Defending champion Tseng finishes third in South Korea
Current world number one Yani Tseng came close to ending her worst performance slump at the LPGA Hana Bank Championship 2012. However, all she could garner at the end of the three-round tournament was a third-place finish.
Getting off to a fast start that saw her fire a 67 in the opening round on Friday, Tseng carded an overall score of 206.
She was one stroke behind Scottish Catriona Matthew and the winner Suzann Pettersen, both of whom scored a 205 each to head into the playoff on Sunday.
Although Tseng had an edge over her rivals, as she was defending her title at the LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) tournament, Ocean Course, Incheon, South Korea, a strong finish has at least tipped the scales back in her favour.
Tseng started the LPGA Hana Bank Championship with her head high as the local spectators in South Korea pinned their hopes on her, despite several national players in the roster.
Having scored a 70 in the second round, the Taiwanese star had put herself in a good position on the leaderboard, heading into the final round with confidence.
Tseng had to put into practice her best skills in order to remain in contention as the competition seemed much tougher on Saturday than it was on the opening day.
“Feels pretty good. I mean, today was tougher than yesterday, and I had a couple wrong decisions on the front nine, so made a couple bogeys there. And I had two three‑putts,” Tseng said while speaking to the LPGA at the end of the second round on Saturday.
She went on to say that the course conditions were a bit hard on the second day.
“Greens were very tricky today, but I hung in there and I finished strong, last five I had three birdies. So always very happy to get a finish like that on 18 and enjoy the crowd. I think it's very important, kind of make your day”.
Although a bit rattled after playing the second round, the top-ranked prodigy boosted her position in the third round as she posted a 69. She carded five birdies, but had to suffer two bogeys on the par-3 8th and par-3 12th.
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