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Inbee Park,youngest U.S.Women’s Open winner

Park was the only player to break par all four days at Interlachen, a course that showed its strength in the final round with 20 mph wind that made it tough to keep on the right side of the hole.  She finished at 9-under 283 and earned $585,000.Park became the third player in the last six years to make the U.S. Women’s Open her first LPGA Tour victory, and it was reminiscent of Birdie Kim’s victory three years ago at Cherry Hills, minus the dramatic bunker shot for birdie on the 72nd hole.
 
Alfredsson began the final round tied with Park, two shots out of the lead. Stacy Lewis, trying to become the first player to win a major in her professional debut, made double bogey from 80 yards in front of the green on the par-5 second hole and staggered home to a 78 to tie for third at 288. Paula Creamer, who started the final round one shot behind Lewis and said her experience of six LPGA victories would be a big advantage, made two double bogeys on the front nine for a 41 and scrambled for a 78. Creamer’s final round scoring average in the U.S. Women’s Open is 75.2. Annika Sorenstam, who was never in contention competing in her final Women’s Open before retirement at the end of the season. Her final shot was a 6-iron from 199 yards that tumbled into the cup for eagle. Lorena Ochoa of Mexico, who had finished no worse than third in the last four majors and won two of them, never got on track at Interlachen and closed with a 74 to tie for 31st. The lowest score Sunday belonged to 15-year-old Jessica Korda She shot a 69 and tied for 19th.

There were so many possibilities for great story lines going into the final round — Lewis and her remarkable recovery from back surgery that almost ended her career before she got to college; Creamer, looking poised to finally get a major to go with her marketing campaign; Alfredsson finally hopeful of U.S. Open redemption at 43. Instead, it was Park who stole the show by simply playing the best golf. Equipped with a two-shot lead when Lewis bogeyed the eighth and ninth, Park poured it on with a 10-foot birdie on the 11th, saving par from the bunker with an 8-foot putt on No. 12, and a 6-foot birdie on the 13th.

Park continued international dominance of the LPGA majors, as Americans have won only six of the last 31.

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Checking out the draw

Draw Drill
This drill is great for honing an inside-out swing path and learning to produce a right-to-left shot. Take two tees and set them on a 45-degree angle with the inside tee ahead of the ball and the outside tee outside the ball. Place a club on the ground with the toe facing to the left and the butt pointing at a 45-degree angle toward the ball. The key here is to swing the clubhead through the gate without touching either of the tees. Also, the clubhead should be fully released so it’s still outside the hands, but pointing directly down the target line. For most players, the inside part of the gate is the most important and most challenging. If you want to learn to hit all the way through the ball with an inside-out swing path, you must be able to strike the ball without hitting the inside tee.

The key to hitting a solid draw is to swing on an inside-out path while also fully releasing the clubhead.  

See The Draw
To hit a slight draw, the club must attack the ball from inside the target line. A great way to see the proper swing path is to create a gateway with the use of some well-placed tees. Position the tees so the clubhead will approach the ball from an obvious inside path. The proper path becomes easier to follow with the tees on the ground and may produce the feeling of swinging out to right field. If the swing path is incorrect, it will miss the gateway and may hit one or both of the tees, creating a pull or slice. When the club is tracking properly, the ball will start slightly right of the target line and curve back to the left in the air.

Using tees to create a gateway for the clubhead is a great drill for eliminating a slice and producing a draw.

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Reminders on bunker play and putting

 A few points to keep in mind when it comes to bunker play, many golfers are defeated before they attempt a sand shot because they fear them. Make bunkers your friend, not an enemy. With proper technique and practice, you will enjoy being in the sand instead of heavy rough.
When in a bunker you must:
establish firm footing
take open stance
open the clubface
weight distributed more to the left side
swing the club back and through the same distance
hit the sand 2 inches behind the ball
don’t let the clubface close
accelerate through the ball
Remember: Sand is your ally, not your foe.

Here are some reminders when putting. If you have ever watched golf on TV, you have seen many different putting styles. If you have seen Mike Hulbert, you have even seen one-handed putting. The point is to do whatever feels comfortable and enables you to get the ball in the hole consistently. However, there are some fundamentals that will help you to consistently putt well:
eye over the ball
set the putter square to the target
keep body motion limited
accelerate through the ball
be comfortable
hit the ball in the sweet spot of the putter.
To be a good putter you must feel you can putt. Be confident. Negative thoughts will hurt your putting.

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