Karrie Webb falters at Founders Cup, as she fails to defend title
Karrie Webb, who was seeking to defend her title at the 2012 RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup, was not so thrilled as she finished tied for the 14th.
Webb was one of the hot favourite players to win the tournament but she could not live up to her fans’ expectations, as she carded an overall 280.
The tournament was played at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge’s Wildfire Golf Club and featured a formidable field that also included the current world number one Yani Tseng and Paula Creamer.
Webb had trained hard before the event, but she lost her momentum in the final two rounds.
Her worse-than-expected performance at Phoenix helped Yani Tseng grab the victory in an impressive style.
Tseng, who was already on the victory track due to her first triumph of the season, Honda LPGA Thailand, faced tough resistance from rivals.
However, Webb remained calm in the first two rounds, carding good scores on the leaderboard.
She kicked off the tournament with plenty of confidence and received a big applause from golf-crazy fans at Phoenix. She carded a 68, which was enough for the Aussie prodigy to keep surging ahead.
The second round also brought plenty of surprises for Webb, as she managed to keep the pressure on her rivals.
She made the most of the favourable weather conditions in the second round, firing a decent 69.
The performance in the early rounds reminded Webb’s fans at Phoenix of the last edition of the RR Donnelley LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) Founders Cup.
Webb recorded a stellar performance in the 2011 Cup, as she beat Brittany Lincicome and Paula Creamer with ease.
Winning the tournament by one stroke helped the Aussie gain massive fan following in America. She had hoped after the tournament that she would do her best to keep on the winning track.
"It was such a great honour to win the inaugural Founders Cup," Webb said. "I'm looking forward to defending but also catching up with some of the many great women who have come before us".
The defending champion, however, faltered in the third round. Experts have pointed out that Webb might have been troubled due to the grim weather conditions.
She scored 70 and 73 in the third and fourth rounds, respectively, which, according to some observers, proved fatal for her overall position on the leaderboard.
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