Bell Micro LPGA Classic - Final Round

Se Ri Pak birdied the third playoff hole, defeating Brittany Lincicome and Suzann Pettersen to win the rain-shortened Bell Micro LPGA Classic.  It is the 25^th career victory for the legend from Korea but her first since the 2007 Jamie Farr.

Storms dumped four inches of rain on the course overnight but the final round began as scheduled.  The leaders got in a handful of holes before play was interrupted about 10am local time by lightning and soon after, the rain began to fall again.  About four hours later, Tour officials deemed the course unplayable and reverted to the 54-hole leaderboard.  This left Pettersen, Lincicome and Pak tied for the lead.  Hole 18 was declared suitable for the playoff and the three players teed off at 3:26 CDT.

With raindrops still falling, all three players drove perfectly down the left side of the fairway.  They all played to the right of the hole - none closer than 25 feet - and lagged to within five feet (Pettersen barely missed on the high/right side).  Lincicome dropped her five-footer for par while the other two made from three feet.  Second time around, the drives were nearly mirror images but the approaches were not.  Pettersen missed the green left, Pak rolled hers through to the back bunker and Lincicome flared hers to the right, landing on the green but 50 feet from the hole.  Brittany lagged five feet past the hole.  Suzann chipped much too short, hanging up in the wet fringe and barely making it to the green.  Se Ri blasted seven feet past the hole - a little strong but leaving an uphill putt.  Pettersen missed her 25-footer for par.  Pak rolled home her putt to eliminate Pettersen.  Lincicome made her putt to extend the playoff.

On the third hole, Pak drove into a right-side bunker while Lincicome found the fairway.  Se Ri's approach was both lucky and magnificent - she landed just short of the front-side bunker but jumped over it and rolled to within eight feet of the pin.  With a eight-iron in hand, Brittany came up short and landed in that same bunker.  She blasted about 20 feet past the hole but rolled home her par putt.  Forced to make birdie to win, Pak did just that and kept her career playoff record perfect at 6-0.

It's all moot now but before the action was stopped Sunday morning - Pettersen had bogeyed 1 to fall out of the three-way tie.  Suzann birdied 3 to get back to -13, Pak bogeyed 3 to fall to -12 and Lincicome birdied 3 to take the lead for herself.  I'll have more as usual in tomorrow's Epilogue.