Japan’s Ai Miyazato won the US$1.3 million HSBC Women’s Champions tournament in Singapore yesterday to continue her sparkling start to the USLPGA season with a second straight title. Miyazato, the joint overnight leader with Juli Inkster of the US, posted a 69 for a 10-under total of 278 for the tournament and took home the winner’s check of US$195,000.
It was a topsy-turvy ride to the title as the Japanese star bogeyed the first and second holes, before finding her range with birdies at the fourth, fifth and ninth holes on the front nine. On the back nine, she bogeyed the 10th hole, but followed it up with three straight birdies to briefly take a one-shot lead over a pack of contenders. Miyazato’s win in Singapore capped a fine start for the 24-year-old who won the season opener in Thailand last week.
“Well, I was really calm this morning, but you know, sometimes like when you play calm, it’s not going to happen,” Miyazato said. “So I stepped back after my bogeys [on] the first two holes and I didn’t really control myself after that. So it was really a long day … So it was tough, but I’m just happy to win.” On how she held her nerve to make three straight birdies on the back nine, Miyazato said: “I’m just trying to concentrate on the moment on my stroke, and I also focus on trying to keep a low center of gravity.”
A crucial birdie putt at the 16th hole gave Miyazato the lead again as she went 10-under and Cristie Kerr of the US bogeyed the 17th to drop to nine-under. Kerr, who had been solid all day, threatened, but saw her chance of lifting the trophy slip away when she bogeyed the 17th and 18th to finish two shots behind the winner at eight-under for a total of 280. “For sure, I played my heart out today,” Kerr said. “Seventeen was tough, but you know, I kind of just kept the bad momentum going and just kind of made a bad decision. You live and learn, I guess.”
Kerr, ranked sixth in the world, said she was keeping her chin up, despite coming so near to winning the title only to falter in the final moments. “You know, in contention, beginning of the year, I’ve got to take that away,” Kerr said. “It’s a disappointing finish, but I still have to keep my head high.” Defending champion and world No. 2 Shin Ji-yai of South Korea put up a valiant fight for her title defense, with five birdies to finish at seven-under 281.
She finished tied in third spot with Taiwan’s Yani Tseng (69), South Korea’s Kim Song-hee (67) and Norway’s Suzann Pettersen (69). Taiwan’s Candie Kung shot a 73 to finish tied for 38th spot on four-over, while Teresa Lu carded a 74 to finish tied for 45th spot two shots further back. Inkster finished tied for ninth as she carded a two-over 74, with six bogeys in the final round. World No. 1 Lorena Ochoa was never in contention after a disastrous second round. She finished tied for 38th spot with a 72.
