McDonald's LPGA
Britain's Lisa Hackney finished second in the McDonald's LPGA Championship at the DuPont Country Club in Dela-ware yesterday. In keeping with the rest of the field, she was left in awe by the performance from the winner, 20-year-old Korean, Se Ri Pak.
Pak commands top status in her homeland - she had a telephone call from the Korean president before the final round - and had never been headed from the moment she shot an opening 65. She went into the last round tied with Hackney, but won the contest with a 68 to a 71.
On 11-under-par 273, she took the $195,000 prize by three shots from Hackney and American Donna Andrews, who closed with a 69. They both pocketed $104,666.
It was an incredible performance by Pak, who only took up the game six years ago. The win means she will move ahead of Scotland's Janice Moodie in the rookie of the year rankings.
However, Moodie, who had been cursing her luck on the first day, also had a stylish finish to her first major when she had eight birdies in a final round four under par 67. She finished joint twenty-first on level-par 284 and picked up a cheque for more than #8000.
It wasn't such a good day for Catriona Matthew. The Scot had surged through the field with a 68 on Saturday but, suffering from a chest infection, she slipped to a 75 and finished on three-over 287.
Moodie's first round of 75 included a two-shot penalty for slow play. ''Everything considered, I have to be pleased with the week,'' she said. ''I felt I coped well with what happened and, in my second-round 69, I managed to block it out completely. Today was great.''
The birdies happened because of her superb approach play. Almost every shot was bang on target - she nearly had a hole in one at the short fifth - and the fact that seven of the eight birdies were from inside five feet, says it all.
She did make the odd mistake. A drive into water cost a double-bogey 6 at the third and one of her two bogeys came when she missed a short putt at the easy par five sixteenth.
Pak, the youngest winner of a women's major, was thrilled with her performance. ''Wow,'' she. ''I'm so happy.''
Hackney, who had the consolation of a cheque for more than #65,000, said: ''Se Ri played a great round. It's been an up and down season for me so hopefully this is the start of a better run.'' Leading scores (US unless stated):
273 - S R Pak (Korea) 65, 68, 72, 68 ($195,000).
276 - D Andrews 71, 67, 69, 69; L Hackney (Britain) 70, 66, 69, 71 ($104,666).
277 - K Webb (Australia) 71, 73, 67, 66; W Ward 71, 67, 69, 70 ($62,140).
278 - M Mallon 71, 69, 68, 70; E Klein 72, 67, 68, 71; C Johnson 69, 71, 67, 71.
279 - K Robbins 69, 71, 71, 68; C Nilsmark (Sweden) 69, 73, 70, 67.
280 - J Pitcock 69, 75, 70, 66; A DeLuca 70, 70, 71, 69; J Geddes 69, 69, 70, 72.
281 - T Green 72, 68, 70, 71; L Walters (Canada) 66, 69, 73, 73.
282 - M Hjorth (Sweden) 71, 70, 73, 68; J Inkster 70, 71, 69, 72.
283 - C Koch (Sweden) 71, 73, 69, 70; C Johnston-Forbes 71, 70, 70, 72; M Redman 70, 71, 74, 68.
284 - J Moodie (Britain) 75, 69, 73, 67; H Dobson (Britain) 76, 70, 70, 68; J Lidback (Peru) 70, 73, 68,73; P Hurst 71, 73, 68, 72; Other scores included: 286 - W Doolan (Australia) 73, 72, 71, 70' A Sorenstam (Sweden) 73, 71, 71, 71; R Hetherington (Australia) 71, 71, 72, 72; L Kane (Canada) 72, 73, 68, 73; J Morley (Britain) 73, 69, 69, 75. 287 - L Neumann (Sweden) 73, 69, 73, 72; C Matthew (Britain) 74, 70, 68, 75.
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