|
Kung wins
again after Sunday washout
Candie Kung didn't finish a hole Sunday, yet walked away with her second title
in as many weeks.
Kung won her second straight tournament and third of the year when she was
declared the winner of the rain-shortened LPGA State Farm Classic.
Kung, who won last week's Wachovia Classic and the Takefuji Classic earlier
this season, finished at 14-under-par 202 after 54 holes. Laura Davies was one
stroke back in second, and Hee-Won Han was third at 12 under. Karen Stupples finished
fourth at 10 under.
"It feels great right now," Kung said. "It still hasn't sunk
in yet, and hopefully, it will in the next couple of days. Two wins in two weeks."
Kung would have liked to play the final round, but didn't complain about how
things turned out.
"I think a win is a win," Kung said. "But everyone out there
who made the cut after Friday wanted to finish 72 holes. It just happened to be
one of those weeks."
Tournament officials hoped to beat the bad weather by having all players tee
off before 9 a.m. But just as the final group of Kung, Davies and Han teed off,
play was suspended due to heavy rain. After 3½ hours, officials decided
the Rail Golf Course was too wet.
Tour official Janet Lindsay said the unplayable course and a forcast for more
rain Monday forced the cancellation. It was the first time since the Chick-fil-A
Championship in 1997 that the final round of an LPGA event was washed out, tour
officials said.
Davies said she was disappointed by the decision to cancel the final round.
"I felt I had a good chance today," Davies said.
"It was anyone's to win, really. Candie had a one-shot lead, but a one-shot
lead is nothing."
The first group off Sunday made through nine holes before the rain delay, but
just 15 of the 74 players were under par in the steady rain. The last two groups
did not finish the first hole.
Sunday's cancellation gives Davies another narrow miss at the Rail, where she
finished second for the third straight year.
Kung led by as many as five strokes during Saturday's third round, but struggled
down the stretch and finished with a 1-under 71.
Davies charged into contention with a 6-under 66, closing within a stroke.
She nearly moved into a tie for the lead, but missed holing a bunker shot at the
18th by 2 inches.
With her third-place finish, Han moved past Se Ri Pak and claimed the $100,000
winner's check in the State Farm LPGA Series. Pak led with 336 points heading
into the tournament, but finished ninth overall at 8 under, and the weighted point
system gave Han the bonus series title.
Email
this page to a friend | Return
to top of page |