(18 October 2010 – Chiba, Chiba Prefecture, Japan)
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South Korea&aposs Sun-Ju Ahn notched back-to-back victories with her fourth win of the season at the Fujitsu Ladies overnight. The margin of victory for the current Rolex World No. 12 was an emphatic seven shots which was set up by a second round of 10-under par 62. She posted a final round of 2-under par 70 to finish at 19-under par total 197. In outright second place was Rolex No.3 Jiyai Shin with Japan’s Yukari Baba and Chie Arimura tied for third one shot behind Shin.
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rnHeading into the final day, it was just a question of “by how many” for Ahn. The current leader of the money list stretched her lead to ten shots at one stage during the final round after reeling off four birdies in five holes from the 7th hole. In the end she could afford two bogeys, just her second and her third for the tournament, at the 14th and 18th holes reducing the margin to seven.
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The battle was really for second place with Shin coming out on top after finishing her round with three straight birdies to leapfrog Baba and Arimura. It was the fifth time in ten starts that Baba has finished third. However, the tournament was all about Ahn, who led from start to finish after an opening round of 7-under par 65. By the time she posted her tenth birdie of the day on Saturday, the tournament was virtually over and allowed her to just go through the motions on the final day.
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rnThe win will virtually ensure Ahn tops the end of year money list with just six tournaments remaining. Presently she has a total of ¥124,153,500 (approx. AUD$1,537,010), a whopping ¥53,889,401 (approx. AUD$667,146) in front of her nearest rival, Sakura Yokomine. Her latest win should also see her rise in the Rolex World Rankings, possibly displacing Paula Creamer in the World Top-10.
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rnNikki Campbell was the only Australian to make the cut, putting up a solid defence of the title she won last year, finishing in a tie for 8th at 8-under par total 208. She remains in 11th place on the Money List with ¥52,198,475 (approx. AUD$646,213) in season earnings.
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Photos courtesy of LPGA of Japan.