ARKANSAS — South Korea's Choi Na-yeon used her trusty 8 iron to great effect over the closing holes of the Arkansas Championship Sunday, finishing eagle-birdie-par to claim her second win on the LPGA Tour this season. Choi, who won the opening event of the season in Florida, trailed local favorite Stacy Lewis by a stroke with three holes to play but leapfrogged the American by holing out from 142 yards for an eagle at the 16th.
Lewis, playing in the group ahead, missed a short downhill putt on the par 3 17th then bogeyed the final hole for a three-under 68.
Choi once again pulled out her 8 iron on the 17th and stuck it close enough for a tap-in birdie. A par at the last sealed a 15 under total for the 54-hole event, giving her a two-shot win over Japan's Mika Miyazato. Lewis finished tied for third three shots behind.
Choi said she knew her 8 iron on 16 would be good — just not that good. “I thought it's going to be good, but I didn't expect like it go in,” she said.
Lydia Ko, who recently lost her world No. 1 ranking to Park In-bee, enjoyed the best final round with a 63 to tie for sixth place.
Park, who reclaimed top spot with her win at the Women's PGA Championship earlier this month, missed the cut for the first time in more than a year. Of the 16 Tour events played so far, 11 have been won by South Korea-born players. — Reuters
