Yani Tseng winner of 2011 HONDA LPGA Thailand
Rolex Rankings No. 1 Yani Tseng shot 6-under-par 66 on Sunday to win the season-opening Honda LPGA Thailand by five shots over Michelle Wie.
The 22-year-old began her 2011 season with victories on the Ladies European Tour (LET) at the Australian Open and Australian Ladies Masters in consecutive weeks prior to this week’s LPGA season opener. She is projected to retain the No. 1 spot in women’s professional golf entering next week’s HSBC Women’s Champions. Tseng has now teed it up four times in 2011, including a small professional event in Taiwan, with four victories.
The overnight leader, Tseng kept herself in contention with six birdies in her first 13 holes before her first-and-only blemish of the day at 14, where she made bogey. She rebounded with a birdie at 15 and never looked back, claiming her sixth-career LPGA Tour victory at 15-under-par 273.
With the win, Tseng earns $217,500 and an early lead on the LPGA Official Money List and Rolex Player of the Year race.
"I just tried my best and I know I had lots of confidence, but with all the great golfers out here, you never know until the last putt drops in. I really enjoyed the tournament this week." Tseng said afterwards.
Yani Tseng, Michelle Wie and Karrie Webb punched their “Ticket to Titleholders” at the Honda LPGA Thailand.
By virtue of their top-three finishes, Tseng, Wie and Webb each earned a spot in the season-ending Titleholders event, to be held November 17th - 20th, 2011 at Grand Cypress Golf Club in Orlando, Florida.
The inaugural Titleholders, a season finale with a field made up of three qualifiers from every official LPGA Tour tournament, is a format never previously used in professional golf. Despite tying with I.K. Kim for third place, Webb qualifies with a lower final round score.
Michelle Wie earned runner-up honors at 10-under-par 278 on Sunday. The long-hitting Hawaiian shot 2-under-par 70 playing alongside winner Yani Tseng in the day’s final group. Wie, a two-time LPGA winner, banks $140,360 with the second-place finish.
Tseng is going to Canyon Ranch. With her victory at the 2011 Honda LPGA Thailand, Yani Tseng earned an all-inclusive stay for two at a Canyon Ranch resort. In a combined effort to promote health and overall well-being among Tour players, Canyon Ranch will provide every winner of an LPGA event with one all-inclusive stay at one of Canyon Ranch's two destination resorts.
In-Kyung Kim was in contention until the 17th hole where she carded a quintuple-bogey 9. She finished the week in a tie for third with Karrie Webb after tying the tournament-record on Thursday with a 9-under-par 63
Defending champion Ai Miyazato tied for 29th at 4-over-par 292, 25 shots worse than last year
15-year-old Thai amateur Ariya Juntanugarn tied for eighth at 3-under-par 285.
Karen Stupples of England finished in a share of 29th place overall after a level par final round 72 to end the tournament on 4 over par.
