Oh tops Tseng in sudden death to claim State Farm LPGA Classic

7/22/2008

Second-year LPGA Tour golfer Ji Young Oh won her first tournament Sunday, sinking a 6-inch putt for par to win the State Farm Classic in a playoff over rookie Yani Tseng.

A day after the tournament lost its marquee player, Michelle Wie, to disqualification, the sudden-death playoff injected life into what had been an ordinary final round.

Oh and Tseng finished regulation at 18 under par.

Tseng, the leader coming into Sunday, chipped her third shot over the green and into the rough, then pitched her ball to about 6 feet from the cup. But Oh's third shot, from just inside the rough, left her with the tap-in that gave her the win.

Oh, who spoke English with reporters for much of the tournament, resorted to an interpreter after the overtime because she said she was floored by the win.

Tseng, who shot a 66 in each of the first three rounds before her even-par 72 on Sunday, said after her loss that her nerves got the best of her Sunday.

Tseng, who won the McDonald's LPGA Championship a few weeks ago for her first career victory, said three of her closest losses -- as a pro and an amateur -- have come to South Koreans.

Oh was among the steadiest golfers this week at Panther Creek Country Club.

Leaderboard – Final:

1. Ji Young Oh                            66 66 69 69 270 -18
2. Yani Tseng                             66 66 66 72 270 -18
3. Na Yeon Choi                          67 67 69 68 271 -17
4. Shanshan Feng                        70 70 69 63 272 -16
    Stacy Prammanasudh               69 66 68 69 272 -16
    Hee-Won Han                          69 71 61 71 272 -16
7. Kristy McPherson                      65 71 70 67 273 -15
    Kyeong Bae                             68 67 69 69 273 -15
9. Wendy Ward                            73 66 69 66 274 -14
    Christina Kim                           63 68 73 70 274 -14
    Katie Futcher                            70 64 66 74 274 -14

Source: AP, LPGA Tour