Date: June 09, 2008
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Tseng clinches title in playoff

Teenage LPGA Tour rookie Yani Tseng birdied the fourth hole of a sudden-death play-off against Maria Hjorth to win the women&aposs major, the McDonald&aposs Championship in Maryland on Sunday. Lorena Ochoa and Annika Sorenstam, the top two players in the world, tied for third place – one outside the play-off on 11 under par, after matching final rounds of 71. 19-year-old Tseng, from Taiwan – who already had two second places in her first season on the US circuit – shot a final-round 68 to post a 12-under-par 276 total. After the first three holes of sudden-death had been halved in par, Tseng made a six-foot putt for birdie at the par-four 18th to become the first rookie to win a women&aposs major since South Korea&aposs Se Ri Pak took the same championship 10 years ago. Hjorth, tied for second behind Ochoa in last year&aposs Women&aposs British Open at St Andrews, was one ahead with three to play after back-to-back birdies at 15 and 16. But she missed the green at the 17th and could only par the last. World number one Ochoa, a six-time winner on the LPGA this season, made a brave bid for a third major in a row. “It&aposs disappointing,” admitted the Mexican. “But I gave it my best, and I was proud of the way I made the two late birdies. It&aposs still a great year.” For Tseng, it was a dream come true. “To win my first LPGA title, and a major, is almost unbelievable,” she said. Final Round Scores from the McDonald&aposs LPGA Championship -12: Yani Tseng 73 70 65 68, Maria Hjorth 68 72 65 71 -11: Lorena Ochoa 69 65 72 71, Annika Sorenstam 70 68 68 71 5. Laura Diaz 71 68 69 70 -10: Morgan Pressel 73 69 70 68 -8: Shi Hyun Ahn 73 69 69 69, Kelli Kuehne 69 70 71 70, Irene Cho 72 68 69 71 -7: Seon Hwa Lee 73 71 70 67, Mi Hyun Kim 72 70 71 68, Paula Creamer 71 70 71 69, Cristie Kerr 71 70 71 69, Candie Kung 70 72 70 69 Nicole Castrale 68 72 71 70, Giulia Sergas 71 71 69 70, Jimin Jeong 73 68 69 71 -6: Jill McGill 72 70 72 68, Jeong Jang -72 72 68 70, Na Yeon Choi 75 67 69 71