(22 November 2010 – Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture, Japan)
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Na-Ri Kim of South Korea used her third consecutive round in the 60&aposs, the only player in the event to do so, to win the Daio Paper Elleair Ladies Open by one stroke over second round co-leader Yukari Baba. Fellow Korean Mi-Jeong Jeon finished outright third while Australia’s Tamie Durdin surrendered her overnight lead to finish in a tie for 4th.
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rnIn what looked like a battle in five, Durdin and Baba headed the field into the final round at 10-under par. Japan’s Ayako Uehara was next on 9-under par with Jeon (-8) and Kim (-7) hot on the heels of the leaders. Durdin stuttered at the start with a bogey on the 2nd hole while Baba made a better start with four pars and a birdie in her first five holes. However, she would double-bogey the 6th hole and need a birdie at the 8th to get back to square for the day.
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rnDurdin returned to even par with a birdie at the 9th hole but by that stage, both Jeon and Kim had joined the leaders at 10-under with front nine’s of 2-under and 3-under respectively. By the 12th hole, it was Durdin and Kim who had taken a one-shot advantage over the others before Kim surged into the lead with her 7th birdie of the day at the 14th hole. Unfortunately for Durdin, the pressure proved too much as she made bogeys at both the 15th and 16th holes to effectively relieve herself of any chance at victory. She bounced back with a birdie at the 17th, finishing with a round of 72 and a tie for 4th with Uehara.
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rnKim picked up another birdie at the 17th to move to 13-under and two shot lead over playing partner Jeon. Two birdies by Baba on the last two holes weren’t enough to catch Kim; consigning Baba to her 9th Top-3of the season but is still yet to post a victory. In the end it was 25-year old Kim’s day, posting her maiden win in her rookie season on the LPGA of Japan. She moved up to 10th on the Money List after collecting her ¥18,000,000 winner’s cheque.
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rnTamie Durdin was again the best of the Australian’s in her tie for 4th but will be ruing letting another chance slip by on the last day. Both Susie Mathews and Nikki Campbell finished at 2-under par in a tie for 28th. With one event remaining, Campbell sits in 13th position on the Money List needing a Top-3 finish in the season-ending LPGA Tour Championship to equal her best Money List finish of last year when she finished 10th.