CME Group Titleholders: Americans falter in season finale
The biggest surprise of the weekend came in Florida, United States where the 2012 LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) Tour ended, with Asian contenders showing once again that they
are still hard to beat, even on American soil.
The CME Group Titleholders, held last week at The TwinEagles Club, Florida, was the last event of the 2012 season, but it mattered more to Americans than any other player from Asia and Europe.
The real showdown was among American and Asian rivals, and golf fans waited in anticipation of their national contenders capping off the season with a victory. However, Asians, especially
South Koreans, crushed the hosts once again.
South Korean Na Yeon Choi displayed a stellar performance in all four rounds and walked away with the title.
Choi carded an overall score of 274. The only player who came close to challenging her control was South Korean So Yeon Ryu, who lost by two shots.
Americans started brightly, but when Stacy Lewis crashed down to a lower-than-expected position on the leaderboard, Asians appeared to have ramped up pressure by gaining an early lead. However,
other local stars like Brittany Lincicome forged ahead with consistency and hard work.
But it was not enough for a single American star to give a tough time to a strong Asian lineup. Most of the local contenders were their own worst enemies. They made several errors on a course
suitable for both short and long game.
Lincicome posted an overall 277 to take the third position on the leaderboard. Although she looked a little rattled at the start of the four-round tournament, a 69 in the second round helped
her regain her composure and she started hitting perfect strokes on the fairways and greens.
“It started a little shaky. The first couple holes, I don't know if I'm just nervous or what goes on, but just haven't seemed to be able to capitalise on them yet,” Lincicome said while talking
to the media at the end of the third round on Saturday.
“If I want to be the number one player on top, I have to start better because the back nine I keep shooting like 33s and going super low on”.
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