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Yani Tseng, above, grabs her first tour victory after defeating Maria Hjorth in a four-hole playoff at the McDonald’s LPGA Championship Sunday. — Getty Images
Havre de Grace, Md. (Map, News) - When Annika Sorenstam’s birdie pull slid past the 18th hole, ending her hopes in the McDonald’s LPGA Championship, it triggered a partial retreat from steamy Bulle Rock Sunday.
Those who remained were left to speculate how to pronounce the last names of playoff combatants Yani Tseng and Maria Hjorth.
But as Tseng, a 19-year-old rookie from Taiwan, and Hjorth, a 34-year-old veteran from Sweden, matched each other shot-for-shot over four riveting holes of sudden death they put their own signatures on what was supposed to be a clash between the world’s top two — Sorenstam and Lorena Ochoa.
And with a five-foot birdie putt on No. 18 Tseng became the second youngest winner of a women’s major, claimed the biggest check ($300,000) of her five-month-old professional career and announced herself as perhaps the world’s next great women’s player.
“I just can’t believe that I won a major,” said Tseng (73-70-65-68 — 276). “I’m a rookie and everything came so fast. So I’m just really excited for this.”
Starting the day four shots behind leader Jee Young Lee and trailing the heralded duo of Sorenstam and Ochoa, the long-hitting Tseng was easy to overlook, even when she birdied four of the first eight holes to move into a tie for first place.
As Lee stumbled, and Ochoa (69-65-72-71 — 277) and Sorenstam (70-68-68-71 — 277) continued to miss birdie putts, Tseng remained steady on the back nine, finishing tied with Hjorth (68-72-65-71 — 276), who also was seeking her first major.
On the first playoff hole, No. 18, Tseng pushed her drive in the right rough, beyond the cart path, but made a spectacular shot to the fringe and chipped to within two feet to save par.
Both players had two-putt pars on the second and third playoff holes, No. 16 and No. 17. Then, back on No. 18, Tseng won it with a “choke down 6-iron” from 160 yards out to within five feet.
“I hope they give me a big party,” said Tseng. “It’s sad that I can’t drink. I can’t have a beer when I have a party.”
For Tseng that, like major championships, will come soon enough.
