Rebecca Lee-Bentham finishes tied for the top spot at the LPGA Qualifying School – Stage III
Rebecca Lee-Bentham of Canada fired a five-under par 67 in the final round of the LPGA Qualifying School – Stage III, to finish tied for the top spot on the leaderboard, on Sunday, December 2, 2012.
The tournament was being played at LPGA International, where a total of 71 players contended against each other to retain or earn their full-time playing status for the upcoming season.
At the end of the tournament, a total of 20 players succeeded in making their way onto the bigger stage, for the 2012 golf season.
Lee-Bentham started his final-round campaign while holding the third position on the leaderboard.
She got off to a steady start, as she birdied only one hole on the front nine of the course to reach the turn in one-under.
She then picked up pace on the back nine, and added another four shots to her scorecard, to finish the tournament on a high note. At the end of the day, she found herself settled for a 13-under par tournament score.
"I wasn't really thinking about coming in first or anything," Lee-Bentham said. "I just wanted to play well and focus on striking it well and making putts. I've been waiting for this for a while. It's been a long grind for everybody out here”.
The overnight sole leader, Moriya Jutanugarn, in the meantime, struggled with her putter throughout the day. She did not card a single birdie in the final round, while conceding two bogeys for a two over par 74.
Still, she managed to finish the tournament on top of the leaderboard, thanks chiefly to a six-stroke lead that she held, entering the final round.
Talking to the reporters after completing her round, she stated that securing an LPGA Tour card was the main target that she had in her mind.
Therefore, she was not at all disappointed with her performance in the final round, and expressed her pleasure in finishing on top of the leaderboard.
"I'm so happy to get my card," Jutanugarn said. "I got it and that was my goal”.
Japan’s Ayako Uehara carded a 12-under par tournament score to finish third in the tournament. Kathleen Ekey was further two strokes back to take the fourth position.
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