CVS/pharmacy LPGA Challenge - Final Round

Rookie Beatriz Recari took the lead early on the back nine, cemented it with birdies at 13 and 14, and won the CVS/pharmacy LPGA Challenge.  It is the first win of her LPGA career and her second victory worldwide.  Gwladys Nocera (like Recari, an LET vet with LPGA rookie status) finished second, one shot behind at -13 while Michele Redman and Karine Icher tied for third at -12.

Recari began the day tied with Redman and fellow rookie Ilhee Lee at -12, with Nocera and Wendy Ward one shot behind.  Lee bogeyed three of her first four holes and never recovered, finishing at T15 -6 with a 78.  Beatriz stepped forward early with a birdie at 3 but gave the shot back at 5.  She rebounded with a birdie at 6 to go back in front.  Ward played the first five in -1 (two birdies and a bogey) to draw within one.  Wendy bogeyed 8 to fall two back.  After parring the first seven, Nocera birdied 8 to join Redman in the tie for second.  At 10, Gwladys bogeyed to fall two back and Ward bogeyed to fall three behind.  When Redman birdied 9 to tie Recari for the lead, it looked like these two were about to go into match-play mode.

It didn't quite work out that way.  Michele bogeyed 10 to fall out of the lead tie.  Ward and Icher birdied 11, drawing to within two and three respectively.  Nocera birdied 13 to draw within one.  Recari responded immediately by doing the same to open up a two-shot lead.  Mirroring each other again, Ward and Icher birdied 14 to stay within two and three shots.  Beatriz responded again, birdying 14 to open up a three-shot lead with only four to play.  She parred 15 and 16 but bogeyed 17, taking a two-shot lead to the 18^th tee.  Nocera birdied 18 to force Beatriz into parring 18 to avoid a playoff....which she did.

My surprise over this Recari victory is going to require many words to describe.  I'll give it my best shot in the Epilogue tomorrow.  For now, I'd like to point out that a victory by any of the five players I mentioned in the previous paragraph would have been a huge surprise.  Didn't somebody say we might have a surprise winner this week?