Anna Nordqvist withstood a mid-round charge from Lindsey Wright and won the McDonald's LPGA Championship.  It is the first career victory for the 22-year-old Swede and comes in only her fifth professional start.  Wright finished at -11 four shots behind while Jiyai Shin was third at -10 and Kyeong Bae was fourth at -9.

Starting the round in front by two, Nordqvist began solidly.  A great approach to within two feet set up a birdie at 1, an eight-footer to save par at 5 and another birdie at 6 put Anna at -13 and opened up a four shot lead.  Wright began with six straight pars but bogeyed 7 when she missed a five-footer for par.  At that point, Nordqvist led by five and I started watching her for signs of relaxing and/or nervousness.  Which frankly, never came.

What did happen was, Lindsey Wright didn't go away.  A 20-footer for birdie at 8.  Another 20-footer for birdie at 9.  A ballsy tee shot at 12 (with the pin only four paces from the right and water looming) to the right of the pin, giving her an uphill 10-footer which she made to draw within two.  At 13, it appeared the Aussie Express would derail when she short-sided herself into the greenside rough.  Lindsey hacked out about 12 feet past the hole and made the comebacker for par, her fourth mid-range make in six holes.  Nordqvist had played safely to the front section of the green but was over 50 feet away.  Her putt barely missed the pin but scooted eight feet by.  When she missed her par putt, the once-big lead was down to one.

With the pressure now at its peak, Nordqvist rose to the occasion.  From 10 feet away she drilled her birdie at 14 dead center.  At the par-5 15^th she misplayed her third, flaring it out to the right of the hole about 35 feet away.  The resulting double-breaker went squarely into the hole.  Wright had 18 feet to match her but missed it right to fall three back with only three to go.  At the short par-4 16^th, Wright took driver and left herself only 85 yards.  Her approach to 13 feet set up birdie to cut the lead back to two.  17 settled everything - Wright pulled her tee shot left into the rough while Anna played hers to the back of the green.  From a terrible lie, Lindsey played a fine chip to eight feet.  Nordqvist just missed her 15-footer to the left and tapped in.  Wright inexplicably left her par putt short and the lead was three going to 18.  Anna put the exclamation point on her week with her final approach rolling to three feet and the ensuing birdie.

Despite my narrative, it wasn't really a match play back nine.  Jiyai Shin and Kyeong Bae were the only players to make a run at the final group - Shin with four birdies in her last seven holes and Bae with four in a five-hole stretch from 10 to 14 - but neither got closer to Nordqvist than three shots.  None of Bae's birdies were seen by Golf Channel viewers, BTW.  We did get to see her miss a five-footer at 16 which cost her a share of third place.  Angela Stanford had problems with mid-range putting for the second day in a row (a missed seven-footer at 11 and a weak eagle attempt at 15 stood out) and today Kristy McPherson joined that club.  Down by only three at the time, Kristy left a 12-footer short at 14 and couldn't connect on a 15-footer at 15.  Nicole Castrale made a great run around the turn (an eagle two at 9 helped) to get within three but stalled out.

More tomorrow on this most surprising victory.  Congratulations Anna!