Kultida captures maiden CLPG Tour win in Tianjin

TIANJIN, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Kultida Pramphun (68) emerged victorious at the Tianjin Women's Open for her maiden CLPG Tour win on Saturday as a late collapse by fellow Thai Pimnipa Panthong (72) essentially handed her the title.

With Kultida in the clubhouse at six-under 210, Pimnipa, with a two-shot lead going into the final hole at Tianjin Fortune Lake Golf Club (C and D courses), needed a bogey five or better to secure the win. Instead, she put her tee shot in a water hazard resulting in a penalty shot and then three-putted the green for a triple-bogey seven, missing a three-footer that would have forced a playoff.

For the 24-year-old Kultida, the one-stroke victory was worth RMB144,000.

"I'm very happy to win the Tianjin Women's Open. This result was a bit unexpected," said the Pathum Thani native. "This is the third title of my professional career and my first win in China. My father was watching the live broadcast at home and he was absolutely thrilled. I was almost overwhelmed at the moment. He kept telling me how proud he was of me."

China's Xu Ying (71) and Xue Zixuan (71) finished equal third two shots back, tied with Huang Ching (70) of Chinese Taipei. Beijing native Liu Wenbo (72) was sixth, four shots off the pace.

Natthakritta Vongtaveelap, who had led the tournament through the first two rounds, struggled to a final round five-over 77 in the windy conditions to finish equal seventh with fellow Thai Chonlada Chayanun (73).

After starting the day four shot off the lead, Kultida got off to a strong start with a birdie three at the 365-yard first. She then picked up another stroke on the par-five fourth to make the turn at 34. Following birdies at the par-five 10th and par-three 12th she would play par golf back to the clubhouse in her bogey-free round.

"Today was the windiest day of the week, and the greens were very challenging, but I performed well in all aspects. One highlight was the long birdie putt I made on the first hole from nearly 25 yards. It's one of my best putts in recent memory," said Kultida, 575th in Rolex World Ranking.

"Last week in Chongqing, I missed the cut. I actually felt I played quite well but couldn't figure out why I didn't make it through. Fortunately, everything came together perfectly today. Every part of my game was on point."

With three birdies over the first six holes to get to eight-under, Pimnipa, who played college golf at Kent State in Ohio, would hold steady in the wind with 11 straight pars going into the final hole. It was there that disaster struck.

"The late collapse was mainly due to overthinking. I was very nervous at the time and kept trying to calm myself down. There was wind on the tee, and I tried to relax, but maybe I overdid it and my swing tempo wasn't fully under control. As a result, I hit it into the water hazard," said the Pathum Thani native.

"On the (18th) green, my first putt was about 35 feet. The second putt wasn't long, but it came at the moment when I felt the most pressure and I didn't handle it well. Although I didn't win, it was a very valuable experience. Hopefully, I can deliver a better performance next week (in Chengdu)."

Rookie pro Xu posted her second top-three finish in as many weeks, closing with a final round featuring three birdies and two bogeys.

"The course conditions were much tougher compared to the first two rounds. The wind adjustments were significant. Sometimes I had to add or subtract 15 to 20 yards, even up to 25 yards, which made it very demanding," said the 17-year-old Zhuhai native.

"I won't be playing next week (in Chengdu), mainly because I need to go back and work on my physical conditioning. One of my key goals this year is to get through the second stage of LPGA Q-School, so I need to build more strength and increase my driving distance. Improving my strength will also help with consistency and playing in windy conditions."

Natthakritta, the winner last week in Chonqing, got off to a disastrous start, going double bogey, bogey on the first two holes. The rest of her round featured two birdies and four more bogeys. Enditem