Pettersen seals back-to-back Asian wins
Norway’s Suzann Pettersen lifted her second trophy in as many weeks
Sunday after a three-shot victory at the Sunrise LPGA Taiwan
Championship. The world number seven braved strong winds and fired
three-under-par 69 in her final round to snatch the win from South
Korea’s Park In-Bee, who had led by two overnight but had to settle for
second.
“It is a great win for me especially coming back from behind in tough
conditions like today,” Pettersen told reporters.
“I really tried to stick to my own game plan, sticking to my own
bubble. I played my own game, tried not to kind of do stupid mistakes,
errors that would cost me too much.” Yani Tseng, the world number one
and Taiwanese home favourite, finished third as she extended a winless
streak which stretches back to March.
Pettersen erased two early birdies with bogeys on seven and nine, but
she picked up three shots in her last seven holes as Park stumbled to a
74 at the par-72 Sunrise Golf and Country Club in northern Taiwan.
“Last week in Korea I felt I had to scramble to win in playoff.
This week I was really playing well and I felt I deserve the victory.
Winning last week gave me a lot of confidence,” she said. Pettersen also
won last week’s KEB-HanaBank Championship in South Korea, where she beat
Scotland’s Catriona Matthew in a play-off. Tseng’s final round of 71
left her four shots behind the leader, ahead of Matthew who finished
fourth. “I know I didn’t finish where I wanted to, but it’s getting
better and I think it’s getting better slowly, so I’m very happy what I
play right now.
Last year the diminutive Tseng, affectionately known as the “Pride of
Taiwan” by her home fans, enjoyed her seventh and final win of the
season in front of sell-out crowds at the Sunrise event. But Tseng has
gone off the boil this year with no wins since March, including 11
straight tournaments without a top-10 finish and three missed cuts.
She finished third last week in South Korea, boosting her badly
needed self-confidence.
AFP |