Mami Fukuda fires surprise birdie to snatch the title at the 2012 Miyazaki Ladies Open
The inaugural LAGT (Ladies Asian Golf Tour) 2012 Miyazaki Ladies Open concluded with a flurry of excitement and drama this week, with Mami Fukuda of Japan snatching the title by firing a birdie on the last hole.
Fukuda was fired up right from the start of the tournament, as she did not give many chances to her rivals to surge ahead. Her final score was a whopping 3-under 69.
Fukuda had to face tough resistance from Thidapa Suwannpura of Thailand, who came close to seizing the lead the j*p had piled up.
Moreover, Megumi Shimokawa, who managed to gain lead in the first round, faltered when she came face-to-face with Fukuda. The round-one leader was sidelined by a solitary stroke, landing the j*p the much-needed victory.
The match entered a nerve-racking situation when the j*p and other two players, Shimokawa and Suwannpura, were tied on the 17th hole.
The match would have entered a 3-way playoff if Fukuda had not drained a surprise birdie on the final hole.
The dramatic event culminated when the j*p’s nearest rivals parred their holes, letting Fukuda walk away with the title.
Expressing her joy, Fukuda said she did not think that she would go into action in the final moments, as the match had already reached the toughest stage.
She added that the victory at the Miyazaki Ladies Open is something she never dreamed of.
Fukuda, who pocketed Yen1.5 million ($20,000) as the winner of the tournament, said she found the field quite competitive, as she had to make all-out efforts to carve out the triumph.
Referring to the last moments when she dramatically reversed the whole situation by shooting a birdie, she said she was not sure what would be the outcome when the other two players set to outrival her.
She said that to celebrate her victory in a big way, she will go shopping. “The field was strong. There were many good players and winning is a big bonus. My main interest is shopping and now that I have some money I’ll be off to the shops tomorrow!”
On the other hand, Shimokawa regretted her loss, saying she could have won the event, but was a bit nervous. “I was nervous and played too cautiously,” she stated.
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