Daly-Donofrio gains four shot victory

Heather Daly-Donofrio holed out her second shot for eagle on the third hole and cruised to a four-stroke victory Sunday in the LPGA Tournament of Champions.

Daly-Donofrio closed with a 2-under-par 70. A bogey on the final hole gave her a 72-hole total of 19 under 269, causing her to miss tying the tournament record of 20 under set by Se Ri Pak in 2002.

The 35-year-old Daly-Donofrio started the day with a three-stroke lead over Sophie Gustafson and no one was able to put a dent in that margin all day. The lead jumped to five strokes when Daly-Donofrio holed out a 9-iron approach from 123 yards.

"I had a perfect yardage and it was the best swing I've ever made," Daly-Donofrio said. "I can still feel that swing. It hit about 8 feet in front of the pin, then everybody started cheering, so I knew it went it.

"That made me relax a little. That was the good start I needed."

Daly-Donofrio came back to the field a bit but was still in front by three shots until the 13th hole. There, Gustafson hit her tee shot into the woods and the lead went to five strokes with five holes to go.

The victory was surprising because Daly-Donofrio's scoring average on the Magnolia Grove's Crossings the previous three years was 75.6. But she opened with 66-66, then posted a career-best 64.

The only reason she was even in the field is because tournament officials extended the eligibility criteria to winners from 2001, allowing her to get in on her lone career win in the 2001 First Union Betsy King Classic.

"The second win is way more sweeter than the first one because if you win just one, you don't know if it's a fluke or not," said Daly-Donofrio. "The second one, particularly against a field of champions by four strokes, is real satisfying."

The $130,000 payday surpasses the $113,745 she had earned in 22 previous tournaments this year, moving her from No. 84 on the money list to No. 48. She also earns a three-year exemption on the LPGA Tour.

The other big winner of the day was Laura Diaz, who birdied the last two holes to shoot 69 and finish second. Her $84,140 prize bumped her from No. 36 on the money list to No. 27, allowing her to qualify for this week's season-ending ADT Tour Championship in West Palm Beach, Fla.

"I think there was a bit of a surprise, the second place, but I had a few things go my way on the last two holes, so it's nice to finish with two birdies," Diaz said. "Unfortunately, I still did not win the golf tournament, but a pretty solid week."

Candie Kung and Karen Stupples bogeyed the 18th hole to fall out of a share of second place and into a tie for third with Gustafson at 274. Kung and Stupples shot 71. Gustafson closed with a 72.

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