China's own, Shanshan Feng, won the inaugural edition of the Reignwood LPGA Classic in Beijing, China to the thundering approval of her home crowd after a final round shootout with the World's No. 3 Stacy Lewis.
With Feng, China’s only golf superstar, all the hopes and dreams of a nation were riding on her every shot. It all came down to the final hole where she would prevail over Lewis and World's No. 1 Inbee Park.
Park started the round trailing Feng’s 3rd round lead by 5 strokes and was never a real threat to either Feng or Lewis. She didn’t pick up a birdie until the seventh hole. By that time Lewis had run off four birdies and had edged Feng out of the lead by two shots.
Park was seven shots behind Lewis and six behind Feng when the trio made the turn and she simply wasn’t able to close that gap, not even with her heroic back nine effort. For Park, the good news is that her putter’s back in service, but at the Reignwood LPGA Classic, that revival just came too late for a win.
She would finish in solo third at 21-under after her 69. Australian veteran Karrie Webb shot 67 and was fourth, another stroke behind. First-round co-leader Na Yeon Choi finished fifth at 16-under after shooting 69.
Yani Tseng had the tournament's lowest round (66) on Sunday and climbed from T-15th to a solo sixth-place finish.
But it all boiled down to the showdown betweeen Feng and Lewis, who virtually dashed through the final nine holes in a dead-heat, mano-a-mano, two-filly race.
Feng birdied the 10th hole and pulled even with Lewis at -24. The pair traded shot-for-shot through 11th and 12th.
Then Lewis fired a birdie on the 13th and held a slim one shot lead. They both gave back a shot on 14th, and then stayed even on the 15th before both fired a pair of birdies on the 16th.
With the tension rising and the intensity boiling, starting the 17th, Lewis was clinging to her one shot lead. There was no cushion, not much of a lead, but a lead after all with just two holes to play and the win.
They both would par th 17th and head on to the 18th, with Lewis still holding on to that one shot lead and a hole to play. To extend play and force a playoff, Feng had to birdie the hole.
The ending was worthy of a movie script. Feng would go on to eagle the Par-5 18th hole after her second shot approach hit the pin. Lewis missed her birdie attempt to force extra holes handing Feng the win by one stroke in front of the thunderous roar of her home country crowd.
Before the start of the final round Lewis had said: "If it’s not me, I would want Shanshan to win. She deserves it...I mean she brought us here. She’s the reason we’re playing here, so she deserves it."
This win is Feng's first win this season, and her second LPGA victory. She’s started 15 Tour events in 2013, made the cut 14 times, and has earned six Top-10 finishes.
Feng is currently 24-years-old, turned pro in 2007, and has crossed the $3 million mark in career earnings. Her personal goal is to win two tournaments this year. There are still six tournaments remaining before the LPGA closes out the 2013 season at the CME Group Titleholders in November. She’s not ready to close out the season.
A fitting, movie-like ending to a great inaugural edition of the Reignwood LPGA Classic in Beijing China. But at the end as well, Mr. Gang Zheng, the manager of the tournament, got what he wanted, a showcase for Chinese golfers.
In addition to Feng, 20 Chinese golfers played in the Reignwood LPGA Classic. Liying Ye was the best finisher among them, she finished at nine-under, between Brittany Lang and Carlota Ciganda.
Of the five Chinese amateurs playing in the event, Simin Feng was the most successful. Feng finished at six-under and, like Ye, keeping very good company, between Caroline Masson and Moira Jutanugarn.
Half the Chinese players who were admitted to the Reignwood finished in the bottom ranks, which is no shame. At the end this was their showcase to the world, and what a preview it was.