(6 June 2011 – Galloway, New Jersey)
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This morning, America&aposs Brittany Lincicome won the ShopRite LPGA Classic with an impressive up-and-down for birdie from the thick grass on the 18th hole. A final round of 5-under par 66 was good enough for a one-shot win over Rolex Rankings No. 3 Jiyai Shin and No. 4 Cristie Kerr.
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rnWith former LPGA Tour member A.J. Eathorne on her bag, Lincicome started the day two shots behind second-round leader Kerr and carded an eagle on the third hole to move into a day-long fight for the top spot on the leaderboard.
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rnKerr started the day with birdies at three, five and six, but faltered with bogeys at seven and eight, opening the door for Lincicome and Shin. Shin posted the clubhouse lead at 10-under-par with Lincicome on the 18th fairway. Lincicome then hit her second shot to the par-5 into the tall grass left of the 18th green, but managed to chip out to five-feet and sink the birdie putt.
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rnMeanwhile, Kerr had left herself an 80-foot eagle try but came up short, tapping in for birdie and a share of second at 10-under.
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rnLincicome played her final 38 holes bogey-free dating back to the 16th hole on Friday where she made double bogey. Afterwards, she said, “When I got to 18 green and Jiyai Shin was 10-under, and I&aposm like, oh, crap. So I&aposm in the weeds, like in the bushes, tied for the lead, and I&aposm like, oh, gosh, this is not where you want to be. But clearly, again, it was just my day. I mean that chip shot I could go out and hit a whole bucket of balls and not get it within five feet like I just did. So that putt and chip were equally as hard and I was shaking like a leaf.”
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rnIt was her first win since 2009 and when asked about that she said, “It feels great. It&aposs like you said, since &apos09. You don&apost know if you&aposre ever going to win again or if you&aposll ever have your time. So it feels fantastic. It&aposs a wonderful tournament. The people do a fantastic job here.”
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rnKerr’s bid for a 15th LPGA victory fell one shot short on Sunday, but she added another runner-up finish to her impressive play this season. Just two weeks ago, Kerr lost to Suzann Pettersen in the finals of the Sybase Match Play Championship. She has five top-10 finishes in eight tournaments played this season.
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rnOf the Australian contingent, Karrie Webb finished in a tie for 8th after a final round of 6-under par 65, while Katherine Hull (T20) and Lindsey Wright (T33) also made the cut.