Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
S. Korea’s Park captures U.S. Women’s Open
BEDMINSTER, N.J. — Sung Hyun Park won the U.S. Women’s Open on Sunday for her first LPGA Tour victory.
The 23-year-old from South Korea shot her second straight 5-under 67 and won a final-round battle with front-running Shanshan Feng and teenage amateur Hye-Jin Choi at Trump National Golf Club.
Park birdied the 15th to move into a tie for the lead and the 17th to open a twoshot edge after Choi made a double bogey on the previous hole. Park finished at 11-under 277 for a twostroke win over Choi.
President Donald Trump attended the biggest event in women’s golf for the third straight day. It ended up being a quiet week of politics. The golf was excellent.
Park needed a fine chip from over the green on the par-5 18th hole to save par and win the $900,000 top prize from the $5 million event.
Choi finished with a 71 to finish as the low amateur for the second straight year. She was 38th in 2016.
Top-ranked So Yeon Ryu (70) and fellow South Korean Mi Jung Hur (68) tied for third at 7 under. Feng, from China, had a 75 to drop into a tie for fifth at 6 under with Spain’s Carlota Ciganda (70) and South Korea’s Jeongeun6 Lee (71).
South Koreans Sei Young Kim (69), Mirim Lee (72) and Amy Yang (75) tied for eighth at 5 under. Marina Alex of nearby Wayne, N.J., was the best of the Americans at 4 under after a 70.
Choi was the story for most of the final round. The 17-year-old had a two-shot lead with nine holes to play and needed a birdie at 15 to regain a piece with Park.
The 139-yard, par-3 16th over water ended her hopes. Her tee shot landed in the water to the right of the hole. She ended with a double bogey and basically lost her chance of becoming the second amateur to win the Open.
Catherine Lacoste remains the only amateur to win the Open, doing it in 1967. straight Constellation Senior Players Championship.
Unfortunately, his performance at Caves Valley will be remembered only for what happened after that.
Langer’s uncharacteristic collapse on Nos. 17 and 18 paved the way for Scott McCarron to win his first major tournament on the PGA Tour Champions in sensational comeback fashion Sunday.
McCarron shot a bogeyfree, 6-under 66 to make up a six-shot deficit and beat Langer and Brandt Jobe by a stroke.
“I’ve been working so hard for this,” said McCarron, a 51-year-old Californian. “That was one of my goals this year, to win three events and one of them being a major. So I’ve got one more event to go.”
Miguel Angel Jimenez shot a 66 to finish fourth at 16 under, and Steve Flesch (68) was fifth at 13 under.