Playoff putt puts Park back on top of world
Sung Hyun Park blew one chance to jump back on top of the world Sunday.
The South Korean star made sure it didn’t happen again.
After missing a short birdie putt on the final hole of regulation and leaving the door open for Lizette Salas, Park made a 15-foot birdie putt on the first hole of a playoff to win the Indy Women in Tech Championship and reclaim the No. 1 spot.
“I’m very honoured to be ranked No. 1 and I hope to maintain that ranking for a long time,” she said through an interpreter after shooting a four-round total of 23-under 265. “I will try my best.”
The 24-year-old South Korean held top spot for one week last November.
She became the second threetime winner on tour this season and now has won five LPGA Tour titles over the past two years — including two majors.
And aside from a rare mis-hit, which led to a double bogey on Saturday, Park played the Brickyard Crossing Golf Course almost flawlessly.
Leading the Canadians was Brooke Henderson, who finished at 270 to sit 18-under, five strokes back.
Anne-Catherine Tanguay was 12 strokes back, while Alena Sharp trailed by 15, and Maude-Aimee Leblanc was 22 shots behind.
Park opened with a 68 on Thursday, followed with a 63 on Friday and started in the next-to-last paring after settling for 66 on Saturday.
After finishing, Park was whisked away to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s finish line, where she celebrated by kissing the bricks and taking the traditional sip of milk — though she declined to take the milk bath as the event’s inaugural winner, Lexi Thompson, did last year.
Salas’ fifth career runner-up finish might have been the most frustrating.
After finishing tied for fifth in last year’s 54-hole tournament here with three sub-par rounds, she opened this year’s event with a course record-tying 62 on Thursday.
She then had rounds of 69 and 64 and 69 and stayed atop the leaderboard through every hole Sunday — until Park’s final putt.
“I stuck with my game plan and a couple of putts could have dropped,” she said. “But you’ve just got to roll with it.”
Amy Yang, of South Korea, wound up third after shooting 69 to finish at 22-under 266.
Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn needed to finish higher than sixth to retain her hold on the world No. 1 spot. Jutanugarn tied for seventh after shooting 66 for an 18-under 270.