[서울=뉴스핌] Reporter Kim Yong-seok = ‘LPGA Rookie’ Anna Lin took third solo, while Thailand’s 19-year-old Ataya Titikul won her first championship.
| After winning two victories on the European Tour last season, Titicul took the honor of winning the LPGA for the first time in their career. Titi Cool won three awards, including the European Golf Tour Rookie of the Year award last year. [사진= 뉴스핌 DB] |
Anna Lin (26, Medihill) competed in the 4th round of the JTBC Classic (total prize money of $1.5 million) of the US Women’s Professional Golf (LPGA) Tour held at Aviara Golf Club (par 72) in Carlsbad, California on the 28th (Korean time). He recorded 5 birdies and 1 bogey, finishing third with a final total of 15 under par 273.
The final championship was won by 19-year-old Ataya Titikul (Thailand).
Titikul, who entered overtime with Nana Koersz Masen (Denmark) with a 16-under 272 shot, experienced the joy of winning the first championship in her career. In the first leg of overtime at the 18th (par 4) hole, a birdie putt about 2m away slightly missed, so it all went to par, and the second overtime started. But Masen’s mistakes continued. After a mistake on the tee shot, he dropped the ball into the pond. Titikul won the championship without a hitch. On the other hand, Masen, who had his first win in his career after overtime in the previous competition, missed his second chance to win in a row.
Annalin postponed the joy of her first summit to the next. After finishing third by one stroke, Anna Lin made her first Top 10 entry of the season. Debuting on the Korean Women’s Professional Golf (KLPGA) tour in 2014 and winning two career victories, she passed the Q series as a senior in December 2021 and obtained the LPGA season pass in 2022.
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| Anna Lin took 3rd place with the best performance. [사진= LPGA] |
Annalin, who jumped to second place at 11-under the previous day, made three birdies in the first half of the day alone (par 3 3, par 5 5, par 4 9) and then caught two birdies in a row on the 10th hole of the par 5, the first hole in the second half. It was reduced by four strokes, chasing leader Masen by one stroke.
Thailand’s Titi Kul showed good performances throughout the regular round. He cut seven shots by the middle of the second half with six birdies and one bogey. After that, he finished the game first after taking the lead (16-under) with two consecutive birdies on the 17th hole. With 9 birdies and 1 bogey, he made an 8-under par and achieved the best performance among the players on the final day, and even won the championship.
Annalin faced lead Masen on the 16th hole. Anna Lin, who narrowed the distance from the cup to less than 15cm on this hole (par 4), who she eagled the day before, added a birdie and joined the group of three co-leaders. However, while Masen, who made a mistake on the tee shot, made a birdie, Anna Lin made a triple bogey, widening the gap. Here, Masen bogeyed on the 18th hole, and the game went into overtime.
Jinyoung Ko, who took the lead on the first day and inflated expectations for a three-game winning streak, finished tied for 4th (14-under). Jinyoung Ko, who exchanged a birdie and one bogey in the first half, added a birdie on the 12th hole in the second half, caught an eagle on the 16th hole, and then cut one more shot on the 17th hole, reducing four strokes on the last day.
Defending champion Inbee Park also reduced 4 strokes to 5 birdies and 1 bogey, placing her in a tie for 8th (11 under), Heeyoung Yang in 10th with 10 under, and Nayeon Choi and Inji Jeon in a tie for 9th with Lydia Ko.
Hyojoo Kim tied for 23rd (7 under par), Hyejin Choi and Heejeong Lim tied for 32nd (6 under par), Jungeun Lee 5th tied for 38th (5 under par), and Jeongeun Lee 6th tied for 59th (2 under par).