(8 November 2010 – Shima-Shi, Mie Prefecture, Japan)
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South Korean World No.1 Jiyai Shin confirmed her place at the top of the Rolex World Rankings with a stirring victory at the Mizuno Classic in Japan. A final round of 5-under par 67 was enough to hold out World No. 6 Yani Tseng by two shots while America’s Stacy Lewis finished in outright third just a further shot back.
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rnWith the tournament having been played in perfect benign conditions from the outset, the scoring was low with Shin and Japan’s Yukari Baba setting the standard in the first round, both firing 7-under par 65. Baba couldn’t match her first day efforts, shooting even par in the second round but it was the likable Shin who forged a two-shot lead heading into the final round after a bogey-free second round of 6-under 
par 66 to be 13-under for the tournament.
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rnLewis fired the low-round of the tournament in the second round, an 8-under par round of 64 which moved her into outright second heading into the final day, two shots off the pace. Tseng was just one shot behind Lewis after a second round of 7-under par 65 moved her to 10-under for the tournament.
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rnSo, the scene was set for an enthralling final day with Shin and Tseng expected to battle it out for the $180,000 winner’s cheque. That was certainly the way it turned out but Lewis was never far from the leaders, posting a bogey-free round of 68 to finish third. The young American, in her second full year on Tour and still looking for her maiden victory just didn’t have the firepower to match her two more seasoned campaigners but her time will come, evidenced by her consistency this year which sees her sit 19th on the money list.
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rnBoth Shin and Tseng made a birdie at the par-5 1st hole, backed it up with another on the fourth while Tseng added a third birdie at the 5th hole to reduce the lead to just two. Both players added birdies at the 7th hole and by the time they made the turn Shin still held a two-shot advantage. That advantage would soon dissipate as Tseng notched back-to-back birdies immediately after the turn, joining Shin tied for the lead at 16-under par with seven holes to play.
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rnShin later commented, “On the 11th hole she made a birdie and we were tied. So I was really, really nervous and we still had more par-5’s and she is a long-hitter. I was worried about the long par-5’s where she can make easy birdies.” However, it didn’t turn out that way, in fact the exact opposite, with Shin going back into the lead with a birdie at the par-5 13th and adding another birdie at the par-5 16th. Tseng made mistakes on both holes and could only manage pars leaving Shin with a two-shot cushion with two holes to play. Both players made regulation pars on both holes and the title was Shin’s for the second time after winning the same event as a non-LPGA member in 2008.
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rnAfter victory she said, “This morning my feel was a little bit rushed, because I won at the Evian and the last couple of months I didn’t win. I have had a lot of chances but I didn’t win. I am waiting all the time for the win. So this morning I felt pressure. It feels good to win.”
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rnIn an amazing statistic, the last group of Shin, Tseng and Lewis played the final round bogey-free, posting 15 birdies between them. It was an important victory for Shin, who is looking to win back-to-back money list titles. She is now less than $4,000 behind Na Yeon Choi with two events remaining. Shin’s win is another feather in the cap for her Wollongong-based coach Steve McRae who is on somewhat of a roll with players from his stable winning three of the last five events, with Katherine Hull and Beatriz Recari winning in consecutive weeks in early October.
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rnKatherine Hull and Karrie Webb played well enough to both finish in a tie for 14th at 8-under par. While Hull continued her consistent play of late with rounds of 68, 71 and 69, Webb came home with a rush, posting a bogey-free final round of 7-under par 65. She was in fact 7-under through 11 holes but failed to add any further birdies on the remaining 7 holes. Both Hull and Webb will be the only ALPG Members in the 36-woman field at this week’s Lorena Ochoa Invitational in Guadalajara.