Hana Bank Championship 2012 not a downer for Yani Tseng
The LPGA Hana Bank Championship 2012, which ended in a flurry of excitement and hype last week, was not, in any way, a downer for the current world number one Yani Tseng, who desperately wanted to defend her title there.
Tseng could not have done any better as the struggling star put her best foot forward in order to prove her mettle. Although she failed to defend her title, a third-place finish was not something she frowned upon.
Tseng was happy that she was not down and out when she finally came face-to-face against contenders she used to strike fear in a few months back.
She was happy that her putting did not go awry most of the time during the three-day LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) tournament.
Tseng has not been as stunning in the recent months as the American Stacy Lewis or South Korean Jiyai Shin, but the five-time major winner and the holder of several accolades has been smouldering outside the top 50’s, finishing below average in most of the recent LPGA tournaments.
And, now it is time to brace for a tougher competition ahead.
Despite a seemingly long performance slump, Tseng cannot be written off as a quitter. She still has what it takes to win and her performance at the LPGA Hana Bank Championship 2012 has certainly signalled a comeback.
Although under intense scrutiny for the last several weeks, Tseng has her reasons to explain what has been troubling her. In most of her latest interviews, she has tried to play down her fans’ concerns surrounding her lacklustre form.
She says it is not that unusual for a player to go to pieces for a brief period of time. Moreover, she is sure that she can bounce back and retake the baton from her South Korean rivals.
At Incheon, Tseng was seen fighting a tough battle against South Korean Se Ri Pak, who at one moment, came close to knocking the top-ranked prodigy off the third place. However, when the dust settled, Tseng had stood one stroke clear of Pak.
Pak, on the other hand, once again impressed her South Korean fans by displaying a good performance at Incheon.
Speaking to the media at the end of the second round that saw her shoot a 67, Pak said that she was impressed by the way South Korean fans greeted her and it was nice playing among all the current big names.
“I mean, of course taking a lot of pictures here and there, that actually caused us a little bit behind because sometimes we have to catch up and make shots. But other than that it's just fantastic fans out there. I really enjoyed it,” Pak said.
“Of course there's a lot difference, a lot changing, but the way the players are playing, everybody gets tighter or more consistent players”.
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