(30 March, 2009 – Phoenix, Arizona)
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Australia&aposs Karrie Webb fired a final round 5-under par 67 to win the J Golf Phoenix LPGA International Presented by Mirassou Winery. She finished the final warm-up before the year&aposs first major at 14-under par total 274, two shots in front of Korea’s Jiyai Shin with second round leader In-Kyung Kim a further shot back in outright third. It is Webb&aposs first victory on the LPGA since the Mizuno Classic in Japan in November 2006. The win was the 36th of her LPGA career.
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rnThe final round started with Shin at 10-under par, holding a 1-shot lead over both Webb and Kim, and in good form after a nearly flawless third round 6-under par 66. However, it was to be Kim who got off to the best start making 5 birdies and 1 bogey in her first eight holes to make the turn in 4-under and in the lead at 13-under par total. Webb herself started brightly with birdies at the 3rd and 5th followed by an eagle at the par-5 6th hole. She would make the turn at 12-under par while Shin made just the solitary birdie to turn at 11-under.
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rnKim&aposs challenge faltered shortly after with a double bogey at the 10th hole, which Webb and Shin both birdied. Kim could only make eight straight pars to finish her round to eventually finish in outright third place at 11-under par. It was left to Webb and Shin to battle it out for the US$225,000 winner’s cheque, with Webb forging a 2-shot lead after another birdie at the 11th. This was a lead she wouldn’t give up as both players matched scores the whole way in, including a bogey each on the 15th hole. They walked to the par-5 18th with Webb still two in front on a hole that had given up its share of eagles, so it was not fait accompli for Webb. However, she only had a wedge in to the par-5 and duly completed the win with a birdie.
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rnResuming an ongoing battle with Shin that began back at the Women’s Australian Open at Kingston Heath in 2008, Webb now leads 2-1 when the two players have gone head-to-head in the final round. Their first battle saw one of the best finishes to a golf tournament ever seen in Australia, when Webb won the Open on the third hole of a playoff. Shin got one back when she pipped Webb in last year’s season-ending ADT Championship to collect the first prize of US$1million.
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rnAfter her round, a relieved and elated Webb said, “It&aposs very important. It means a lot to me. Winning on the LPGA against the best players in the world is obviously very important to me. You just sometimes wonder if, you know you have got the ability to do it, but you are just not putting the scores on the board that indicate that you can still do it”. She was then asked about whether she was being aggressive down the stretch or trying to protect, which replied, “Not playing along Jiyai. I knew that she – she hits the ball very well. She never misses a fairway, so I knew that she was going to have, you know, probably from 11 onwards eight birdie chances coming in. So, you know, it wasn&apost about playing defensively. One, two shots was really nothing”.
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rnLindsey Wright was the next best of the Australian’s finishing in a tie for 11th after rounds 72,72,70,69 to finish at 5-under par total 283. An eagle at her 72nd hole certainly helped her cause, propelling her up the leaderboard from a share for 21st into 11th. Wendy Doolan and Katherine Hull also made the cut finishing in ties for 31st and 45th respectively. Sarah-Jane Smith and Rachel Hetherington missed the cut while Michelle Ellis had to withdraw after the first round.
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rnThis week sees the first major with the US$2million Kraft Nabisco Championship being played Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California. Australia will be represented by Karrie Webb, Wendy Doolan, Rachel Hetherington, Katherine Hull, and Lindsey Wright.