Choi Tied for Second
By Jonathan Sanfilippo
Staff Reporter
Trailing by six strokes heading into the final round of the Ginn Tribute, Choi Na-yeon knows she'll have to play her best golf on the last day of the tournament to have any chance of coming away with the title.
``I will be aggressive and go for the pin each and every time I play,'' Choi said in a translated interview on the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA)'s Web site.
``I'm just going to go for it.''
Seeking her first LPGA win, Choi, a 20-year-old South Korean in her rookie year on the tour, had a three-round score of 12-under-par 204, putting her six shots behind Sophie Gustafson of Sweden and in a tie for second with Kerrie Webb of Australia, as they prepared for the last round, which takes place Sunday at RiverTowne Country Club in Mount Pleasant, S.C.
After shooting a 3-under 69 in the first round on Thursday to put herself in the middle of the field, Choi climbed up the leaderboard and into contention with a 67 on Friday and a 68 on Saturday.
Her performance has been highlighted with an eagle in each of the last two rounds. That includes making a shot with a 4-iron from 180 yards away on Saturday on the par-4 fifth hole.
``I had two eagles, but I really had a lot more chances to do it more than twice,'' she said. ``That's how great I've been feeling about my shots lately.''
Choi entered the tournament in 39th in the world rankings and seventh on this year's LPGA money list with $367,597 (378 million won). She's finished in the top 10 at four tour events this year, including a tie for second at the Sybase Classic in May in Clifton, N.J.
``At first, I didn't have the type of confidence that I have, but you know, if you look at what tournaments I've played so far this year, you know, I've been in the top 10 or 15 a few times, and you know, really other than anything, it's the confidence of what I've learned and gained from Sybase,'' she said. ``The confidence and stuff for this tournament or for the rest of the year, that's been a huge help.''
Jane Park was in fourth place after three rounds at the Ginn Tribute with a score of 11-under 205. Kim Song-hee was in fifth with a 206. Lee Seon-hwa and Teresa Lu were tied for sixth with 207s, while Pak Se-ri, Yoo Sun-young and Inbee Park were tied for eighth with 208s.