(29 August 2011 – Mirabel, Quebec, Canada)
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Big-hitting American Brittany Lincicome fired a two-under-par 70 on Sunday to win the CN Canadian Women’s Open, capturing her second victory of the year and the fifth of her career. She finished one stroke ahead of compatriots Stacy Lewis and Michelle Wie, with two more Americans, Angela Stanford and Cristie Kerr, rounding out the Top-5. All five players will be in the thick of the action representing the USA when they take on the Europeans next month in Ireland.
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Since joining the tour in 2005, Lincicome had never won more than one title in a season, but doubled up this year, having also won the ShopRite LPGA Classic in June. Commenting on this fact she said, “I’m growing as a golfer, I guess.”
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The $337,000 top prize also pushed Lincicome beyond $4 million in career LPGA earnings and sent her to 5th on the current season’s money list.
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The final round of the $2.25 million event began with morning threesomes and organisers started early to complete play ahead of the approaching remnants of the storm that had been Hurricane Irene.
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Lincicome started the day one stroke behind Wie, Japan’s Ai Miyazato and U.S. rookie Tiffany Joh but quickly charged to the top as the co-leaders faded in windy and rainy conditions. She opened with a birdie at the par-five first and followed up with birdies at the fifth and seventh holes to grab a two-stroke lead which she maintained until the turn.
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Lincicome stumbled with a bogey at the par-four 12th, for her lead to drop to one shot over Kerr and Lewis, who were both ahead of her on the course.
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Lewis reached the clubhouse at 12-under 276 after a superb final round of 67, posting the score to beat with Lincicome leading by a stroke but with five holes remaining.
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Kerr, who opened with a birdie but took a bogey at the second, began the back nine with back-to-back birdies to put herself in the title hunt and birdied the par-five 14th to match Lincicome for the lead.
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Wie, who opened with a birdie but stumbled back with bogeys at the third and ninth holes, birdied the 13th and par-three 15th to move to within a stroke of the lead. But a bogey at the 16th dropped Wie one back and Kerr stumbled in with bogeys at 16 and 17 to finish on 277, leaving Lincicome alone at the top.
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Lincicome parred the final five holes to reach the clubhouse at 13-under but by no means did it easy, having to get up-and-down from 40 yards on the 18th to stay at that number. Wie needed a birdie on the last to force a play-off but instead had to settle for a par.
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After her round Lincicome commented, “I won in June of this year, and that&aposs all I was talking about. It would really be great to win twice in one season because I haven&apost done that before. To win this event, I felt good coming into the week, but not super great or anything. You just never know with golf. It was cool to finally check that off my list of things to do, I guess. Beginning of the year was Solheim Cup, and then I locked that up, and then Atlantic City and then now here. I&aposve been very blessed this year, and hopefully it will keep going.”
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It was not the best week for the Australians with just Karrie Webb (T45) and Lindsey Wright (T59) making the cut and neither player getting much going at any stage throughout the week.
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