By COLIN FARQUHARSON
colin@scottishgolfview.com
Yani Tseng, 22 year old Florida-based player from Taipei, wrote herself into the golfing history books at Carnoustie today when she strolled to a second successive victory in the Ricoh Women’s British Open championship.
She thus became the youngest ever golfer, male or female, to win five Major golf titles.
In women’s pro golf, the record had been set by the legendary Patty Berg as long ago as 1943 when she was 25 years old.
Defending champion Yani started the final day at Carnoustie at 13-under-par, two shots behind the surprise leader, another 22-year-old, Germany’s Caroline Masson who has been a pro for only 20 months.
Within three holes, Tseng had draw level with Masson and by the eighth, she had surged two shots clear, winning in the end by four strokes with a closing 69 for 16-under-par 272.
The first prize was £239,047 but the importance of winning a fifth major at such a record pace probably meant more than the money to Yani Tseng.
“To win the Ricoh Women’s British Open in Scotland – the Home of Golf – is really special and for it to be my fifth major, faster than anyone else, also makes this a very special day in my life,” she said.
“I not only feel really happy, I feel it is an honour for me to achieve my fifth major in Scotland.
“I played really consistently today and I just had fun. But I was a little nervous before I teed off. My stomach was hurting and I felt really nervous. But after the first tee, I felt really good. I just needed to be patient.”
Tani began her momentous round on a low note – a bogey 5 – but she soon picked up a full head of steam to leave the hapless Caroline Masson trailing in her wake.
Tseng birdied the third and the sixth, reaching the turn in one-under 35.
A birdied at the 11th made her 15 under par for the tournament and opened up a four-shot lead over the field with Scotland’s Catriona Matthew moving into second place.
Back-to-back bogeys at the 12th and 13th, brought Yani down to earth, but she birdied the long 14th to get back to 14 under par and a three-shot lead.
The World No 1 showed her class by covering the last five holes in three under par by following up that 14th hole bitrdie with birdies at te long 17th and also the 18t in halves of 35 and 34.
“I took a nine-iron for my second shot at the 18th. I was thinking coming down that hole about Jean Van de Velde (the Frenchman who lost a three-shot lead and the 1999 men’s Open down Carnoustie’s famed last hole.
“I too had a three-shot lead so on the tee I said to myself that I’d better hit a good drive to win the tournament. So I did hit a good drive, then a nine-iron. I feel a little bit juiced up at the time and so I hit that nine iron something like 135 yards. It was a great shot to set up a birdie 3 finish.”
Yani has now won four of the last ladies’ majors. Is she think already of next season’s Majors?
“Yeah, always the US Open is one of the tournaments I want to win. To win the US Open will be my goal next year. But I just want to keep improving myself, skill, mental and how I feel.
“There’s a long way to go.”
In the end it was a fast-finishing American, Brittany Lang, who took the £149,850 prize for second place. She had four very stead, very good rounds of 70, 70, 69 and 67 to finis four behind Tseng wit a 12-under-par total fo 276.
Brittany birdied the 11th, 12th, 14th and 17th in an inward half of 32 which saw her climb into second place over the closing holes of the championship. So what did Lang think about finishing second to the World No 1 winning her fifth Major?
“It’s unbelievable. I couldn’t even imagine being 22 years old and winning five majors and all the other events she has won apart from the majors. She’s sp mentally strong and she’s so aggressive and confident. Yani’s just to it all. It’s pretty cool, cool to watch.”
Sweden’s Sophie Gustafson, like Brittany Lang, came like an express train up the leaderboard at the finish. She birdied the 14th, 17th and 18th for a 68 to finish third on 11-under-par 277. Ger earlier rounds were 68, 71 and 70.
She earned £104,895.
Amy Yang (South Korea) also improved late in the day with a 67 to finish fourth on 10 under par 278.
Joint fifth on nine-under-par 209 were overnight leader Caroline Masson and Catriona Matthew. Caroline had rounds of 68, 65, 68 and 78 – a sad finish to a great tournament for the 22-year-old in only her second year as a pro and competing in only her second major.
She bogeyed the second, third and seventh to turn in 39, having begun to fall farther and farther behind Tseng, her playing partner.
The German player then had a nightmare run of bogey-bogey-double bogey from te 10th and yet another bogey at the 15 saw her descend to her lowest point of seven under par, having started the day at 15 under.
But Caroline has got guts. She never showed any signs of distress, deserving to finish on a high with birdies at the 17th and 18th, her first of the round.
Which perhaps explained why she was so upbeat and far from downhearted in her post-championship interviews.
“I did my best, tried to play all the shots that had worked so well for me and put me in the lead but it just wasn’t my day. But I will learn from it. I will learn from playing that last round with such a great player as Yani is,” said Caroline.
Catriona Matthew, winner of the Ricoh Women’s British Open two years ago at Royal Birkdale, birdied te sixth and ninth to get to 11 under par and was only two shots off te lead round about the 13th – but generally the putts were not dropping for her.
She went a remarkable 47 holes without a bogey, startibg at the 16th on Friday’s thid round … until the very last hole of the championship, which cost er a double bogey 6 for a level par round of 72 for a total of nine-under 207, having got to 11 under par at one stage.
The Scot went out of bounds with her second shot at the 18t.,
“I struggled a bit today, didn’t hit that many good shots. I chipped and putted well but didn’t give myself enough birdie chances after the turn,” said Catriona.
And that out of bounds shot at the 18th?
“I tried to hit a little five-iron and the ball was just a little bit above my feet. In hindsight I should have chipped out but decided to go for it, “ she said.
“At the moment I am disappointed with the way I finished but I think overall I had not too bad a week.”
And Carnoustie as a Ricoh Women’s British Open venue?
“Oh definitely. It’s one of the best courses there is. Everyone has enjoyed their week here and look forward to coming back again to Carnoustie.”
American Katie Futcher showed the low-scoring potential when the strong wind that was forecast never really materialised.
Ktie became the third player in the championship to return an eight-under-p-ar 64 and she was the only player to score less than 30 for either half. She came home in seven-under-par 29 with an eagle (14th), five birdies (10-13-15-16-17) and only three pars. Some shooting.
The Smyt Silver Medal to the leading amateur was won by 18 year Danielle Kang, a student at Pepperdine University, Las Vegas and last year’s American girls’ champion. She had rounds of 72, 69, 75 and 74 for a two-over-par total of 290.
The only other amateur to survive the halfway cut always plays on the US college circuit – Germany’s Sophie Popov, a student at the University of Southern California.
Sophie scored 70, 75, 77 and 77 for 299 round Carnoustie.
FINAL TOTALS
Par 288 (4x72)
272 Yani Tseng (Tpe) 71 66 66 69 (£238,047).
276 Brittany Lang (US) 70 70 69 67 (£149,850)
277 Sophie Gustafson (Swe) 68 71 70 68 (£104,895)
278 Amy Yang (SKo) 68 70 73 67 (£82,061)
279 Caroline Masson (Ger) 68 65 68 78,
Catriona Matthew (Sco) 70 69 68 72 (£62,795 each).
280 Anna Nordqvist (Swe) 70 71 69 70, Sun Young Yoo (SKo) 71 70 69 70, Na Yeon Choi (SKo) 69 67 72 72, In-Bee Park (SKo) 70 74 73 73 (£45,850 each)
281 Stacy Lewis (US) 74 68 71 68, Dewi-Claire Schreefel (Net) 70 66 74 71.
282 Maria Hjorth (Swe) 72 69 73 68,.
283 Katie Futcher (US) 71 74 74 64, Cristie Kerr (US) 72 69 74 68, Candie Kung (Tpe) 72 73 69 69, Song-Hee Kim (SKo) 69 72 71 71, Sun Ju Ahn (SKo) 71 71 70 71, Mika Miyazato (Jap) 69 69 72 73, Se Ri Park (SKo) 72 64 73 74
284 Jiyai Shin (SKo) 75 66 72 71
285 Karen Stupples (Eng) 74 68 72 71, Hee-Kyung Seo (SKo) 72 71 71 71, Karrie Webb (Aus) 70 71 72 72, Rachel Jennings (Eng) 71 73 69 72, Momoko UJeda (Jap) 69 71 72 73, Angela Stanford (US) 68 72 72 73
286 Michelle Wie (US) 74 68 72, Vicky Hurst (US) 70 71 71 74
287 Amy Hung (Tpe) 69 72 78 69, Harji Kang (SKo) 75 70 73 69, Beth Allen (US) 71 70 75 71, Tiffany Joh (US) 71 69 75 72, ~Caroline Hedwall (Swe) 69 69 76 74, Brittany Lincicome (US) 67 71 76 67, Shanshan Feng (Chn) 70 75 67 75
288 Melissa Reid (Eng) 75 70 73 70, Eun Hee Ji (SKo) 70 71 75 72, Suzann Pettersen (Nor) 76 76 73 73, Meena Lee (SKo) 65 69 80 74,Linda Wessbnerg (Swe) 73 66 75 74, In Kyung Kim (S Korea) 71 72 71 74
289 Hiromi Mogi (Jap) 72 72 74 71, Hee Won Han (SKo) 73 71 74 71, Lorie Kane (Can) 69 76 73 71, Hee Young Park (SKo) 70 70 76 73, Kristy McPherson (US) 71 71 74 73, Paula Creamer (US) 69 70 71 79
290 Azahara Munoz (Spa) 73 71 73 73, Danielle Kang (US) (am) 72 69 75 74, Morgan Pressel (U~S) 70 71 75 74, Pat Hurst (US) 70 69 74 77, Cindy LaCrosse (US) 72 69 72 77
291 Christel Boeljon (Net) 75 69 73 79,
Janice Moodie (Sco) 75 67 75 74, Sandra Gal (Ger) 71 70 74 76, Chelia Choi (SKo) 74 70 71 76, Amanda Blumenherst (US) 73 71 70 77
292 Miki Saiki (Jap) 72 72 76 72,
Kylie Walker (Sco) 72 72 74 74, Holly Aitchison (Eng) 71 74 72 75, Julieta Granada (Para) 71 74 70 77, Sopie Giquel-Bettan (Fra) 71 68 72 71
295 Virginie Lagoutte-Clement (Fra) 75 70 73 77, Jaclyn Sweeney (US) 74 71 72 74.
297 Georgina Simpson (Eng) 71 73 79 74.
299 Sophie Popov (Ger) (am) 70 75 77 77
Retired (after 6 holes): Jimin Kang (Sko) 74 70 72 ret.
ATTENDANCE FIGURES AT CARNOUSTIE
(Royal Birkdale last year in brackets)
WEDNESDAY - 800 (1,500)
THURSDAY - 5,200 (11,650)
FRIDAY - 6,900 (10,500)
SATURDAY - 7,800 (15,400)
SUNDAY - 9,600 (16,100)
WEEK'S TOTAL: 30,300 (55,150 at Royal Birkdale)
