Oh Ji-young Wins Sybase Classic
By Kang Seung-woo
Staff Reporter
Oh Ji-young fired a two-under 70 on the final day of the Sybase Classic to win the $2 million-event in Clifton, N.J. on Monday (Seoul Time).
The 20-year-old South Korean, who entered the fourth round in a tie for the lead with Suzann Pettersen, had four birdies and two bogeys to hold off the Norwegian by four shots to end at 14-under 274 total.
American golfers Michelle Wie and Paula Creamer tied for third at eight-under 280, while Oh's compatriots Kim In-kyung and Park Hee-young finished fifth and tied for sixth at seven-under and six-under, respectively. Three-time defending champion Lorena Ochoa of Mexico ended tied for 19th at 287.
Oh earned the $300,000 top prize to climb to eighth on this season's money list with a total of $383,247 and eclipsed the $1 million mark in career earnings with $1,212,367.
This victory is her first on the LPGA Tour since she lifted the trophy at the State Farm Classic last July, and the second by a South Korean golfer in the 2009 season on the top professional women's golf circuit. Shin Ji-yai won at the HSBC Women's Champions in March.
``From the first day when I made that hole-in-one I knew that trophy was waiting for me and I needed to do everything in my power to win this tournament,'' said Oh, who aced the par-3 eighth hole in the first round.
``I really wanted it badly, and there was no way I wasn't going to get it.''
The three-year pro, who improved her score by two through eight holes with birdies on Nos. 3, 5 and 7 and a bogey on No. 8, wrapped up the front nine with a 15-foot putt for par from the fringe on the ninth.
After the turn, Oh, who had just one top-10 finish in the previous seven events this season, made a bogey on the par-4 10th, but settled down after that, parring seven straight holes before sinking a seven-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole.
Pettersen, who has won five times on the LPGA Tour, all during the 2007 season, went head-to-head with Oh through 11 holes, sharing top spot on the leaderboard, but allowed Oh to take the lead for good after a bogey on the 12th.
Oh almost clinched the win on the penultimate hole as Pettersen's par putt lipped out the left side, leaving her two shots back. Pettersen finished the round with another bogey on the final hole.
``Today, was not too easy for me, because I was behind Pettersen and Brittany, and they are really, really good players. So I was really nervous but after a few holes, I became really, really calm. I was just thinking about my game and I hit some good shots and I had a good putter. I had a good score and won,'' Oh said.
Oh, one of the Pak Se-ri kids ― golfers who were influenced by Pak's U.S. Women's Open triumph in 1998 ― started golf at age 12, and was selected to the Korean national team in 2005.
After topping the Future Collegians World Tour, a national junior golf organization for kids age 11 to 18, six times as an amateur in 2006, she earned exempt status for the 2007 season after tying for ninth at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament.
Her rookie season was less favorable, as she made the cut 10 times in 22 events, including just one top-10 finish at the Safeway Classic. She broke out in 2008, picking up her first career tour title at the State Farm Classic and finished in the top-10 four times with three missed cuts in 29 appearances.