Sandra Gal outlasted Rolex Rankings No. 2 Jiyai Shin to earn her first LPGA victory at the Kia Classic. Gal hit a wedge from 83 yards to two feet for birdie on the 18th hole to defeat Shin by a stroke and become the only Rolex First-Time winner of 2011. Gal, a native of Dusseldorf, Germany, started playing golf at the age of 6 and her father was her first golf coach. She had an accomplished amateur career, representing Germany at the European Team Championships from 2003-07 and winning the German National Girls Championship in 2003. Gal attended the University of Florida where she was a 2007 first team All-American and won four tournaments. In 2007, Gal won the Czech Invitational Championship and was the top-ranked amateur in both the European and German ranks. Gal turned professional in 2008.
Gal is the second German to record a victory on the LPGA Tour. The first was Tina Fischer in 2001. Gal’s best career finish prior to her win at the Kia Classic had been a tie for fifth at the LPGA Corning Classic in 2009. With the victory, Gal earns $255,000.
Shin rallied on the back nine Sunday but missed a four-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole that would have forced a playoff with Gal. Shin, whose nickname is “Final-Round Queen,” recorded three bogeys on the front nine but made three birdies on the back nine to keep herself in contention until the final hole. Shin, who had led after the second and third rounds, finished alone in second place with a 15-under-par 277.
The final round featured a few of the top players moving up the leaderboard late in the day. Cristie Kerr, Rolex Rankings No. 3, shot a 7-under 66 to move into a tie for third place with Rolex Rankings No. 7 I.K. Kim. Both finished the tournament at 11-under-par 281.
Golden ticket winners: Sandra Gal, Jiyai Shin and I.K. Kim punched their “Ticket to Titleholders” at the Kia Classic. By virtue of their top three-finishes, Gal, Shin and Kim each earned a spot in the season-ending CME Group Titleholders event, which will be held Nov. 17-20, 2011 at Grand Cypress Golf Club in Orlando, Fla. The inaugural CME Group Titleholders, a season finale with a field made up of three qualifiers from every LPGA Tour tournament, is a format never previously used in professional golf.
Gal is going to Canyon Ranch. With her victory at the 2011 Kia Classic, Sandra Gal earned an all-inclusive stay for two at a Canyon Ranch resort. In a combined effort to promote health and overall well-being among Tour players, Canyon Ranch will provide every winner of an LPGA event with one all-inclusive stay at one of Canyon Ranch’s two destination resorts.
Welcome to the Kraft: The top 10 finishers and ties at the Kia Classic who were not otherwise qualified for next week’s Kraft Nabisco earned spots into the LPGA’s first major of the year. The 11 players who earned entry into the tournament with their finishes this week are: Marcy Hart, Mindy Kim, Paige MacKenzie, Reilley Rankin, Christel Boeljon, Pornanong Phatlum, Jane Park, Kris Tamulis, Becky Morgan, Pernilla Lindberg and Stephanie Sherlock.
It’s a small world: When Kia and the LPGA got together last year for the inaugural Kia Classic, unbeknownst to LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan, LPGA Chief Marketing Officer Jon Podany and VP of Marketing and Communications for Kia Motors America Michael Sprague, it was also a college reunion. The trio all graduated from Miami of Ohio in 1987 and even lived together at Dennison Hall their freshman year. “We didn’t know this until we all came together,” Sprague said. “Here’s three guys from completely different backgrounds who all lived in the same residence hall 28 years ago, and we came back together for a golf tournament.”
Of Note…Marcy Hart delivered the round of the day on Sunday with an 8-under 65 to move her into a tie for seventh. It marked Hart’s first top-10 finish since 2006…Rolex Rankings No. 1 Yani Tseng shot a 6-under 67 in the final round to finish in a tie for fifth place with Na
Full Article: LPGA.com News & Entertainment
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