LPGA Tour: South Koreans grab spotlight yet again
Last Monday, the LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) Tour saw another South Korean star rise to the occasion and crush Americans to grab a professional title yet again.
South Korean LPGA stars, who have emerged as the biggest threat for Americans, have proved their mettle once again by clinching the title at Kingsmill Championship, held at Williamsburg, Virginia, United States.
This time, Paula Creamer of the United States was the player who battled hard till the final moments of an LPGA tournament. Creamer lost to South Korean Jiyai Shin in sudden playoff on Monday morning.
The battle at Williamsburg raged for nearly five days, as darkness forced the officials to suspend the playoff on Sunday. The players came face-to-face again on Monday morning to finish off the battle.
However, Creamer, who was under scrutiny by American spectators, faltered on the ninth extra hole and ended up carding a bogey to hand the title to her South Korean foe.
At first, both the LPGA stars seemed equally matched as they parred the par-4 extra hole eight times on Sunday, but when it finally came time for Creamer to toughen up, things just did not go well.
Nerve-racking situations are an everyday event on the LPGA Tour, but the confrontation this Monday at Williamsburg, marked a new development.
With South Koreans having hijacked most of the spots in the top 100 of the Women’s World Golf Rankings, players like Stacy Lewis will have to come up with a new plan for the coming tournaments.
Lewis is the best contender in the American line-up, as she currently ranks number one in world rankings.
South Korean Na Yeon Choi, who is standing at the third position in world rankings, poses a serious threat to Lewis as the young star has toppled Lewis before.
However, Shin has proved that she cannot be written off as an incompetent player as she beat Creamer on her soil.
Jiyai said that she had been seeking to earn a victory on the LPGA Tour for the last two years, but the triumph at Williamsburg has boosted her confidence like never before.
“I can't believe because I did a hand operation in June and then after that two month I didn't play, so I feel like I take a little bit long time for the win, but I really happy it's coming quick,” Shin said.
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