THE BLOGInbee 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.
