Avnet LPGA Classic - Final Round

Maria Hjorth took the lead on the 7^th hole with a 15-footer for birdie and went on to win the Avnet LPGA Classic.  Song-Hee Kim finished two shots behind in second place at -8 while Na Yeon Choi and Suzann Pettersen tied for third at -7.

Starting the round two shots behind the overnight leaders, Hjorth caught fire early.  Birdies at 3 and 4 moved her into a tie for first with Kim.  Song-Hee answered with a birdie of her own at 5 to reach -8.  Maria birdied 6 to rejoin the tie and then 7 to take it outright.  Kim bogeyed 9 to fall two shots back as the final groups made the turn.  Hjorth birdied 10 to momentarily open a three-shot lead but gave it back at the very next hole.  At 12, Maria had 10 feet for birdie but couldn't cash it.  Song-Hee missed a four-footer for par and the lead was again three with only six to play.

It wasn't quite over yet as Hjorth couldn't take advantage of either par-5 she had left.  A 20-foot birdie try at 13 didn't go and she made a mess of 16 when she chunked her third shot short of the green.  She then missed a five-foot par putt.  Fortunately she had rolled home a 10-footer for birdie at 15 so Maria went to 17 still leading at -9.  With the door left open, Kim took advantage at 16 with a brilliant second to seven feet.  The resulting eagle drew her to within one.  By this point Hjorth had already gotten a break with her tee shot at 17, kicking it off the fringe to about 18 feet.  She rammed home the birdie to re-open the two-shot lead.  Song-Hee had a 20-foot chip at 17 which came up a foot short.  After Maria played two safe shots and a decent lag putt from 40+ feet at 18, this time she dropped the five-footer for par.  Needing to hole-out to force a playoff, Kim's approach went through the green and the victory belonged to Hjorth.

The record-breaking day for Lexi Thompson never materialized.  She bogeyed the first hole to fall out of the lead tie and missed a three-footer for par at 3.  Lexi got one back with birdie at 5 but never did find another.  She was still within three of the lead when her tee shot at 14 came up short and into the water.  Her second at 15 found its hazard area as well.  The two doubles sent Thompson on her way to a 78 and T19 finish at -1.  Choi, Pettersen and Stacy Lewis were lurking two or three shots back all day but none of them could make enough of a run to really push the leaders.  Of all the contenders, Hjorth had the best final round (her 67 was the Round of the Day) and for that she's a worthy champion.  Congratulations!