(2 April 2012 – Rancho Mirage, California)
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For much of the final round, it looked like the tournament nobody wanted to win. Eventually South Korea&aposs Sun Young Yoo claimed her first major tournament with a playoff victory over compatriot I.K Kim. Both players completed final rounds of 3-under par 69 to finish at 9-under par, one shot ahead of Rolex World No.1, Yani Tseng who needed a birdie at the last hole to join the playoff.
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rnHeading into the final round, Tseng and Sweden’s Karin Sjodin held a two-shot lead over Haeji Kang. From the outset it looked to be Sjodin’s tournament for the taking while the demons of 2010 returned for Tseng. After being run down by Stacy Lewis last year, Tseng got off to a poor start with a bogey at the first, whilst Sjodin opened a three shot gap with an eagle at the second hole.
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rnTseng proceeded to make two more bogeys on the front nine to while the Swede faltered under the pressure of leading a major and dropped two shots late in her front nine. This brought a host of players back into the contest with Hee Kyung Seo, Se Ri Pak and Na Yeon Choi all in with a good chance at certain stages of the final round. Seo was certainly the best chance, at one stage leading by three shots after posting five birdies and no bogeys in her opening 12 holes. However, she would go on to post four straight bogeys over the last four holes to fall two shots short of the playoff.
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rnIn the background were both Yoo and Kim doing their thing almost unnoticed. Yoo made the turn at 6-under par while Kim was 7-under. Seeing all the players faltering around them must have spurred them on somewhat; Yoo making the first move with birdies at the 11th, 12th and 15th holes to get it to 9-under. Kim followed suit with birdies at 14, 16 and 17 to take the outright lead at 10-under par. She had the chance to wrap it up on the 18th but could only make bogey to fall back into a clubhouse lead with Yoo.
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rnBoth players had to sit and watch while Tseng made her customary comeback. She made birdie at the par-3 17th hole to require a birdie to join the playoff. In an attempt to win her third straight tournament, she could only manage par and would not contest the playoff.
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rnThe playoff went the way of Yoo with a birdie 4 at the 18th hole to Kim’s par and the LPGA has another major winner. Before this week, Yoo was ranked number 37 on the Rolex World Rankings. Her only other tournament victory was the 2010 Sybase Match Play Championship. She was obviously in good form however after finishing second to Tseng in the Kia Classic the week prior.
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rnKarrie Webb was the best of the Australians finishing in a tie for 15th at 4-under par. She was followed by Katherine Hull in a tie for 20th with Lindsey Wright (T43) and Sarah Kemp (T66) also making the cut in the year’s first major.
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