Inbee Park finishes runner-up in Taiwan
For all its hype and excitement, the Sunrise LPGA Taiwan Championship 2012 doesn’t appear to have rattled South Korean Inbee Park, who desperately sought to win the title but finished runner-up.
The Sunrise LPGA Taiwan Championship 2012, held in Taiwan last week, saw the top-ranked LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) stars take on each other, but the excitement built when Park got into a nerve-shattering fight against Norwegian Suzann Pettersen in the last two rounds.
Pettersen, who scored an overall 269 on the leaderboard, finally subdued Park on Sunday and grabbed a three-stroke victory.
Park posted a total score of 272 to finish as the second strongest contender on the leaderboard.
Already fired up due to several top-10 finishes in the current season, the South Korean star was brimming with confidence when she opened her first round at Sunrise Golf & Country Club, Yang Mein, Taoyuan on Thursday.
Having fired a 65 in the first round, Park put a pressure on her nearest rivals right from the start of the tournament. Her best performance was seen in the third round as she posted a 64.
However, a lacklustre performance in the final round, which saw her shoot a 74, took a toll on her overall position. Pettersen fully capitalised on this opportunity and swung into action in the final two rounds.
The Norwegian star registered a 66 in the third and a 69 in the fourth round to win the coveted title.
Park might have failed to win the tournament, but a runner-up position has been added to her profile as a positive change. She has now moved up one place to fourth position in the Women’s World Golf Rankings.
“I mean after yesterday I think I almost played perfect for first three days. I mean I try to take the positive out of this week's game,” Park said at the end of the fourth round on Sunday.
“Today I hit the ball good, I think. Just putts just didn't fall. I mean I holed a lot of putts the last three days, so I guess today was just unlucky day, and just try to take the things from this week and go on to next week”.
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