GOLF DIGEST:BRITISH WOMEN'S OPEN: YANI TSENG showed why she is the dominant force in the women's game by earning a four-stroke victory at the Women's British Open at Carnoustie yesterday.
Tseng (22), from Chinese Taipei, became the youngest player in history, male or female, to win five major championships. Tiger Woods was 24 when he won the fifth of his 14 majors at the 2000 PGA Championship.
Tseng trailed by two shots going into the final round but put together a three-under-par 69 to end 16 under, ahead of American Brittany Lang.
Tseng collected six birdies and three bogeys on a cold and windy final day at Carnoustie, which was staging the championship for the first time.
With her win, she made it four victories from eight appearances in majors over the past two years and she also became only the third woman to successfully defend the title she won at Royal Birkdale.
“It feels really good. I played so consistently today and I enjoyed the crowd here,” said Tseng, who earned a first prize of €272,365.
Lang fired a 67 to finish second, while a huge roar went up around the 18th green as Swede Sophie Gustafson made a final-hole birdie for a 68 and outright third place.
Korean Amy Yang ended 10 under in fourth, while Scotland’s Catriona Matthew, the 2009 champion, was 11 under but double bogeyed the 18th to fall back to nine under par in a share of fifth with the third round leader Caroline Masson of Germany.
Masson struggled on the greens and carded six bogeys and a double, but closed with two birdies for a 78, 10 strokes worse than her score the previous day. However, with her winnings of €71,546.79, Masson moved to second on the money list behind Evian champion Ai Miyazato.
Other Europeans who finished inside the top 20 and earned Solheim Cup points were Anna Nordqvist in equal seventh place, Dewi-Claire Schreefel, who tied for 11th and Maria Hjorth, who finished in 13th place.
WOMEN’S BRITISH OPEN
at Carnoustie GC, Scotland
Leading final scores(US unless stated, par 72): 272– Yani Tseng (Tai) 71 66 66 69 276– Brittany Lang 70 70 69 67 277– Sophie Gustafson (Swe) 68 71 70 68 278– Amy Yang (Kor) 68 70 73 67 279– Catriona Matthew (Sco) 70 69 68 72, Caroline Masson (Ger) 68 65 68 78 280– Anna Nordqvist (Swe) 70 71 69 70, Na Yeon Choi (Kor) 69 67 72 72, Sun Young Yoo (Kor) 71 70 69 70, Inbee Park (Kor) 70 64 73 73 281– Dewi Claire Schreefel 70 66 74 71, Stacy Lewis 74 68 71 68 282– Maria Hjorth (Swe) 72 69 73 68 283– Mika Miyazato (Jpn) 69 69 72 73, Sun Ju Ahn (Kor) 71 71 70 71, Se Ri Pak (Kor) 72 64 73 74, Cristie Kerr 72 69 74 68, Song-Hee Kim (Kor) 69 72 71 71, Candie Kung (Tai) 72 73 69 69, Katie Futcher 71 74 74 64 284.
US TOUR: Bob Estes took the clubhouse lead in the final round of the US PGA Tour Greenbrier Classic as overnight leader Anthony Kim fell down the leaderboard.
American Estes carded a six-under-par 64, with six birdies in total, including the last two holes to set the mark on 10 under, one clear of Argentina’s Andres Romero and South Africa’s Brendon de Jonge.
Kim bogeyed the eight and ninth and also dropped a shot on the 13th to slip down the field.
