Japan’s Nomura beats Ko, ‘clinches’ Australian Open

‘Golf is the fight of my own’

ADELAIDE, Australia, Feb 21, (AFP): Japan’s Haru Nomura fired a closing seven-under par 65 to deny defending champion and world number one Lydia Ko and win the LPGA-sanctioned Australian Open at The Grange in Adelaide on Sunday.

Nomura, 23, holed eight birdies in the final round having started the day in a three-way share of the lead at nine-under.

The Japanese player closed the door on Ko’s chances with a monster 15-metre birdie putt at the 17th when she was three shots ahead of the New Zealand ace.

It allowed Nomura the luxury of her only bogey at the par-four 18th when she found the front-right sand trap and failed to get up and down.

It was the 67th-ranked Nomura’s first LPGA win after five seasons on the tour in America without drawing much attention.

“There was no pressure,” Nomura said. “Golf is the fight of my own.

“It’s not against someone else, even though someone else plays well. If I hit my goals, then I win.”

Nomura clinched victory with a run of three consecutive birdies at the 15th, 16th and 17th holes that the top-ranked Ko could not match.

Ko finished alone in second place at 13-under par after finishing with a fiveunder par 67.

“I played really well but Haru just played even better,” Ko said.

“By the roars I could hear, it seems like she was holing a lot of putts. When another player does that, it’s really out of my hands.”

Australia’s five-time Australian Open winner Karrie Webb was third at nineunder, having joined the lead early in the round with three birdies before faltering.

Nomura had just 26 putts. “The putter... Wow... Unbelievable,” she said.

Nomura is the first Japanese winner of the tournament since 1974, when Chako Higuchi won at the Victoria course.

American Danielle Kang and South Korean Jenny Shin had shared the overnight lead with Nomura but fell away on the final day. Kang’s closing 73 saw her finish in a tie for fourth on eight-under 280, while Shin was joint ninth a stroke further back after a 74.

Starting Sunday with a three-stroke advantage over Fraser, Lee fought off the persistent Australian for most of the round as the playing partners matched fine iron shots on the par-71 Royal Selangor Golf Club.

But the relatively inexperienced Lee, who is just 22 and was making just his second European Tour start, opened the door on the par-four 16th with a doublebogey that allowed Fraser to draw level.

After they both parred the short 17th, Lee got into trouble again on the par-four closing hole, leaving Fraser with a par putt to win it.

“I wasn’t sure how I actually held on to the putter on that last one. I was pretty nervous and I could see the putter head shaking,” Fraser said.

But he bent it in for the win, leaving Lee to mop up with a double-bogey.

Lee, who shot a dazzling third-round 64 on Saturday, later admitted he wilted under the pressure of closing out the tournament. He finished Sunday with a twoover 73.

But it was the second recent strong performance by the South Korean, who finished tied for third in the Hong Kong Open in October.

Nathan Holman, a 24-year-old from Melbourne who won the Australian PGA title in December, had led the tournament the first two days.

But he gave up the lead late in the third round and struggled to find a rhythm Sunday, posting a one-over 72 to finish in eighth place.