Kapalua LPGA Classic - Final Round

Morgan Pressel birdied the final hole to win the Kapalua LPGA Classic.  Suzann Pettersen finished second at -7, Laura Diaz was third at -6 while Angela Stanford and Sun Young Yoo were tied for fourth at -4.

20 players began the day within four shots of the four co-leaders.  Yoo created a five-way tie at the top when she birdied #2.  Shortly thereafter, many of the contenders started weeding themselves out.  A few examples - Carin Koch played the front nine in +2 37, double-bogeys knocked out Janice Moodie and Il Mi Chung, and three bogeys in four holes put an end to Alena Sharp's run.  Yoo bogeyed 3 and Jee Young Lee bogeyed 4, leaving Pressel and Lang atop the board.  Pettersen got going with a birdie at 5 to tie for the lead.  Another at 6 put her in front alone and a third straight at 7 made her margin two.  Suzann's fourth birdie in five holes at 9 opened up a three-shot lead at -8 and it looked like Miss October was going to take it running away.

Playing in the last group (two behind Pettersen), Pressel began to answer with a birdie of her own at 9 to reach -6.  Suzann brought the field back into play when she bogeyed 11.  At 13 Pressel dropped another birdie from 15 feet to tie for the lead and when Pettersen bogeyed again at 15, Morgan had her first solo lead of the day...which she promptly lost by bogeying 14.  Meanwhile, Diaz had birdied 15 to reach -5 and climb within one shot of the two leaders.  At 16 Pressel stuck her approach within six feet and made the putt to go back in front.  Pettersen chipped her third at the par-5 18^th to five feet and sank the birdie to get in the clubhouse at -7, which made Diaz's birdie at 18 academic.  Pressel needed birdie to win, par to force a playoff.  She chipped her third short into the fringe, leaving 18 feet for birdie but Morgan rolled it home to secure the second win of her career.

Great finish - I can't wait to watch it on the DVR tonight.  I'm sure Kapalua Resort is thrilled with the outcome - they are one of Pressel's sponsors - and Golf Channel probably liked getting an American victory without Paula Creamer having to come through for them.