 12th.

Park slipped to bogey at 14 and Pettersen pulled further ahead with a birdie at 15. Park had pars at the last three holes and Pettersen sealed the win with a birdie at the par-5 18th.

source: upi.com