Date: February 11, 2007
Author:

Webb wins again

Karrie Webb has carded a final-round of 68 to secure her sixth Australian Ladies Masters title by two shots at Royal Pines Resort on the Gold Coast. Webb, who stormed to the equal lead with a third-round course record 62, extended her lead to four by the turn, and kept her nerve down the back nine to defeat playing partner Korean Ji Yai Shin. It is Webb&aposs second win in as many weeks on home soil, adding to her Australian Women&aposs Open success last week. But while she had dominated all week at Royal Sydney, it was only when she caught fire on Saturday that she looked a winning chance this time around. She finished with rounds of 71, 68, 62 and 68. Webb began her final round with a birdie, but when co-leader Michelle Ellis birdied the first and third, Webb trailed by one and was level with Shin. But three birdies in four holes from the fourth saw the Queenslander grab a two-shot lead. Ellis&apos double bogey on the eighth dropped her out of contention, before the world No.3 then took a firm hold on the trophy with an eagle on the ninth, which gave her a four-shot buffer rounding the turn. While she slipped up with a bogey on the tenth, Shin failed to take advantage, dropping a shot on the 11th. The two then matched scores right through to the 17th, with Webb bogeying the final two holes, but doing enough to continue her faultless start to 2007. American Cristie Kerr fired a faultless 68, with four birdies, to finish outright third, three shots behind Webb, and one behind Shin. Sun Ju Ahn, who had led after the first two rounds, could only make up two shots on the day, with her 70 earning her outright fourth. China&aposs Ya-Ni Tseng was fifth after she fired a best-of-day 66, with five birdies, an eagle and a 72nd hole bogey. Ellis, who finished the next best of the locals in sixth on 12-under, struggled with a 75, including her two double bogeys, which saw her drop down the leaderboard. Scotland&aposs Clare Queen fired a 68 to finish level with Ellis in sixth. Rachel Hetherington&aposs 72 was good enough for her to secure a share of eighth with four others on ten-under, Wales&apos Becky Brewerton (71), Italian Veronica Zorzi (69) and South Korea&aposs Young Ran Jo (67). Webb, Ellis and Hetherington were the only three Australians in the top 20. Final Scores at the ANZ Ladies Masters (par 72): -19: Karrie Webb (Aus) 71 68 62 68 -17: Ji Yai Shin 70 66 66 69 -16: Cristie Kerr 69 69 66 67 -14: Sun Ju Ahn 64 68 72 70 -13: Ya-Ni Tseng 71 69 69 66 -12: Clare Queen 69 69 70 67, Michelle Ellis (Aus) 67 66 68 75 -10: Veronica Zorzi 72 69 68 69, Rachel Hetherington 70 67 69 72, Rebecca Brewerton 66 73 68 71, Young Ran Jio 71, 69 71 67