(28 February 2011 – Singapore)
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Australia&aposs Karrie Webb secured her 37th LPGA title yesterday with victory at the HSBC Women&aposs Champions in Singapore. Webb came from three shots behind with eight holes to play to prevail by one shot over Japan’s Chie Arimura with World No.1 Yani Tseng a further two shots back in outright third.
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rnArimura had led the tournament from the first round after opening with a 4-under par 68, to which she added a 6-under par 66 in the second round. Meanwhile, Webb had kept pace with rounds of 70 and 66 to be two shots off the pace heading into the weekend. She picked up a shot on the young Japanese player in the third round to be one shot off the lead heading into the final round. There was daylight between Webb and third placed Tseng who was a massive six shots off the pace and five behind Webb with one round to play.
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rnWith nothing to lose and playing in the final group in her chase for five straight titles to start the year, Tseng began her pursuit of the leaders with a birdie on the 2nd hole to be five behind. When Arimura made bogey at the 5th hole to Tseng’s birdie, the lead was only three, which 
soon enough turned into a one shot buffer when Tseng made birdies at both the 6th and 7th holes. By this stage it was a race in three with no other players making any sort of a charge.
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rnAll three players made birdies at the 9th hole to leave Arimura at 11-under par and Webb and Tseng at 10-under. Arimura moved quickly to a 3-shot lead after both of her playing partners made bogeys at the 10th while she notched her second birdie of the day at the same hole.
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rnThe relative comfort of a 3-shot lead was short-lived for Arimura as Webb began a stretch of four birdies in a row at the next hole; a hole that Arimura made bogey to reduce the lead to one. Webb’s birdie on the 12th saw her join the lead while Tseng made another bogey to fall three behind. By the time they walked off the 14th green, Webb’s four birdies saw her two shots in front but this was short-lived as she made bogey at 15. Tseng was now out of it, three behind with three to play.
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rnAll three players made birdie at the 16th before parring in to leave Webb with a one-shot victory. After her round, Webb said, “I feel great to be sitting here. It’s definitely a world class event and you have the best players in the world here. For me personally, to win this event, to win this early in the year, I really hope it sets things up for a great run.”
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rnThe win moves Webb to second on the 2011 Official Money List after placing third in the first event of the year in Thailand. She now has $300,294 in season earnings and also crossed the US$16million mark with the $210,000 winner’s cheque, to sit second on the all-time career money list with only Sweden’s Annika Sorenstam in front of her, albeit a distant $6million in front of Webb.
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rnOf the other Australians in the field, Katherine Hull finished in a tie for 21st at 2-over par while Lindsey Wright was just a shot further back at 3-over in a tie for 24th.