Park, Lindberg to return Monday for 5th playoff hole in ANA
RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (AP) — Inbee Park and Pernilla Lindberg played until it was too dark to see Sunday night — and still couldn’t decide the ANA Inspiration.
They’ll return to Mission Hills on Monday morning for the fifth extra hole in the LPGA Tour’s first major of the season.
“Inbee’s one of the best female golfers of all time,” Lindberg said. “So to even have a chance to go out and beat her in a playoff, I think I’m going to sleep great tonight, and I’m going to be ready to go in the morning.”
Jennifer Song dropped out with a par on the third playoff hole, and Park and Lindberg decided to take one more trip down the par-5 18th in fading light.
“They asked us quickly after the third playoff hole if we wanted to do one more, and both Inbee and I looked at each other quickly and said, ‘Yes,’” Lindberg said.
With portable lights and the scoreboard helping illuminate the green, Park holed a 6-footer for par and Lindberg made a short putt to match. They finished at 7:21 p.m., 15 minutes after sunset.
“I was a little nervous because No. 18 is not my favorite hole,” Park said. “The palm tree in the middle with my ball flight is just really hard to hit a driver over it. If you hit a 3-wood, you run out of fairway. So, I really don’t have much of a shot.”
Play will resume at 8 a.m. on the par-4 10th in the first Monday finish in tournament history.
“Finally, we’re playing a different hole tomorrow, so I’m excited about that,” Park said.
On the third extra hole, Park hit a wedge from the rough to 1 1/2 feet to set up a birdie, and Lindberg made a 5-footer. Song missed a 10-foot birdie try.
Park and Song had putts to win on the first two extra holes. Park missed from 15 feet on the first, and Song’s 7-footer went to the right on the second. Park scrambled to save par on the second playoff hole after hitting into the right fairway bunker and nearly hitting her third into Poppie’s Pond right of the green.
“I made some good par saves there to just keep on playing,” Park said.
All three players birdied the par-5 18th, with Song getting to 15 under first with a 5-foot putt. Park followed with a 4-footer in the next group, and Lindberg matched her in the final group. Park and Song shot 5under 67, and Lindberg had a 71.
Park won in 2013 at Mission Hills and is a seventime major champion. The 29-year-old Hall of Famer won the Founders Cup two weeks ago in Phoenix for her 19th tour title, a day after revealing she was 50-50 about retiring before returning from a long break. She returned to play a month ago in Singapore after not playing since the Women’s British Open in August.
Lindberg, the third-round leader, is trying to win her first professional title. The 31-year-old Swede made a series of par saves before hitting close on 18 to set up the tying birdie.
“I just kept grinding all day,” Lindberg said. “I’ve always said that the putting has been the strength of my game.” Song missed a chance for her first tour victory. “I’m kind of disappointed that I wasn’t able to make those putts in the playoffs, but I learned a lot,” Park said. “I’m just loving this moment right now.”
Jessica Korda (66) and Ariya Jutanugarn (65) were a stroke back.