MANILA, Philippines, September 12 ------ Yuka Saso rallied with a couple of late birdies but it was not strong enough to merit her a title crack as she finished tied for fifth with a 72 in the Kroger Queen City Championship topped by Aussie Minjee Lee in thrilling fashion in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Lee nearly came undone after blowing a huge five-stroke lead at the backside of the Kenwood Country Club’s Kendale course but gathered herself just in time, hacking a solid wedge shot to within 2 feet for birdie to foil England’s Charley Hull on the second playoff hole on No. 18. The two-time major winner closed out with a 71 marred by a double-bogey on No. 12 while Hull finished with a 69 spiked by a three-birdie binge from No. 14 as they matched 16-under 272 totals, two strokes clear of Chinese Ruoning Yin, the reigning Women’s PGA Championship titlist who charged back with a 67 for a 274. Four shots off Lee after 54 holes, Saso had hoped to mount a fiery rally but instead found herself trailing farther, no thanks to a bogey-bogey slide from No. 5. She never had a chance to gain until she birdied the par-5 12th and picked up another stroke on No. 16 for a 38-34 and a 277 for a share of fifth with five others, including first round leader Peiyun Chien of Taiwan, who faltered with a 74.
Dottie Ardina, meanwhile, did fight back with a 69 but could only end up at joint 61st with a 289 in a surviving field of 80 after crowding the leaderboard early with an opening 66 for joint second. But the veteran LPGA and Epson Tour campaigner, whose stint is backed by ICTSI, limped with a second round 74 and skied to an 80. She bogeyed No. 4 in the final round but birdied three of the next five then added two more on Nos. 11 and 12 before yielding another stroke on the 16th for a 34-35. Meanwhile, Lee, who led by two with 18 holes to play, went 5-up over Hull with a solid frontside 33. But she made a double bogey on the par-5 No. 12 and parred the rest while Hull came up with birdies from Nos. 14 to 16 to force a playoff.
Both parred the first playoff hole, also on No. 18, with Hull missing a 15-foot birdie try to lose the championship.
Source: philstar.com
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