LPGA rookie phenom Park Sung-hyun has said she rode a “perfect” round to her second career victory in Canada.
Park shot a bogey-free round of seven-under 64 to win the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open on Sunday in Ottawa. At 13-under overall, Park defeated fellow South Korean Lee Mi-rim by two strokes.
The victory came a little over a month after Park’s monumental victory at the US Women‘s Open, the oldest major championship in women’s golf. Thanks to those two victories, Park now leads the money list with just over $1.87 million and is a virtual lock to win the points race for Rookie of the Year.
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Korea`s Park Sung-hyun poses for a photo with the trophy after winning the 2017 Canadian Pacific Women`s Open in Ottawa on Sunday. AP-Yonhap |
In her post-round press conference, Park, world No. 4, said she couldn’t believe she played so well down the stretch. Park was four shots off the lead, shared by Nicole Broch Larsen and Mo Martin, through three rounds.
“I think it was a perfect game today,” she said. “There were no mistakes today, and I think it was perfect.”
Park said Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club suited her game well, and she felt comfortable all week.
“My shots and putting were good. I think this week was just perfect for me,” she added. “That’s how I got the confidence on this golf course.”
In 17 starts this year, Park has had seven top-10s without missing a cut. She was the best player on the Korea LPGA Tour last year, when she won seven tournaments and set the single-season earnings record with more than 1.3 billion won ($1.15 million). Park played in a handful of LPGA events as a nonmember last year but still made enough money to be granted full-time status for 2017.
Though she‘s been a professional for a few years, Park said she still has the rookie mindset in the LPGA and that has actually helped her with confidence.
“Because I am a rookie, I don’t really worry about every shot,” she said. “I just did every shot with confidence. My confidence made me do well this year.”
Also helping Park’s rally was the fact that she wasn’t the chased, playing in the final pairing.
“I feel a little nervous when I play in the last group,” she said. “But I was not today. So I felt a little more comfortable when I played today‘s round.”
Park said she plans to take the next two weeks off in Orlando.
After that, it will be off to France for the season’s final major, the Evian Championship.
At last year’s Evian Championship, Park finished tied for second behind South Korean champion Chun In-gee, who set a scoring record at a major championship at 21-under. (Yonhap)
