PORTLAND, Ore. — Teenager Chanettee Wannasaen performed a five-hole stretch in 6 underneath early within the ultimate spherical Sunday and closed with a near-flawless 9-under 63 for a four-stroke victory on the Portland Traditional to turn into the primary Monday qualifier to win on the LPGA Tour since 2015.
Wannasaen arrived at Portland ranked 367th and having missed 9 straight cuts in her rookie season. The 19-year-old from Thailand credited her caddie for protecting her calm and put collectively 4 stellar rounds within the 60s at Columbia Edgewater. She shattered the match scoring document by 5 strokes with a 26-under 262 whole for her first LPGA Tour victory.
“I do not hand over. Yeah, I do not hand over,” Wannasaen stated.
Wannasaen is simply the third qualifier to win on tour. Canada’s Brooke Henderson was the final Monday qualifier to win, taking the identical Portland occasion in 2015. The opposite qualifier to complete first was American Laurel Kean, who claimed the State Farm Traditional in 2000.
Third-round chief Megan Khang failed in her bid to win consecutive occasions. The 25-year-old American, a winner per week in the past the CPKC Girls’s Open at Shaughnessy in Vancouver, British Columbia — her first on tour — closed with a 1-under 71 and completed alone in sixth place at 19 underneath.
Khang was happy along with her efficiency over the past two tiring weeks.
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“You realize, sport is fairly stable,” she stated after a spherical that included three birdies and two bogeys on the again 9. “I imply, I am unable to actually say an excessive amount of about right now. A pair putts did not drop, however total, I imply, Chanettee performed superb. … You are on the market and there’s nothing you are able to do about that. Gave myself a bunch of probabilities … once more, putts did not drop.”
Wannasaen, who had beforehand received on the Entry Sequence of the Women European Tour and Thai LPGA, misplaced a playoff to Yue Ren final week in Idaho within the Epson Tour’s Circling Raven Championship. She admitted the prolonged run of missed cuts weighed on her, however she credited the Epson Tour with boosting her confidence.
Xiyu Lin of China closed with a 64 for a 22-under 266 whole and was second. China’s Ruoning Yin (64), American Gina Kim (66) and Spain’s Carlota Ciganda (67) tied for third one other stroke again..
Tied for second place getting into the spherical, Wannasaen charged into the lead with birdies at Nos. 3 and 5, an eagle on the par-5 fifth, and two extra birdies on the sixth and seventh holes — a stretch of 6 underneath that catapulted her into the lead at 23 underneath.
She carded a 30 on the entrance 9 and was by no means actually pressured on the inward 9, methodically taking part in the again and including three extra birdies to her whole. She elevated her benefit with consecutive birdies at Nos. 13 and 14, and he or she added one other on the seventeenth to extend her result in 5 stokes with 4 to play.
“I actually like this course as a result of I could make a whole lot of birdies, and I feel the course is de facto stunning,” Wannasaen stated.
Certainly one of few hiccups in her ultimate spherical got here on the 72nd gap when Wannasaen, who hit 13 of 14 fairways, powered her strategy lengthy and over the inexperienced — one in all three missed greens in regulation within the ultimate spherical. She chipped quick however punctuated her bogey-free spherical and victory with a 10-foot par putt.
Lin, who modified her placing grip this week, feverishly tried to rally from a gap 71 that included two bogeys and a double-bogey. However she simply wasn’t capable of full her comeback.
The Related Press contributed to this report.
