China’s Feng defends Japan classic title
Park projected take world No. 1 ranking from Ryu
IBARAKI, Japan, Nov 5, (RTRS): China’s Shanshan Feng defended an LPGA title for the first time when she secured a two-shot victory at the TOTO Japan Classic on Sunday.
Feng rolled in a 20-foot birdie at the penultimate hole to preserve her lead and made a tap-in par at the last to hold off Japan’s Ai Suzuki at the Taiheiyo Club Minori.
“I’ve played here twice and won twice,” and excited Feng said after carding 68 to finish at 19-under-par 197.
Her third round of 63 was the key to victory.
“I shot a very low score yesterday and that really helped me win the tournament today,” Feng said after claiming her eighth LPGA victory, and her second this year on the US-based circuit.
Suzuki (68) had to settle for second place, much to the disappointment of the large gallery enjoying a crisp, cloudless day in the pretty countryside nearly 100 kilometres north-east of Tokyo.
Swede Anna Nordqvist (66) was two shots further back in third place.
Feng’s victory was certainly no stroll in the park. The pivotal moment came at the par-five 17th, where her tenuous one-stroke advantage looked likely to evaporate.
With Suzuki having a tap-in birdie, Feng had to hole her 20-footer to preserve her lead, and hole it she did, her putt catching the left edge of the hole, circling the cup and dropping in.
Runner-up Suzuki, who subsequently bogeyed the last, enjoyed a consolation of sorts, her performance lifting the 23-year-old to the top of the Japan LPGA money list.
Feng acknowledged Suzuki’s quality at the tournament jointly sanctioned by the LPGA and the JLPGA.
“Normally I say my ball-striking is pretty good but today her ball-striking was much better,” Feng said.
“It gave me a lot of pressure but I tried to ignore it and play my own game.”
Meanwhile, Park Sung-hyun is projected to take over the women’s world number one ranking after fellow South Korean Ryu So-yeon finished equal 33rd at the TOTO Japan Classic on Sunday.
US Women’s Open champion Park did not play the LPGA event, but Ryu had to finish no worse than sixth to stay in top spot, according to the projection.
“I didn’t know that,” Ryu told Reuters outside the scoring tent at the Taiheiyo Club Minori, when told she had surrendered the number one ranking.
“I don’t really care about it. It’s just a title. It’s great to be number one of course but the more important thing is how I’m playing for the present.