Stanford wins HSBC Champions playoff
Angela Stanford of the USA captured her fifth career victory Sunday, winning the $1.4 million HSBC Women’s Champions in Singapore on the third playoff hole.
Stanford shot even par on the last playoff hole, bumping Jenny Shin of South Korea into a tie for second with Shanshan Feng of China and Na Yeon Choi of South Korea. Feng was eliminated at the first playoff hole and Choi at the second at Tanah Merah Country Club.
Stanford, a 34-year-old Texan who hadn’t won since 2009, said it was an emotional victory.
“It’s a big deal,” Stanford said as she began to cry. “I’m just thinking about home and everybody there.” Stanford trailed Shin by a shot after the 17th when play was suspended for about 90 minutes because of lightning. When play resumed, Shin hit her tee shot out of bounds, leading to a double bogey. Stanford made bogey on 18 to fall into the four-way tie at 10-under 278.
“I felt for her (Shin) because we’ve all been in that position,” said Stanford, who shot 1-under 71 in the final round. “I didn’t think I’d be there at the end. I was all over
the map today.” Top-ranked Yani Tseng began the third round at 1 under, but a 5-under 67 on Saturday and a 4-under 32 on the first nine holes Sunday put her in a brief tie for the lead with Shin. A disastrous double bogey on 10 and another bogey on 14 pushed her back down the leaderboard, and she finished fifth, one shot behind the leaders after 72 holes.
PGA Tour:
John Huh parred the eighth hole of a playoff to beat Robert Allenby and win the Mayakoba Golf Classic on Sunday in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico.
Making his fifth PGA Tour start, Huh parred all eight holes in the playoff that matched the second longest in PGA Tour history.
Huh, 21, closed with an 8-under-par 63 to match Allenby at 13-under 271 on the seaside El Camaleon course.
Allenby had a two-stroke lead with a hole to play in regulation, but the 40-year-old Australian closed with a double bogey.
The playoff fell three holes short of the PGA Tour record of 11 set in the 1949 Motor City Open when Cary Middlecoff and Lloyd Mangrum were declared co-winners. The playoff was the fifth to go eight holes.
The playoff alternated between the par-4 18th and par-3 10th.