(28 March, 2011 – Winter Haven, FL.)
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It seems that the emergence of Yani Tseng as the Rolex World No.1 has inspired her compatriots, with Taiwan&aposs Tzu-Chi Lin winning the season-opening Florida&aposs Natural Charity classic on the LPGA FUTURES Tour on Sunday. Lin fired a final round 3-under par 69 to take the title, one shot ahead of Florida’s Jackie Barenborg with California’s Tiffany Joh a further shot back in outright third.
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rnThe final round started with a packed leaderboard showing 16 players within four shots of Laura Nochta who started at 8-under par. Nochta, a rookie, playing in her first professional tournament couldn’t handle the nerves and posted regular bogeys to post a final round of 4-over par 76 and slip to a tie for 10th. From there it was left to Lin, Barenborg and Joh to fight it out.
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rnLin and Barenborg both started the day at 7-under par and it was the local, Barenborg who made the early running on the front nine. By the time they made the turn she had opened up a two shot buffer after moving to 8-under par. It was a far cry from her first year on tour in 2010 when she made only 3 of 15 cuts to finish 143rd on the Money List. However, she opened the door to Lin with a bogey at the 10th from which the young Taiwanese golfer seized the opportunity reeling off four straight birdies from the 11th hole.
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rnBarenborg didn’t buckle under the pressure, notching back-to-back birdies of her own on the 12th and 13th holes to keep pace with Lin. By the time they walked off the 14th green, Lin held a one shot lead. They both made bogey at the 15th which Joh had also done in the group ahead, effectively ending her chances as she slipped two behind.
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rnThe title was still up for grabs after Barenborg made birdie at the 16th to move into a share of the lead with two holes to play and it looked the like the momentum had swung the American’s way. Both players made a par at the 17th before moving to the 447 yard par-5 18th that had seen plenty of birdies throughout the day.
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rnIt was Lin who took the opportunity best, making birdie at the final hole to complete her first win in three years on the LPGA’s developmental tour. It was however a nerve-wracking way to finish after Lin’s eagle attempt slid 4-feet past the hole before watching Barenborg two-putt for par. She then made the come-backer for the win and later said, “I was nervous on that last putt. I took a big breath and watched the ball go straight in the hole. It felt so good.”
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rnLin’s previous best finish was a tie for 3rd at the 2010 Tate & Lyle Players Championship. Lin, who played in the same National amateur team as Tseng was excited about leaving her friend a message on Facebook saying, “I’ll tell her I did it! I’ll tell her I won my first professional tournament.”
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rnThere were four ALPG Members in the field with Stephanie Na faring the best, finishing in a tie for 15th after rounds of 70,74 and 70, 2-under par. Cathryn Bristow was the next best in a tie for 46th at 3-over par while Alison Whitaker tied for 60th three strokes further back. Leanne Bowditch unfortunately missed the cut.
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