Golfweek - Golf News Magazine

ASSOCIATED PRESS

EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France – Natalie Gulbis broke through at the Evian Masters, winning her first LPGA title with a birdie on the first hole of a playoff with Jang Jeong of South Korea on Sunday.

Jang and the 24-year-old American finished the fourth round tied at 4-under 284. Gulbis had a final round 70, and Jang birdied the last hole to finish with a 72.

“Obviously it was meant to be for me,” said Gulbis, in her sixth season on the LPGA. “Before the playoff, I was very upset at myself because I felt like I had given away this tournament. I thought I needed to get to 7 under to win and I end up at, what, four? Going in today, I never thought that four under would have won this tournament.”

Jang, the 2005 Women’s British Open champion, birdied three of the last four holes to tie Gulbis. At the first extra hole, the 18th, Jang missed the green with her second shot, but Gulbis did not.

“I usually can’t reach that green in two,” Gulbis said. “I hit a really good drive and hit my rescue club in. It was about 25 feet and I thought the eagle putt was in. Fortunately, it ended about a foot away and I tapped it in. I wouldn’t have wanted it to be much farther than that.”

Top-ranked Lorena Ochoa was one shot behind and tied for third place with Juli Inkster of the United States and Shin Ji-yai of South Korea. Ochoa had six birdies in her closing 68, but dropped a shot at the last hole. Shin finished with a 72.

Inkster, the leader by two shots after the first three rounds, finished with a 75. She had three bogeys in the last five holes and three-putted the par-5 18th after reaching the green in two. Had she won, Inkster would have become the oldest player to win an LPGA event.

Michelle Wie finished tied for 69th place with a 16-over 304, after a final round 76.

Sophie Gustafson was in contention at 4 under until she dropped shots at the 17th and 18th. At the last hole, the Swede hit her second shot into the water hazard guarding the green and finished with 2-under 286.

Gulbis started the day four behind Inkster and had birdies at the first, sixth and ninth. Out in 33, she was 5 under and shared the lead with Shin.

Also in the hunt at the halfway point were former top-ranked Annika Sorenstam, Gustafson and Inkster, who all made the turn at 4 under.

Gulbis, who won $450,000, gave part of the credit for her win to a back injury two months ago that forced her to take a month off and make some adjustments.

“I had to change my golf swing because of my injury,” she said. “I was kind of thinking this might be a blessing in disguise.”

Wie pulled her opening shot out of bounds and started with a double-bogey 6. She had bogeys at the third, sixth and seventh – and a birdie at the fifth where she holed a huge putt of about 70 feet – to go out in 40. The teenager then battled back with a level par second nine of 36.

“I kept my head together,” Wie said. “It all came down to today and there were a couple of stupid errors out there. I just have to keep the ball in play and use my head more and be patient with myself.”

Recovering from a wrist injury, Wie was pleased with the round.

“I kept my head on today. I was very proud of myself,” she said.

---

Scores with relation to par and earnings from the final round of the Evian Masters, played July 26-29 at the par-72, 6,286-yard Evian (France) Masters GC:

1. Natalie Gulbis, $450,000	72-69-73-70--284			-4
2. Jeong Jang, $298,831	69-71-72-72--284			-4
3. Lorena Ochoa, $173,152	72-70-75-68--285			-3
3. Ji-Yai Shin, $173,152	73-70-70-72--285			-3
3. Juli Inkster, $173,152	73-68-69-75--285			-3
6. Christina Kim, $80,713	67-75-74-70--286			-2
6. Sun Ju Ahn, $80,713	69-73-74-70--286			-2
6. Angela Stanford, $80,713	73-74-69-70--286			-2
6. Momoko Ueda, $80,713	74-67-74-71--286			-2
6. Annika Sorenstam, $80,713	71-69-74-72--286			-2
6. Sophie Gustafson, $80,713	69-72-72-73--286			-2
12. Morgan Pressel, $52,191	73-72-73-69--287			-1
12. Laura Diaz, $52,191	71-71-74-71--287			-1
12. Laura Davies, $52,191	71-70-74-72--287			-1
12. Karrie Webb, $52,191	70-72-73-72--287			-1
16. Eun-Hee Ji, $42,647	66-76-75-71--288			E
16. Shi Hyun Ahn, $42,647	73-69-75-71--288			E
16. Maria Hjorth, $42,647	71-71-74-72--288			E
19. Paula Creamer, $38,285	75-72-73-69--289		+	1
19. Nicole Castrale, $38,285	75-70-74-70--289		+	1
21. Seon Hwa Lee, $36,322	72-74-71-73--290		+	2
22. Angela Park, $34,358	70-74-75-72--291		+	3
22. Ai Miyazato, $34,358	73-73-73-72--291		+	3
24. Brittany Lang, $29,531	73-74-75-70--292		+	4
24. Ji -Hee Lee, $29,531	73-73-75-71--292		+	4
24. Virginie Lagoutte-Clement, $29,531	76-68-75-73--292		+	4
24. Ashleigh Simon, $29,531	70-72-76-74--292		+	4
24. Catriona Matthew, $29,531	74-70-74-74--292		+	4
24. Diana D'Alessio, $29,531	69-68-76-79--292		+	4
30. Meaghan Francella, $22,373	71-79-73-70--293		+	5
30. Rachel Hetherington, $22,373	71-73-75-74--293		+	5
30. Joo Mi Kim, $22,373	71-72-75-75--293		+	5
30. Stephanie Arricau, $22,373	73-71-74-75--293		+	5
30. Michele Redman, $22,373	75-69-74-75--293		+	5
30. Jin Joo Hong, $22,373	67-70-80-76--293		+	5
30. Mi Hyun Kim, $22,373	69-72-74-78--293		+	5
30. Il Mi Chung, $22,373	73-71-70-79--293		+	5
38. Hee-Young Park, $17,048	72-75-76-71--294		+	6
38. Stacy Prammanasudh, $17,048	73-77-72-72--294		+	6
38. Meena Lee, $17,048	71-73-75-75--294		+	6
38. Pat Hurst, $17,048	66-76-76-76--294		+	6
38. Young Kim, $17,048	72-75-72-75--294		+	6
43. Suzann Pettersen, $13,689	74-72-81-68--295		+	7
43. In-Kyung Kim, $13,689	71-75-76-73--295		+	7
43. Jee Young Lee, $13,689	77-73-71-74--295		+	7
43. Sherri Steinhauer, $13,689	72-73-75-75--295		+	7
43. Helen Alfredsson, $13,689	77-70-73-75--295		+	7
43. Cristie Kerr, $13,689	72-73-73-77--295		+	7
49. Na On Min, $11,330	75-72-76-73--296		+	8
49. Brittany Lincicome, $11,330	66-74-82-74--296		+	8
49. Rebecca Hudson, $11,330	72-76-73-75--296		+	8
49. Linda Wessberg, $11,330	69-72-75-80--296		+	8
53. Lindsey Wright, $9,981	76-72-77-72--297		+	9
53. Kyeong Bae, $9,981	67-74-82-74--297		+	9
53. Lisa Hall, $9,981	77-70-76-74--297		+	9
53. Sarah Lee, $9,981	71-72-77-77--297		+	9
57. Becky Brewerton, $8,426	72-71-82-73--298		+	10
57. Candie Kung, $8,426	78-68-79-73--298		+	10
57. Sophie Giquel, $8,426	78-70-77-73--298		+	10
57. Lynnette Brooky, $8,426	75-72-75-76--298		+	10
57. Karin Sjodin, $8,426	72-72-77-77--298		+	10
57. Wendy Doolan, $8,426	73-76-71-78--298		+	10
63. Veronica Zorzi, $7,608	77-73-73-76--299		+	11
63. Amy Yang, $7,608	73-73-76-77--299		+	11
65. Gloria Park, $7,280	73-77-76-74--300		+	12
65. Gwladys Nocera, $7,280	80-70-73-77--300		+	12
67. Sung Ah Yim, $6,953	76-74-82-70--302		+	14
67. Silvia Cavalleri, $6,953	74-76-75-77--302		+	14
69. Michelle Wie, $6,626	73-71-84-76--304		+	16
69. Nikki Garrett, $6,626	75-71-83-75--304		+	16
71. Hiroko Fujishima, $6,462	74-76-77-80--307		+	19
72. Karen- Margret Juul, $6,381	77-73-82-83--315		+	27
• • •
Missed the cut
73. Carin Koch	78-73--151		+	7
73. Akane Iijima	76-75--151		+	7
75. Reilley Rankin	77-75--152		+	8
75. Hyun-Hee Moon	76-76--152		+	8
75. Liselotte Neumann	72-80--152		+	8
78. Trish Johnson	76-77--153		+	9
78. Julieta Granada	76-77--153		+	9
78. Heather Young	76-77--153		+	9
78. Karine Icher	75-78--153		+	9
82. Riikka Hakkarainen	78-76--154		+	10
82. Na Yeon Choi	77-77--154		+	10
82. Catrin Nilsmark	76-78--154		+	10
85. Birdie Kim	76-79--155		+	11
85. Cecilia Ekelundh	74-81--155		+	11
87. Paula Marti	77-79--156		+	12
88. Patricia Meunier-Lebouc	81-78--159		+	15
89. Bettina Hauert	82-78--160		+	16
90. Nora Angehrn	85-87--172		+	28

Posted: 7/29/2007

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