Top-ranked Yani Tseng tumbles to 10th at Hawaii
The current world number one Yani Tseng, who was expected to continue her solid form at the LPGA Lotte Championship, finished tied for the 10th after she carded a 74 in the final round.
Tseng has been unbeatable in most of the events she has played in the current season, but the way she tumbled from a tie-4 position in the third round to tie-10 in the last one, let down her fans.
The tournament played at Ko Olina Golf Club, Hawaii, featured a tough field that also contained Suzann Pettersen and Paula Creamer.
Tseng kicked off the tournament in an impressive style, as she improved her leaderboard position after the second round.
Tseng stood tied for the 12th at the end of the second day, but jumped to the 4th spot on the leaderboard after she posted 69 in the third round.
"Overall, I stayed patient and I made lots of good putts," Tseng said. "I still missed some, but I hung in there. It's only first day of the tournament, so I'm pretty happy today".
Analysts said that the top-ranked star showed her magic skills until the final day. They, however, pointed out that scoring a 74 in the concluding round highlights serious lapses in Tseng’s putting.
Ai Miyazato, who currently ranks 8th in Women’s World Golf Rankings, surprised her rivals when she carved out 4-shot victory on the back of consistent performance.
The Taiwanese star kicked off the final round in an impressive style, as she shot her first birdie on the par-4 2nd hole. She lost her momentum after the 2nd hole, bogeying the 3rd.
Tseng recorded her second birdie on the par-5 5th. On the back nine, the LPGA giant looked like she had lost her grip on the game. She made a series of lousy shots that caused 3 bogeys.
Observers said that Tseng could have further improved her position on the leaderboard in the last round, but her below average putting put a dent in her overall standing.
Tseng has been phenomenal in the current season, as she has been able to win 3 events so far.
Although determined to continue her winning streak after racking up the title at Kia Classic in March, Tseng failed to grab the top spot at the first major tournament of the season — Kraft Nabisco Championship.
She finished third in the $2 million event, which helped her maintain her number one position.
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