Golf: Pettersen seals back-to-back Asian wins

TAOYUAN, Taiwan: Norway’s Suzann Pettersen lifted her second trophy in as many weeks Sunday after a three-shot victory at the Sunrise LPGA Taiwan Championship.
The world number seven braved strong winds and fired three-under-par 69 in her final round to snatch the win from South Korea’s Park In-Bee, who had led by two overnight but had to settle for second.
“It is a great win for me especially coming back from behind in tough conditions like today,” Pettersen told reporters.
“I really tried to stick to my own game plan, sticking to my own bubble. I played my own game, tried not to kind of do stupid mistakes, errors that would cost me too much.”
Yani Tseng, the world number one and Taiwanese home favorite, finished third as she extended a winless streak which stretches back to March.
Pettersen erased two early birdies with bogeys on seven and nine, but she picked up three shots in her last seven holes as Park stumbled to a 74 at the par-72 Sunrise Golf and Country Club in northern Taiwan.
“Last week in Korea I felt I had to scramble to win in playoff. This week I was really playing well and I felt I deserve the victory. Winning last week gave me a lot of confidence,” she said.
Pettersen also won last week’s KEB-HanaBank Championship in South Korea, where she beat Scotland’s Catriona Matthew in a play-off.
Tseng’s final round of 71 left her four shots behind the leader, ahead of Matthew who finished fourth.
“I know I didn’t finish where I wanted to, but it’s getting better and I think it’s getting better slowly, so I’m very happy what I play right now.
Last year the diminutive Tseng, affectionately known as the “Pride of Taiwan” by her home fans, enjoyed her seventh and final win of the season in front of sell-out crowds at the Sunrise event.
But Tseng has gone off the boil this year with no wins since March, including 11 straight tournaments without a top-10 finish and three missed cuts.
She finished third last week in South Korea, boosting her badly needed self-confidence.