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World No.1 Lydia Ko wins the ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open
Melbourne Australia - The seventeen year old phenom known these days as the world #1, just keeps
rolling on. This episode was on the famed Royal Melbourne composite course. Lydia Ko's Sunday 71,
was enough to outlast the stellar field at the ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open on Dr.Alister
MacKenzie's sand belt classic design, finishing at 9 under par.
Ko struggled early on, but righted the ship with a pitch in for eagle on the par 4 - third. "The first two
holes I three putted and you don't want to start on that kind of note, especially on the final day when
you know you need to play really well. That third hole really kicked off well. I couldn't really see the
ball drop in the hole but people were clapping and it was getting louder as the ball was getting closer,"
Ko said. "It was great and it really helped my round."
Amy Yang was Ko's biggest challenger Sunday, but she faltered down the stretch with bogey's on the 15th
and 17th holes to finish two shots back after a final round 72, Ariya Jutanugarn finished third at 4 under
par.
The victory was Lydia Ko's sixth career LPGA Tour Title.
Scores: http://www.lpga.com/leaderboard
James Hahn celebrates his first career PGA Tour victory at Riviera
Pacific Palisades, California - On a cold rainy Sunday in Southern California, James Hahn brought
his own sunshine to the famous George Thomas layout just off Sunset Blvd in the City of Angels.
Trailing by 4 heading into the final round, Hahn hung in there on a day when most (including 54
hole leader Retief Goosen) fell to the wayside. At the end of regulation, three players remained tied for
the Northern Trust Open title at Riviera at -6: Dustin Johnson (69), a resurgent Paul Casey (68),
and James Hahn (69).
Hahn ranked #297 in the world coming in to Hogan's Alley, was clearly the underdog in the playoff.
After all three players made par on the 1st sudden death hole, next up was the driveable par 4-tenth.
Highly regarded as the best short par 4 on tour, it was the perfect stage for the moment. All three
players hit their tee shots left of the green with Casey having the best angle into the elongated putting
surface - where the hole location was positioned back right. Casey went first from the shortgrass, his
pitch settled about 18 feet short of the hole. Next up was Hahn who hit a marvelous flop from the rough
over the back bunker to about 11 feet (considering the moment and the tough wet lie, it was a great
shot). DJ had an even tougher shot from the cabbage, with very little green between the bunker and the
flag. The recently transplanted resident of L.A hit the shot of the week, a flop shot out the wet Kikuyu turf
that not only landed within a few feet of the hole, it also spun as if it were a dry lie from the shortgrass.
Casey just missed his putt on the low side, then Hahn, knowing he had to have his, drained it
dead center. DJ tapped in for his birdie, with Casey eliminated, the two marched on to the par 3 -
fourteenth. Johnson hit his tee shot to 10 ft, and Hahn almost matched him - his ball finishing about
16 feet from the cup. Hahn casually stepped up and drained his putt. Johnson seemed shaken by Hahn's
clutch roll when his feeble attempt came up short... and just like that James Hahn had won his first PGA
Tour event (and a birth to the Masters).
It wasn't the Masters that Hahn was thinking about after his victory, it was the upcoming birth of
his daughter. "That, to me kind of humbles myself and kind of brings me down to reality that, you
know, I'm going to be a Dad here in like three weeks," Hahn said. "I couldn't be more excited, and more
nervous that we don't have a name picked out yet. I'm going to have to talk to my wife about Riviera.
I think that's a good name."
We couldn't agree more.
54 hole leader Retief Goosen struggled on the back nine Sunday and shot 75 finishing two shots
out of the playoff at -4.
Scores: http://www.pgatour.com/leaderboard.html
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