DLF WOMEN'S INDIAN OPEN RELATED STORIES DLF Women's Indian Open home page DLF Women's Indian Open Preview Round 1: Teenage amateur Meghna Bal takes lead by two Round 2: Tseng Ya Ni hits the front Round 3: Ya Ni takes first pro win in playoff Final Scores & Prize Money Current LAGT Order of Merit Kiran Matharu to play DLF Women's Indian Open India's Irina Brar has her sights set high WGAI launch historic DLF Women's Indian Open ASIAN GOLF TODAY TOP STORIES Swedes sweep World Cup win Lin & Marksaeng near top 50 HK: Lin wins in 3-way playoff Asian Tour hits landmark 300 in HK Asian Tour releases 2009 schedule Report predicts 30% China golf growth GOLF TODAY TOP STORIES Sweden win World Cup Internationals claim Lexus Cup Pampling wins in a playoff Choi wins Skins Game Amateur: EGU allow range finders

Ya Ni takes first professional win in playoff

Chinese Taipei's Tseng Ya Ni clinched the USD100,000 DLF Women's Indian Open after beating Thailand's Russamee Gulynamitta in the first playoff hole at the DLF Golf & Country Club.

The two players finished regulation play tied at 1-under 215. Ya Ni ended her final round with a 3-over 75 and Russamee finished with a 2-over 74.

Describing her mixed performance in the final round, Ya Ni said: "From the 15th hole my match application was wrong all the way. I played stupidly."

She said the double-bogey on the short par-4 15th dented her confidence. "I should have used a three-wood but instead I was greedy and opted for the driver. I got into the bunker and then three-putted. I was really stupid. The double bogey allowed Russamee to level up with me. I should have just played it safe to finish and the playoff would not have materialised," said Ya Ni, adding that it was her first win after turning professional 80 days ago.

She had since played five professional tournaments. "This is my fifth," said Ya Ni.

However, she made amends in the playoff with a spectacular 20-feet downhill putt. "In the playoff, I did not get a good shot off the tee. It landed on the fairway of the neighbouring Hole No. 1. From there I hit a terrific shot over the trees that separate both the fairways. It landed 30 yards short of the green. I then hit the ball to about 20 feet to the pin and finished with a marvelous putt to post a birdie," Ya Ni said adding that words could not describe her feeling..

For Russamee, the shot she will never forget was her third on the playoff hole where it went into the lake. "It was this shot that separated the winner and me. I thought I had a good run. It got very exciting. It came down to the end for a playoff. Only a rash shot saw me lose the hole," she said.

In third place was Korea's Lee Bo-ri who finished 1-under today to tally 218. India's hope of seeing a winner diminished as their amateur star Meghna Bal played to a 6-over 78 for a three-round tally of 4-over 220. She shared fourth spot with compatriot Irina Brar and Thailand's Titiya Plucksataporn.

Leading final round scores (for full leaderboard click here):

215: Tseng Ya Ni (Tpe) 70-70-75; Russamee Gulyanamitta (Tha) 70-71-74 (Tseng won playoff at first extra hole)
218: Lee Bo-ri (Kor) 71-76-71
220: Irina Brar (Ind) 70-79-71; Titiya Plucksataporn (Tha) 75-70-75; Meghna Bal (Ind) 68-74-78
222: Rie Shiraki (Jpn) 72-77-73; Jade Schaeffer (Fra) 75-72-75; Lee Eun-kyoung (Kor) 71-72-79; Yeo Ji-yae (Kor) 75-71-76
223: Yu Pei Lin (Tpe) 73-77-73; Fame More (Eng) 75-75-73

March 16, 2007