“ I’ve probably given my dad I don’t know how many heart attacks over the last few days, but I’m just so happy they’re here and get to see this and we get to celebrate it together,” Lindberg said.
On Sunday, Jennifer Song dropped out off the playoff with a par on the third hole, and Park and Lindberg decided to take one more trip down the par-5 18th in fading light. With portable lights and the scoreboard helping illuminate the green, Park holed a six-footer for par and Lindberg made a short putt to match. They finished at 7:21 p.m., 15 minutes after sunset.
Play resumed at 8 a.m. Monday on No. 10, with Lindbergh leaving a birdie putt an inch short. They made up-and-down pars on the par-3 17th, with Park holing a tricky eight-foot downhill putt and Lindberg staying alive from a foot closer.
Lindberg then reached the 18th in two — the first time one of them went for it in the six times they played the par-5 hole in the playoff and regulation — but was on the far left side and was only able to get her eagle putt within seven feet. Park laid up and hit a wedge to eight feet. They both missed.
“I didn’t make many mistakes, but I just couldn’t make the putts,” Park said. “The morning greens were a little bit slower than I anticipated. I hit a couple putts short. I had a couple of opportunities. I’m a little bit disappointed, but I’m really happy the way I played this week.”
Lindberg, Park and Song birdied the 18th in regulation. Song got to 15-under first with a five-foot putt, Park followed with a four-footer in the next group and Lindberg matched her in the final group. Park and Song shot five-under 67, and Lindberg had a 71.
Lindberg is the fourth player to lead wire-to-wire in the event and first since Pat Hurst in 1998, and the fifth to win the tournament for her first L.P.G.A. Tour victory. She’s the sixth Swedish female major champion, joining Liselotte Neumann, Helen Alfredsson, Jenny Lidback (born in Peru to Swedish parents), Annika Sorenstam and Anna Nordqvist — and all of them won a major for her first L.P.G.A. Tour title.
“I remember writing some goals probably right when I got to high school,” Lindberg said. “Writing about the dream scenario, and it would be to obviously win a major championship and leave a mark in history. But at the same time it felt like too big of a dream to come true, but it has.”
Park, the 29-year-old Hall of Famer, won in 2013 at Mission Hills and is a seven-time major champion. She won the Founders Cup two weeks ago for her 19th tour title, a day after revealing she was 50-50 about retiring before returning from a long break. She returned to play a month ago in Singapore after not playing since the Women’s British Open in August.
“The putt Pernilla made on the last was a champion’s putt,” Park said. “I’m really happy for her. This one was not an easy major win for her, as well. I mean, eight-hole playoff, I’ve never done something like that before, either.”
Jessica Korda and Ariya Jutanugarn finished a stroke out of the playoff.
Source : NYtimes
