Stacy Pammanasudh gains maiden LPGA title

Stacy Prammanasudh earned her first LPGA Tour title on the same course her college rival did last year.

Prammanasudh made consecutive birdies at Nos. 16 and 17 to pull away from defending champion Lorena Ochoa at the Franklin American Mortgage Championship on Sunday, becoming the first first-time winner on tour this season.

"It's more work trying to keep my emotions in check,'' Prammanasudh said. "I feel great. I really don't know if I believe it yet.''

Prammanasudh made back-to-back birdies twice in the final round and closed with a 3-under 69 for a 14-under 274 total.

Ochoa birdied No. 18 for a 70 to move to 11-under. Cristie Kerr (68), Christina Kim (69) and Catriona Matthew (71) tied for third at 9-under. Heather Bowie (72), Rachel Hetherington (67) and Karrie Webb (70) were at 4-under.

Ochoa, the rising Mexican star, and Prammanasudh had squared off nearly every week in college when Ochoa was ranked No. 1 and Prammanasudh a distant No. 2. Ochoa won 12 collegiate titles in two seasons at Arizona, while Prammanasudh won 10 titles in her four years at Tulsa.

"My dad called me before the round and said 'It's just like college today,''' Ochoa said.

This time, Prammanasudh prevailed, playing much the same way Ochoa did last season when she won two LPGA events: staying in the fairway and using an accurate short game to set up easy putts.

The 25-year-old Prammanasudh, who had her father as her caddie, made a 10-foot birdie putt at the par-4 sixth to move to 11-under. Meanwhile, Ochoa pushed her long birdie putt 12 feet past the hole and failed to save par, falling to 9-under.

"When she knocked it by, I knew that if I put a good stroke on it and I could make that one, it would give me a little momentum,'' Prammanasudh said. "Whenever those two shots came around I realized, 'OK, I am in the driver's seat and just get it done.'''

At the par-5 seventh, Prammanasudh failed to reach the green with her second shot, but nearly holed her chip from the fringe and tapped in for birdie to reach 12-under.

Ochoa, making her first title defense, tried to cut into the lead at No. 8, but her 7-foot birdie putt lipped out. She also missed birdie opportunities at the 10th, 11th, 15th, 16th and 17th.

"I always felt like I had a chance on the back nine,'' Ochoa said. "She just didn't let me breathe.''

Prammanasudh, who made just one bogey in the final round, sank a 10-foot birdie at No. 16 to move to 13-under. She leaned into the putt just after it left the club, and the ball tumbled in off the right lip.

At the par-4 17th, she spun a wedge more than 20 feet back to within 6 feet and made the birdie putt to extend her lead to four strokes at 14-under.

"I definitely didn't want to be short,'' she said. "I was going to go into the bushes before I was going to go in that bunker. I knew I was going to go long and right, with the slope of the green it should come back.''

Prammanasudh, who earned $150,000 for the victory after coming into the season with a little more than $400,000 in career earnings, was moved to tears when crediting her father for getting her into the game. But she smiled and said, "I'm the only player out here who would get fired by their caddie.''

Prammanasudh, whose best career finish had been third at this event last year, hit 92.9 percent (52 of 56) of the fairways and 86.1 percent (62 of 72) of the greens in regulation for the tournament.

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