HAMMOND PLAINS, Canada, 19 July 2005 — South Korean rookie Meena Lee took advantage of a collapse by Scotland’s Janice Moodie to capture her first LPGA title here Sunday, winning the $1.3 million Canadian Women’s Open.
Lee, fifth when the day began, fired a three-under-par 69 for a one-stroke victory over Australia’s Katherine Hull.
“I feel confident and I’m looking forward to (my) future game being good,” Lee said through a translator.
The 24-year-old Christmas-born Korean finished at nine-under 279 to claim the $195,000 top prize, making a charge in the final 12 holes after Moodie, who led after each of the first three rounds, stumbled at the finish.
Moodie appeared set for her first title in three years but fired a final-round 75, three-over par, to finish sixth, three strokes off the pace. She made bogeys on three of her first 10 holes as Lee was making three back-nine birdies.
Lee found the water for a bogey at 14 and went over the green at 15. At the par-3 16th, Lee blasted out of a bunker and sank a six-foot birdie putt. One stroke back on the 18th tee, Moodie pushed to force a playoff but instead took a double bogey seven on the last.
Since missing the cut in seven of her first nine events, Lee has tied for second at the Corning Classic in May and reached the final of the World Match Play Championship earlier this month. She left an impression on Hull.
Hull also shot 69 for her best career finish. In her second year on tour, the 23-year-old had three birdies on a bogey-free back nine but needed one more to force a playoff.
American Angela Stanford began the day one stroke off the lead but made four bogeys on the way to a 73.
South Korea’s Il Mi Chung and Dorothy Delasin were two strokes off the pace, but shot 72 and 73 respectively and were unable to halt Lee’s title run.
Record Run Brings American His First US PGA Crown
In Endicott, New York, second-year PGA player Jason Bohn birdied the penultimate hole to take a one-stroke victory here Sunday at the BC Open, winning his first US tour title and playing rights for two years.
While golf’s greatest were concluding the British Open, the 32-year-old American fired a bogey-free final round six-under par 66 to finish at a tournament record 24-under par 264 at the three million-dollar event.
The old tournament record was 22-under 266 set by American Jeff Sluman and Australia’s Paul Gow in 2001.
Bohn’s seven-foot birdie putt at the 17th and a par on the 18th hole left him one stroke ahead of Aussie Brendan Jones, the 54-hole leader, and fellow Americans Ryan Palmer, J.P. Hayes and John Rollins.
Bohn recovered after hitting his tee shot on 18 into the woods.
This was the seventh time in 11 years the event was decided by one stroke and Bohn credited his playing partner and practice pal Palmer with helping inspire his best performance.
