LPGA News

Pettersen climbs to 7th in women's world rankings

Mon, 22 Oct 2012 17:07:26 -0400

Suzann Pettersen needed three playoff holes Sunday as she defeated Catriona Matthew and earned her ninth LPGA Tour title. That win helped Pettersen move up two spots in this week's women's world rankings.

Pettersen climbed to No. 7, while Matthew soared seven spots to 15th.

Yani Tseng was No. 1 again and followed by Stacy Lewis, Na Yeon Choi, Shanshan Feng, Inbee Park and Jiyai Shin.

Pettersen's move pushed Ai Miyazato and Mika Miyazato down to eighth and ninth. So Yeon Ryu, Paula Creamer, Sun Ju Ahn, Amy Yang and Cristie Kerr were 10th to 14th again this week.

Matthew was followed by Karrie Webb, Azahara Munoz and I.K. Kim, who each fell one spot. Chie Arimura held steady at No. 19, while Angela Stanford tumbled two to 20th.

Sun Young Yoo was also down two as she fell from 20th to 22nd.

©2012 Sports Network. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Pettersen wins playoff in South Korea

Sun, 21 Oct 2012 04:22:09 -0400

Incheon, South Korea (Sports Network) - Suzann Pettersen struggled in the final round Sunday, but erased any earlier mistakes with a birdie on the third playoff hole to win the LPGA KEB - HanaBank Championship.

Pettersen stumbled to a closing 2-over 74. She joined Catriona Matthew at 11- under-par 205. Matthew fired a 5-under 67 to get in first at minus-11.

The duo played the par-5 18th all three times in the extra session. The 4-time Solheim Cup teammates parred the 18th the first two trips through.

Pettersen converted a birdie effort on the third extra hole to beat Matthew and win for the ninth time on the LPGA Tour. This was the second time Pettersen won this title, as she also earned the crown in 2007.

"I just felt like I was actually glad I had a chance to go out there in the playoff. Again, I just felt great," Pettersen said. "I had a great warm-up this morning and didn't really get off to a great start and didn't really play the par-3s good at all. I felt like I had it all in my hands both the first time around, second time around, and the third around."

World No. 1 and last year's winner Yani Tseng closed with a 3-under 69 to grab third place on the Ocean Course at Sky 72 Golf Club. She finished alone at minus-10. This was Tseng's best finish since she ended third at the year's first major, the Kraft Nabisco Championship.

Se Ri Pak posted a 2-under 70 to grab fourth at 9-under-par 207. Sandra Gal (71) and Lexi Thompson (70) shared fifth at minus-8.

Matthew birdied the 14th to move to 12-under, where she was two strokes clear of the field. Pettersen also birdied No. 14 to cut her deficit to one. Matthew tripped to a bogey on the 16th to create a tie atop the leaderboard.

Matthew parred her final two holes to get in first at minus-11. Pettersen parred the last four holes to get into the playoff, where she won on the third extra hole.

Pettersen, who led by five to start the day, stumbled to a double-bogey on the third. She came right back with a birdie on No. 4 to push her lead back to four.

The 31-year-old Norwegian gave another stroke back when she bogeyed the eighth to cut her lead to two as Matthew was making a charge.

"After I bogeyed eight, I looked at my caddie, I said, if I am going to bogey, I might as well just fire right at the pin," Pettersen stated. "There's no point playing safe. He said, why don't you just play as aggressive as you have all week. What are you trying to do? So I might have gone out trying to be a little bit protective, which obviously does not fit my game at all."

Matthew birdied three of the first seven holes to get to minus-9. After a birdie on 10, back-to-back birdies from the 13th gave Matthew a 2-shot lead.

Prior to that, Pettersen briefly regained a 2-stroke lead as she birdied the 10th. She stumbled to another double-bogey on the 13th to fall to minus-10, where she fell two behind Matthew.

Matthew's bogey at 16, paired Pettersen's birdie there forced the playoff.

NOTES: Pettersen, who earned $270,000 for the win, won for the ninth time on the LPGA Tour...Mi Hyun Kim closed with a 6-over 78 in her final LPGA Tour event to end tied for 61st. Kim announced her retirement earlier in the week...The LPGA Tour heads to Taiwan next week for the Sunrise LPGA Taiwan Championship, where Tseng won by five strokes in her homeland last year.

Pettersen leads by 5 in South Korea

Sat, 20 Oct 2012 09:36:58 -0400

Suzann Pettersen birdied four of her last six holes on Saturday to move five strokes clear of the field after two rounds of the LPGA KEB - HanaBank Championship.

Pettersen finished 36 holes at 13-under-par 131. A day after she set the 18- hole scoring record on the Ocean Course at Sky 72 Golf Club with a 63, her two-day total established a new 36-hole mark.

Her total of 131 bettered the old record by three strokes. Soo-Jin Yang posted 134 through 36 holes last year.

So Yeon Ryu carded a 2-under 70 on Saturday and is alone second at minus-8.

Defending champion and women's world No. 1 Yani Tseng also shot 70 to finish two rounds at 7-under-par 137. She was joined in third place by Se Ri Pak (67) and Sandra Gal (68).

"I mean, today was tougher than yesterday, and I had a couple wrong decisions on the front nine, so I made a couple bogeys there," Tseng said. "And I had two 3-putts. The greens were very tricky today, but I hung in there and I finished strong, last five I had three birdies. So always very happy to get a finish like that on 18 and enjoy the crowd. I think it's very important, kind of makes your day."

Lexi Thompson (70), Catriona Matthew (70), Ha Neul Kim (72) and Azahara Munoz (72) share sixth place at minus-6.

Pettersen, the 2007 champion, started her round with seven straight pars and was joined in the lead by Ryu and Karin Sjodin. Pettersen regained the lead with a birdie on the seventh.

"It just felt like I got out there this morning and I didn't really expect it to be as breezy as it was," Pettersen said. "Not that it was extremely windy, but it was a little different yesterday, and it almost took me nine holes to kind of adjust to the conditions."

The 31-year-old stumbled to a bogey on No. 8 and that left her tied for the lead with Sjodin. After four consecutive pars from the ninth, the Norwegian caught fire.

Pettersen, an eight-time winner on the LPGA Tour, birdied the par-5 13th to move one clear of Ryu. Two holes later, Pettersen converted another birdie try to push her lead to two.

After a par on 16. Pettersen closed with back-to-back birdies to give herself a comfortable four-shot lead heading to the final round.

"Very happy the way I finished. I was standing on 15 and said to myself, it would be nice to finish with two or three birdies, and I think that's what I did. Good way to finish the day," Pettersen stated.

Ryu, last year's U.S. Women's Open winner, had three birdies in a five-hole span from the third to reach minus-9. She tripped to a bogey on the par-3 eighth.

Around the turn, Ryu recovered that stroke with a birdie on the 12th. She tripped to another bogey at 17 before closing with a par at the last.

NOTES: Pettersen owns the 36-hole lead for the 10th time in her LPGA Tour career and she has turned four of them into victories...Morgan Pressel withdrew prior to the start of round two with an injury.

©2012 Sports Network. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Pettersen leads by 4 in South Korea

Sat, 20 Oct 2012 04:11:08 -0400

Incheon, South Korea (Sports Network) - Suzann Pettersen birdied four of her last six holes on Saturday to move four strokes clear of the field after two rounds of the LPGA KEB - HanaBank Championship.

Pettersen finished 36 holes at 13-under-par 131. A day after she set the 18 scoring record on the Ocean Course at Sky 72 Golf Club, her 2-day total established a new 36-hole mark.

Her total of 131 bettered the old record by three strokes. Soo-Jin Yang posted 134 through 36 holes last year.

So Yeon Ryu carded a 2-under 70 and is alone second place at minus-8.

Defending champion and women's world No. 1 Yani Tseng also shot 70 to finish two rounds at 7-under-par 137. She was joined in third place by Se Ri Pak (67) and Sandra Gal (68).

"I mean, today was tougher than yesterday, and I had a couple wrong decisions on the front nine, so I made a couple bogeys there," Tseng said. "And I had two 3-putts. The greens were very tricky today, but I hung in there and I finished strong, last five I had three birdies. So always very happy to get a finish like that on 18 and enjoy the crowd. I think it's very important, kind of make your day."

Lexi Thompson (70), Catriona Matthew (70), Ha Neul Kim (72) and Azahara Munoz (72) share sixth place at minus-6.

Pettersen, the 2007 champion, started her round with seven straight pars and was joined in the lead by Ryu and Karin Sjodin. Pettersen regained the lead with a birdie on the seventh.

"It just felt like I got out there this morning and I didn't really expect it to be as breezy as it was," Pettersen said. "Not that it was extremely windy, but it was a little different yesterday, and it almost took me nine holes to kind of adjust to the conditions."

The 31-year-old stumbled to a bogey on No. 8 and that left her tied for the lead with Sjodin. After four consecutive pars from the ninth, the Norwegian caught fire.

Pettersen, an 8-time winner on the LPGA Tour, birdied the par-5 13th to move one clear of Ryu. Two holes later, Pettersen converted another birdie try to push her lead to two.

After a par on 16. Pettersen closed with back-to-back birdies to give herself a comfortable 4-shot lead heading to the final round.

"Very happy the way I finished. I was standing on 15 and said to myself, it would be nice to finish with two or three birdies, and I think that's what I did. Good way to finish the day," Pettersen stated.

Ryu, last year's U.S. Women's Open winner, had three birdies in a 5-hole span from the third to reach minus-9. She tripped to a bogey on the par-3 eighth.

Around the turn, Ryu recovered that stroke with a birdie on the 12th. She tripped to another bogey at 17 before closing with a par at the last.

NOTES: Pettersen owns the 36-hole lead for the 10th time in her LPGA Tour career and she has turned four of them into victories...Morgan Pressel withdrew prior to the start of round two with an injury.

Pettersen soars to early lead in South Korea

Fri, 19 Oct 2012 03:13:17 -0400

Suzann Pettersen fired a course-record 9-under 63 on Friday to grab a 1-stroke lead after the opening round of the LPGA KEB - HanaBank Championship.

Pettersen, the 2007 winner, posted her low round of the year on the Ocean Course at Sky 72 Golf Club.

Karin Sjodin is one stroke back at minus-8, while Ai Miyazato, Hyun-Hee Moon, Ha Neul Kim, So Yeon Ryu and Azahara Munoz share third place at 6-under 66.

Defending champion and world No. 1 Yani Tseng is alone in eighth place after opening with a 67. That was just her second score in the 60s in her last 16 rounds.

Pettersen played the back nine first on Friday and got going with birdies on her first two holes. After a par on No. 12, Pettersen caught fire.

She converted a birdie chance on the par-5 13th and followed with birdies at 14 and 15 to jump to minus-5. Pettersen continued her blistering play with a birdie on the 17th.

"Got off to a good start, had the feel of the greens this morning, worked really hard to kind of feel the speed yesterday and made some great putts and obviously some great shots," Pettersen said.

After turning at 6-under, Pettersen remained hot. She birdied the second and made it two in a row with another birdie on the third.

Pettersen moved to 9-under as she birdied the par-5 fifth. With four holes left, including another par-5, Pettersen had an outside shot at shooting 59.

However, she parred the final four holes to end there.

"It feels like this year hasn't been a great year, but I feel like I've been playing well even though my scores haven't shown as good as I wanted to, but you can't stress that in this game," stated Pettersen, who has three top-10 finishes all season.

"You will go through ups and downs, and I wouldn't say I've been on a down, either, because I've been healthy, I've been feeling well and able to put in all the time and effort I feel is needed for my game. Maybe this can be a great turnaround."

Sjodin also started on the back nine and she had set a new course record before Pettersen beat her by one. Sjodin got on the board with a birdie on the 11th and came back with another on No. 13.

The Swede birdied 15 and 17 to move to minus-4. She parred three in a row around the turn.

Sjodin dropped in back-to-back birdie chances from the third. She birdied the sixth and again made it two in a row as she birdied the seventh. Sjodin parred the final two holes to end at minus-8.

"I was hitting the ball really solid, but maybe not very straight at all times. The birdies I made were long putts. I hit it close three times and missed all three," Sjodin admitted. "It seems to be a good idea to hit it far away and make long putts."

NOTES: Tseng, Soo-Jin Yang and Yeon-Ju Jung set the old course record of 65 last year...Pettersen also set the course record in Malaysia last week with her second-round 64...Players, caddies and rules officials all donned stickers to honor rules official Doug Brecht, who passed away last week due to complications from West Nile Virus.

©2012 Sports Network. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Park up to No. 5 in women's world rankings

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 15:47:35 -0400

Inbee Park rallied to win the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia on Sunday and that helped her move up to fifth in this week's women's world rankings.

Park and runner-up Na Yeon Choi both improved one spot in the rankings.

Yani Tseng remained No. 1 and was followed by Stacy Lewis and Choi. Shanshan Feng was bumped to fourth with Choi's move and Jiyai Shin slipped to No. 6 with Park up to five.

Ai Miyazato held steady at seven and was followed by Mika Miyazato, who is no relation. Mika improved one as Suzann Pettersen dipped a notch to ninth.

So Yeon Ryu stayed put at No. 10, while Paula Creamer improved two spaces to 11th. Creamer's move pushed Sun Ju Ahn and Amy Yang down to 12 and 13. Cristie Kerr remained No. 14 this week.

Karrie Webb, who finished third behind Park, moved up four to 15th this week. Azahara Munoz improved one to 16, while I.K. Kim and Angela Stanford were both down a pair to 17th and 18th.

Chie Arimura dipped one to 19th. Sun Young Yoo and Brittany Lincicome exchanged spots with Yoo moving to 20th and Lincicome dipping out of the top 20 to No. 21.

©2012 Sports Network. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Park overtakes Choi to win in Malaysia

Sun, 14 Oct 2012 07:15:08 -0400

Inbee Park fired a 4-under 67 on Sunday to win the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia.

Park recorded six birdies and a pair of bogeys to finish at 15-under 269 and secure her third career LPGA Tour win, while defending champion and third- round leader Na Yeon Choi carded a 71 to place second at 13-under.

"I'm very happy to win," said Park, who tied the 72-hole tournament record. "I played for the second time here, and it's the first time I've won twice in one year so I'm really proud of myself for that."

Choi, who was seeking her second tour win of the year, held or shared the lead through the first three rounds before tallying three birdies, a bogey and a double-bogey on Sunday to drop out of the top spot.

First-round co-leader Karrie Webb shot a 68 for the second straight day to finish in third place at 12-under, while Catriona Matthew (67) took fourth at 11-under.

So Yeon Ryu placed fifth at 10-under, Lindsey Wright and Paula Creamer tied for sixth at minus-9 and Jessica Korda sealed eighth place at 8-under with a final-round 64.

World No. 1 Yani Tseng, who finished one stroke behind Choi at this event in 2011, shot 71 on Sunday to tie for 49th place at 5-over. Tseng hasn't recorded a tour win since capturing the Kia Classic in March.

Top American and World No. 2 Stacy Lewis bounced back from a third-round 73 with a 68 on Sunday to end at 4-under -- good for a 19th-place tie, while Jiyai Shin, who was aiming for her third straight tour win, stumbled to a 75 to finish at 1-over 285.

Park, who also won the 2008 U.S. Women's Open and the 2012 Evian Masters, jumped ahead of Choi with a short tap-in on No. 14 -- her fourth birdie in five holes -- and survived consecutive bogeys on the 17th and 18th courtesy of Choi's double on No. 17.

"(Park) played well," said Choi, who didn't record a birdie on the outward nine. "She was nervous the last couple holes. She played well today."

NOTES: Park recorded her 10th consecutive top-10 finish. Her previous best at the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia was a tie for 46th in 2010 ... Choi won the U.S. Women's Open for her first major title in July ... Korda tied the tournament 18-hole record of 7-under 64 on Sunday ... Michelle Wie shot a final-round 68 and finished tied for 38th at 1-over.

©2012 Sports Network. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Choi 1 round closer to defending Malaysia title

Sat, 13 Oct 2012 09:40:30 -0400

Defending champion Na Yeon Choi shot a 3-under 68 on Saturday to retain the lead through three rounds of the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia.

Choi, who won the U.S. Women's Open for her first major title in July, endured a 4-hour weather delay and fired four birdies at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club to reach 13-under 200.

The South Korean has held or shared the lead through all three rounds and sits two strokes clear of Inbee Park, who tied the low round of the day Saturday with a 65.

"I think a lot of good players, they are behind me now," said Choi. "Actually, honestly, I don't like leading, that feeling. I like chasing better."

Karrie Webb, who was tied with Choi after the first round, carded a 68 on Saturday and resides alone in third place. The 37-time LPGA Tour winner recorded five birdies and a pair of bogeys to reach 9-under for the tournament.

Ai Miyazato also fired a third-round 68 and shares fourth place with Suzann Pettersen (70), who was one day removed from a tournament-record 64.

Paula Creamer, Catriona Matthew and Mika Miyazato are grouped in sixth place at 7-under 206.

World No. 1 Yani Tseng, who finished one stroke behind Choi at this event in 2011, had her best round of the week (68), but still sits at 5-over courtesy of a 78 and 72 in the first and second round, respectively.

Top American and World No. 2 Stacy Lewis sits at 1-under after recording a 73 on Saturday, while third-ranked Jiyai Shin is tied for 21st at 3-under. Shin is attempting to win her third consecutive event after capturing the Women's British Open and the Kingsmill Championship in her previous two tour appearances.

Choi dealt with the inclement weather ably and turned in a steady 18 holes to maintain the lead. The 24-year-old recorded birdies on the first, fifth, 12th and 16th, with her only misstep coming in the form of a bogey on the par-4 10th.

"Today, I think I played too much safely," said Choi. "So tomorrow I'm not going to think about my score, even 2-shot lead. I just go out there with a general score and play my game. I want to play lower than any day."

NOTES: Choi is seeking her second tour win of the year. She is attempting to become just the second player on the tour this season to successfully defend her title from a year ago. Tseng is the only other player to successfully defend her title this year...Michelle Wie shot a 70 on Saturday and is tied for 48th at 4-over 217.

©2012 Sports Network. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Choi keeps lead in Malaysia

Fri, 12 Oct 2012 06:34:04 -0400

Defending champion Na Yeon Choi shot a 4-under 67 on Friday to maintain the lead after two rounds of the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia.

Choi sits at 10-under for the tournament and holds a two-stroke lead over Sydnee Michaels, who fired a 65 on Friday to move into second place.

Suzann Petterson followed an opening-round 71 with a tournament-record 64 on the second day to move into a tie for third. Mika Miyazato, Lizette Salas and Momoko Ueda join Petterson at 7-under.

"My game has been feeling right there, but I haven't been able to fire on all cylinders at the same time," said Pettersen, who is seeking her first LPGA win of the year. "Today was nice to get a low round, back in the tournament, two more rounds to go."

Karrie Webb shot a 71 on Friday to slide from second to seventh place. The 37-time LPGA Tour victor is tied with Paula Creamer, Catriona Matthew, Lindsey Wright and Sun Young Yoo at 6-under 136.

World No. 1 Yani Tseng, who finished one stroke behind Choi at this event in 2011, resides near the bottom of the leaderboard after recording rounds of 78 and 72.

Top American and World No. 2 Stacy Lewis carded five birdies, a bogey and a double-bogey during a second-round 69 to sit a 3-under -- good for a 19th- place tie.

Tseng and Lewis are the only players with three tour wins in 2012.

Third-ranked Jiyai Shin, who is attempting to win her third consecutive event, is tied for 27th at 1-under after shooting 70 on Friday. The South Korean captured the Women's British Open and the Kingsmill Championship in her previous two tour appearances.

Michelle Wie is tied for 55th with rounds of 75 and 72 thus far.

Choi, who won the U.S. Women's Open for her first major title in July, started strong on Friday with four birdies on her first nine holes before settling for a pair of bogeys on her back nine.

The South Korea native is attempting to become just the second player on the tour this season to successfully defend her title from a year ago.

"I think I had a pretty good round today," said Choi. "I got two bogeys, but I think I'm still in pretty good position. I really like to play this golf course. I have a lot of confidence."

NOTES: Choi is seeking her second tour win of the year ... Tseng is the only other player to successfully defend her title this year. She captured her second straight win at the Honda LPGA Thailand in February ... The top 10 players in the world are in the field.

©2012 Sports Network. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Choi, Webb tied for lead in Malaysia

Thu, 11 Oct 2012 07:57:51 -0400

Defending champion Na Yeon Choi and Karrie Webb both shot a 6-under 65 on Thursday to share the lead after one round of the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia.

Choi, who won the U.S. Women's Open for her first major title in July, fired six birdies and endured a lightning delay during her bogey-free opening round at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club.

"The main thing is I know the course very well and I know I have ability to play well because I did last year," said Choi. "So I just try to think positively. I have lot of pressure, but I try to thrive off the pressure."

Webb, a 37-time LPGA Tour winner, also finished without a bogey on Thursday to secure a share of the lead.

Min Lee, Mika Miyazato and Sun Young Yoo are tied for third place at 5-under, while Hee Young Park and Hee-Won Han both shot 67 to share sixth.

"I hit my second shots very well on the back nine," said Miyazato, who recorded three top-10 finishes in majors this year. "The front nine was ok. I think my concentration was a lot better. I'm looking to really keep my rhythm this week."

World No. 1 Yani Tseng, who finished one stroke back of Choi at this event in 2011, is tied for 66th place after recording three double-bogeys during an opening-round 78.

Top American and World No. 2 Stacy Lewis fared better on Thursday with a 1- under 70 and resides in a large group tied for 24th.

Tseng and Lewis are the only players with three tour wins in 2012.

Third-ranked Jiyai Shin, who is attempting to win her third consecutive event, shot par. The South Korean captured the Ricoh Women's British Open and the Kingsmill Championship in her previous two tour appearances.

Also on Thursday, Michelle Wie opened with a 4-over 75 to sit in a group tied for 62nd place.

Choi was 4-under through eight holes and recorded another birdie on the 12th before lightning forced her to halt. After the delay, Choi birdied No. 14 to get to 6-under, then closed with four straight pars for her opening-round 65.

"I feel great," said Choi. "I'm very happy. We still have three more rounds, but I have a lot of confidence, especially with this golf course."

The Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia is the first of four events in the tour's Asian swing, which also features stops in South Korea, Taiwan and Japan.

NOTES: Choi is seeking her second tour win of the year...Seven players are tied for eighth place at 3-under...The top 10 players in the world are in the field.

©2012 Sports Network. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.