Mao Saigo emerges from five-woman play-off to win Chevron Championship

HOUSTON – Mao Saigo of Japan rolled in a five-foot birdie putt to win a historic and chaotic five-woman play-off at the Chevron Championship, capturing her first Major title on April 27 at The Woodlands, Texas.

Saigo, who began the day tied for the lead with South Korea’s Ryu Hae-ran, carded a two-over 74 at The Club at Carlton Woods, needing birdie at the par-five 18th to advance to the play-off.

Saigo, Yin Ruoning (71) of China, Kim Hyo-joo (70) of South Korea, Ariya Jutanugarn (71) of Thailand and Lindy Duncan (73) also finished at seven-under 281. It marked the largest play-off group at an LPGA Major in history.

Ariya led for most of the day and needed par at the last hole to win outright. However, in a bizarre sequence on her third stroke, she missed nearly her entire ball, which moved very slightly forward. She wound up with a bogey, opening the door for the play-off.

The five players returned to the 18th tee. Yin was the only player to hit the green in two shots, but she badly misread the mid-range eagle putt and also lipped out her birdie try. While Duncan ended up with a bogey, Kim and Ariya also missed their birdies.

That left Saigo, who went over the green on her second shot and pitched it to about five feet for the winning birdie.

“I was so laser focused and nervous and really in the zone,” Saigo said. “All I could think of is the ball in front of me. I couldn’t see anything else. I was shaking from nervousness, but I did my best to calm down and I shot and it went in.”

Saigo, 23, had not won on American soil before April 27. Ranked 37th in the world, her six career victories all came on the LPGA of Japan Tour.

“It was my dream to earn this Major,” Saigo said through a translator. “It is my first time to win this tournament... and I was able to realise my dream and I’m very happy about this.”

Ariya, a two-time Major champion, started the day three off the pace but birdied the second, eagled the par-five fourth and birdied the par-five eighth to shoot up to 10 under. Bogeys at Nos. 9 and 13 pulled her down, but she maintained the lead.

Duncan briefly tied her at eight under with birdies at Nos. 13 and 14 but bogeyed the following two holes.

With water protecting the green at No. 18, Ariya hit her second shot over the green and hit it off the base of a grandstand.

She was not granted relief because she was not close enough to the structure. That was when she completely missed her ball on her third shot, incurring a stroke.

Ariya got the ball on the green in four and missed her par putt, dropping to seven under. At the same time, Yin birdied the 18th to tie Ariya and Kim (in the clubhouse with a 70) for the lead.

Later, Ariya said she went to the chipping green while waiting for the play-off.

“At the driving range and chipping green, I just can get the feel for the chipping and didn’t really think of the result or anything, just trying to get the feel and work on what I worked on,” she said. “And I still think I had a good chance out there, so just do my best.”

In the final group, Saigo and Duncan birdied No. 18 to join the play-off. Duncan was the only player who did not aim for the grandstand. She blew an eagle putt from off the green 10 feet past the hole, but she made the comeback for birdie.

The 34-year-old Duncan was also looking for her first victory – at a Major or otherwise.

Saigo was asked what she has in her sights next.

“I still have four more Majors to go, and I want to shoot for No. 1 in the world,” she said. “I will do my best in the remaining four Majors.”

Meanwhile, on the men’s side, Americans Andrew Novak and Ben Griffin won their first PGA Tour titles on April 27 by teaming up to capture the Zurich Classic of New Orleans pairs event.

They combined to fire a one-under 71 in the April 27 alternate-shot final round to finish on 28-under 260 at TPC Louisiana and defeat Danish twins Rasmus and Nicolai Hojgaard (68) by one stroke. 
AFP, REUTERS