(9 August 2010 – Harrisburg, Pennsylvania)
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Dori Carter from Valdosta in Georgia fired a third straight round of 4-under par 68 to claim her maiden professional victory at the Pennsylvania Classic. Her victory was one shot over Michigan’s Jennifer Song and South Africa’s Melissa Eaton-Jackson.
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rnCarter entered the final round at 8-under par, one shot shy of both Song and Eaton-Jackson but quickly found herself five shots off the pace through 7 holes. Song had made a fast start with birdies at the 1st, 2nd and 4th holes, while Carter made three bogeys and a birdie. Eaton-Jackson made a birdie at the 1st but played par golf for the rest of the front nine. Carter, seemingly out of it, bounced back with three birdies in a row from the 8th hole to get back with two shots. Song stretched the lead again with a birdie at the 12th to move to 12-under and holding a two shot lead over the South African and three over Carter.
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rnCarter picked up a shot at the 13th to trail by two but the real drama came on the 15th hole where Song found both a hazard and out-of-bounds to record a double-bogey while Carter made birdie. The three-shot swing saw Carter in the outright lead at 11-under for the first time in the tournament. Her work wasn’t over yet as both song and Eaton-Jackson both made clutch birdies at the 16th, meaning there was a three-way tie for the lead and a playoff seemed likely.
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rnCarter, who had played holes 8 through 16 in 5-under wasn’t about to let this one slip and added another birdie at the 17th to regain the lead. None of the three could make a birdie at the 18th and the title was Carter’s. She reflected on the round and the 15th as the crunch hole, saying, “Fifteen shocked me, I thought &aposOk, big swing change.&apos I hit my shot onto the green then Jennifer had to take a drop. I thought she&aposd be fine but then she went out-of-bounds. I knew then it was mine to take if I wanted it.” The US$15,400 winner’s cheque moves her up to 14th position on the Money List and within striking distance of an LPGA card for 2010 if she can finish well in the remaining two tournaments.
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rnStephanie Na was the best of the ALPG Members, finishing in a tie for 26th at 1-under par. Rachel Bailey (T40) also made the cut finishing at 2-over par.
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Photo courtesy of Duramed FUTURES Tour.
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