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| Shanshan Feng won the individual professional event at Mission Hills Haikou |
It was a clean sweep for the home nation when Chinese representatives won the individual, team and amateur titles at the inaugural World Ladies Championship on Hainan Island in southern China.
World No.12 Shanshan Feng earned a one stroke victory in the individual stroke play event for professionals being held over 54 holes on the Vintage Course at Mission Hills Haikou, making history as the first player from mainland China to win on the Ladies European Tour.
Feng finished with a 10 under par total of 206 after rounds of 66, 69 and 71, ending a stroke ahead of Thailand’s Pornanong Phatlum, with Sweden’s Pernilla Lindberg a shot further behind in third.
Feng’s partner in the team event, Liying Ye, ended in share of fourth place on seven under par alongside Italian Diana Luna, who led the tournament outright after 13 holes. However, the former Solheim Cup player dropped a shot at the 16th to fall into a tie for the lead with Feng. She then triple bogeyed the 18th after hitting her second shot into a water hazard over the back of the green.
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Team event winners Shanshan Feng and Liying Yi flanked by Mr Tenniel Chu, Mr Tan Li, Mr Xiaoning Zhang and Ms Alexandra Armas. |
Feng and Ye’s superior scores also saw them collect the team title in the concurrent event for 20 pairs also being played over The Vintage Course.
The duo combined for a winning total of 415, 17 under par, with a two stroke victory over Thai pair Nontaya Srisawang and Phatlum, with Sweden’s Lindberg and Linda Wessberg three strokes further behind in third.
Feng said: “I wasn’t really shooting a low score today. I think at one time I was like, three behind, but I wasn’t worried at all because I knew I would have more chances on the back nine and I would catch up and finally I got it.
“I was really focusing on the team score and I saw the Thailand team was really strong. They played really well today and they were trying to catch up and me and my partner, we were talking about it and we said, ‘no, we can’t let them catch us.’”
Feng played with her partner, Ye, in the final group and added: “It was really nice to play with her. She is my partner this week and has always been a nice sister to me. We chat a lot on the course and it really helps.”
Ye, 33, from Fu Jian Province, said: “I was very relaxed because I knew that playing with Feng Shanshan we could win the team event.”
Feng, 22, from Guangzhou, won twice on the LPGA of Japan in 2011, at the Meiji Chocolate Cup and the Miyagi TV Dunlop Ladies Cup, but this was her third career title as an individual and her first on home soil.
Feng added: “It’s really special because I won twice in Japan last year but I haven’t won in China yet. I always played the Chinese Open but I haven’t won and last year I was second, so I really wanted to win a tournament in China and I did it, so I’m really happy.”
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| Leading amateur Jing Yan with Wang Li Wei from the CGA and government official Xu Minsheng. |
The 16-year-old Chinese national team member, Jing Yan, who was born and raised in Singapore, showed her class by leading the amateur honours. She posted rounds of 72, 73 and 71for an even par total of 216, ending the tournament two shots clear of the next best placed amateur, World No.1 Lydia Ko.
Yan was one of eight competitors vying for the amateur title and will now receive two tournament exemptions. She will be offered a spot in the Ladies European Tour’s Lalla Meryem Cup taking place from March 22-25 at Golf de L’Ocean in Agadir, Morocco and also to play in the China Ladies Open on the China LPGA Tour taking place during the second week of December.
Yan, who hopes to represent China in the 2016 Olympic Games, said: “It was quite a challenge, this tournament, especially with the strong field of players, both professional and amateur. Getting a chance to play with Lydia Ko, the world number one amateur, again, his is the second time I’ve played with her, so I felt it was a challenge coming into the tournament both mentally and technically. I tried not to think about the tournament too much but more on my game.
“I’m pretty glad that I did better than the first two days but it was a struggle though because from the beginning I felt like, it’s the last day and expectations are higher, so I really wanted to do well.”
Yan has an unusual golf education. She started playing golf aged four and sat in the television commentary box many times as a youngster whilst her father, Ming, was commentating on tournament golf for ESPN.
With Chinese winners in all three formats of the unique three-in-one event, the 2012 World Ladies Championship could mark a watershed moment for Chinese women’s golf, with many more bright young prospects set to burst through the ranks in the years to come.
World Ladies Championship
Mission Hills Haikou, Hainan, China
The Vintage Course (par 72)
March 2-4, 2012
Individual tournament
Final Scores:
206 – Shanshan Feng (CHN) 66 69 71
207 – Pornanong Phatlum (THA) 68 69 70
208 – Pernilla Lindberg (SWE) 69 70 69
209 – Liying Ye (CHN) 68 67 74, Diana Luna (ITA) 66 71 72
210 – Nontaya Srisawang (THA) 70 71 69
212 – Giulia Sergas (ITA) 71 73 68, Linda Wessberg (SWE) 69 72 71, Beth Allen (USA) 67 71 74, Melissa Reid (ENG) 70 74 68
213 – Lee-Anne Pace (ZAF) 71 70 72, Felicity Johnson (ENG) 71 71 71, Florentyna Parker (ENG) 69 68 76, Caroline Masson (GER) 70 70 73
214 – Candie Kung (TPE) 67 77 70
215 – Jennifer Rosales (PHL) 70 73 72, Line Vedel (DNK) 71 70 74, Virginie Lagoutte-Clement (FRA) 74 69 72, Carin Koch (SWE) 68 75 72, Gwladys Nocera (FRA) 73 70 72
216 – Anne-Lise Caudal (FRA) 67 74 75, Jing Yan (CHN) 72 73 71
217 – Stacey Keating (AUS) 73 72 72, Ursula Wikstrom (FIN) 70 71 76, Marianne Skarpnord (NOR) 70 70 77, Xi Yu Lin (CHN) 68 77 72
218 – Carly Booth (SCO) 75 76 67, Rebecca Codd (IRL) 67 79 72, Amy Hung (TPE) 69 72 77, Lydia Ko (NZL) 71 71 76, Rebecca Flood (AUS) 71 73 74
219 – Sophie Giquel-bettan (FRA) 76 72 71, Karen Lunn (AUS) 70 76 73, Yue Xia Lu (CHN) 70 76 73, Stephanie Na (AUS) 72 74 73, Mei Hao Huang (CHN) 75 72 72
220 – Pan Pan Yan (CHN) 71 77 72, Cecilie Lundgreen (NOR) 72 70 78, Margherita Rigon (ITA) 71 75 74, Lucie Andre (FRA) 76 71 73, Nikki Garrett (AUS) 74 74 72, Lin Yan Shang (CHN) 73 71 76
221 – Sahra Hassan (WAL) 75 71 75, Liebelei Lawrence (LUX) 72 72 77, Malene Jorgensen (DNK) 77 73 71, Yi Chen Liu (TPE) 70 73 78, Caizhu Guo (CHN) 71 72 78, Bo-Mi Suh (KOR) 76 73 72, Kylie Walker (SCO) 75 70 76, Klara Spilkova (HRV) 79 69 73
222 – Tao Li Yang (CHN) 75 72 75, Amelia Lewis (USA) 72 75 75, Yun Jye Wei (TPE) 72 71 79
223 – Sophie Walker (ENG) 70 78 75, Frances Bondad (AUS) 75 75 73
224 – Connie Chen (ZAF) 73 71 80, Tania Elosegui (ESP) 73 74 77
225 – Danielle Montgomery (ENG) 72 76 77, Anja Monke (GER) 72 82 71, Ashleigh Simon (ZAF) 72 79 74
226 – Yu Yang Zhang (CHN) 73 77 76, Bree Arthur (AUS) 69 77 80, Marieke Nivard (NLD) 75 73 78
227 – Dottie Ardina (PHL) 73 80 74
229 – Carmen Alonso (ESP) 76 78 75
230 – Jia Yun Li (CHN) 75 78 77, Hannah Jun (USA) 74 79 77
231 – Marjet Van Der Graaff (NLD) 80 73 78
234 – Julie Tvede (DNK) 76 79 79
238 – Jessica Ji (KOR) 80 80 78
243 – Xiao Hong Chen (CHN) 82 81 80
Team scores:
China
R1: 134 > R2: 136 > R3: 145 > TOTAL: 415
Shan Shan FENG > R1: 66 > R2: 69 > R3: 71 > Total: 206
Li Ying YE > R1: 68 > R2: 67 > R3: 74 > Total: 209
Thailand
R1: 138 > R2: 140 > R3: 139 > TOTAL: 417
Pornanong PHATLUM > R1: 68 > R2: 69 > R3: 70 > Total: 207
Nontaya SRISAWANG > R1: 70 > R2: 71 > R3: 69 > Total: 210
Sweden
R1: 138 > R2: 142 > R3: 140 > TOTAL: 420
Pernilla LINDBERG > R1: 69 > R2: 70 > R3: 69 > Total: 208
Linda WESSBERG > R1: 69 > R2: 72 > R3: 71 > Total: 212
Italy
R1: 137 > R2: 144 > R3: 140 > TOTAL: 421
Diana LUNA > R1: 66 > R2: 71 > R3: 72 > Total: 209
Giulia SERGAS > R1: 71 > R2: 73 > R3: 68 > Total: 212
England
R1: 139 > R2: 142 > R3: 144 > TOTAL: 425
Melissa REID > R1: 70 > R2: 74 > R3: 68 > Total: 212
Florentyna PARKER > R1: 69 > R2: 68 > R3: 76 > Total: 213
Chinese Taipei
R1: 136 > R2: 149 > R3: 147 > TOTAL: 432
Candie KUNG > R1: 67 > R2: 77 > R3: 70 > Total: 214
Amy HUNG > R1: 69 > R2: 72 > R3: 77 > Total: 218
France
R1: 150 > R2: 141 > R3: 143 > TOTAL: 434
Virginie LAGOUTTE-CLEMENT > R1: 74 > R2: 69 > R3: 72 > Total: 215
Sophie GIQUEL-BETTAN > R1: 76 > R2: 72 > R3: 71 > Total: 219
Norway
R1: 142 > R2: 140 > R3: 155 > TOTAL: 437
Marianne SKARPNORD > R1: 70 > R2: 70 > R3: 77 > Total: 217
Cecilie LUNDGREEN > R1: 72 > R2: 70 > R3: 78 > Total: 220
Germany
R1: 142 > R2: 152 > R3: 144 > TOTAL: 438
Caroline MASSON > R1: 70 > R2: 70 > R3: 73 > Total: 213
Anja MONKE > R1: 72 > R2: 82 > R3: 71 > Total: 225
South Africa
R1: 143 > R2: 149 > R3: 146 > TOTAL: 438
Lee-Anne PACE > R1: 71 > R2: 70 > R3: 72 > Total: 213
Ashleigh SIMON > R1: 72 > R2: 79 > R3: 74 > Total: 225
Scotland
R1: 150 > R2: 146 > R3: 143 > TOTAL: 439
Carly BOOTH > R1: 75 > R2: 76 > R3: 67 > Total: 218
Kylie WALKER > R1: 75 > R2: 70 > R3: 76 > Total: 221
Philippines
R1: 143 > R2: 153 > R3: 146 > TOTAL: 442
Jennifer ROSALES > R1: 70 > R2: 73 > R3: 72 > Total: 215
Dottie ARDINA > R1: 73 > R2: 80 > R3: 74 > Total: 227
United States
R1: 141 > R2: 150 > R3: 151 > TOTAL: 442
Beth ALLEN > R1: 67 > R2: 71 > R3: 74 > Total: 212
Hannah JUN > R1: 74 > R2: 79 > R3: 77 > Total: 230
Australia
R1: 149 > R2: 149 > R3: 145 > TOTAL: 443
Nikki GARRETT > R1: 74 > R2: 74 > R3: 72 > Total: 220
Frances BONDAD > R1: 75 > R2: 75 > R3: 73 > Total: 223
Spain
R1: 149 > R2: 152 > R3: 152 > TOTAL: 453
Tania ELOSEGUI > R1: 73 > R2: 74 > R3: 77 > Total: 224
Carmen ALONSO > R1: 76 > R2: 78 > R3: 75 > Total: 229
Denmark
R1: 153 > R2: 152 > R3: 150 > TOTAL: 455
Malene JORGENSEN > R1: 77 > R2: 73 > R3: 71 > Total: 221
Julie TVEDE > R1: 76 > R2: 79 > R3: 79 > Total: 234
China II
R1: 148 > R2: 155 > R3: 153 > TOTAL: 456
Yu Yang ZHANG > R1: 73 > R2: 77 > R3: 76 > Total: 226
Jia Yun LI > R1: 75 > R2: 78 > R3: 77 > Total: 230
Netherlands
R1: 155 > R2: 146 > R3: 156 > TOTAL: 457
Marieke NIVARD > R1: 75 > R2: 73 > R3: 78 > Total: 226
Marjet VAN DER GRAAFF > R1: 80 > R2: 73 > R3: 78 > Total: 231
Korea
R1: 156 > R2: 153 > R3: 150 > TOTAL: 459
Bo-Mi SUH > R1: 76 > R2: 73 > R3: 72 > Total: 221
Jessica JI > R1: 80 > R2: 80 > R3: 78 > Total: 238
Wales
RETIRED
Becky BREWERTON > R1: 75 > R2: 38 > R3: > Total:
Lydia HALL > R1: 73 > R2: 76 > R3: > Total:
