Matilda Castren grew to become the primary Finnish winner in LPGA Tour historical past Sunday within the LPGA MEDIHEAL Championship, pulling away on the front-nine at foggy Lake Merced and holding off Min Lee by two strokes.
Two strokes behind Lee getting into the ultimate day of the tour’s two-week run on the San Francisco Peninsula, Castren birdied the primary three holes, eagled the par-5 fifth and birdied the par-5 ninth for a front-nine 30.
Castren adopted with eight straight pars and holed a 3-foot birdie putt on the par-5 18th for a 7-under 65. The 26-year-old former Florida State gained in her fifteenth profession LPGA Tour begin. She completed at 14-under 274 after tying for thirtieth final week within the U.S. Girls’s Open at close by Olympic Membership.
“I simply performed shot by shot, gap by gap, and simply tried to remain actually affected person,” Castren stated. “I used to be serious about it the entire day, like successful, and I simply tried to deal with one shot at a time. It simply occurred.”
WATCH | Matilda Castren turns into 1st Finnish winner in LPGA tour historical past:
Castren’s two-stroke win on the Mediheal Championship was the primary LPGA win within the 26-year-old’s profession. 1:19
Lee completed with a 69. She minimize Castren’s result in one with a birdie on the par-5 fifteenth, however dropped a stroke with a two-putt bogey on the par-3 seventeenth.
“I feel I am enjoying good right this moment,” Lee stated. “Clearly, she performed significantly better on the entrance, so I am not going to punish myself as a result of it was a fantastic week.”
Lee missed an opportunity to change into the primary participant to comply with a Symetra Tour victory with an LPGA Tour win in her subsequent begin. The 26-year-old participant from Taiwan gained the Mission Inn Resort and Membership Championship two weeks in the past in Florida on the developmental tour.
Hannah Inexperienced (66) and So Yeon Ryu (67) tied for third at 8 underneath.
Hamilton’s Alena Sharp was the one Canadian to make the weekend minimize. She shot an even-par 72 within the closing spherical and was tied for 52nd at 2 over.
Lexi Thompson shot a 74 to tie for thirty fourth at 1 over. Every week in the past at Olympic, she blew a five-stroke lead within the closing spherical, enjoying the final seven holes in 5 over to complete a stroke out of a playoff that Yuka Saso gained. Saso and Girls’s Open playoff loser Nasa Hataoka skipped the occasion at Lake Merced.
Michelle Wie West closed with a 71 to tie for40th at even par after lacking the weekend cuts in her first 4 occasions of the yr.
WATCH | All it’s good to find out about Canada’s softball staff:
![](https://thumbnails.cbc.ca/maven_legacy/thumbnails/522/87/softball_thumbnail.jpg?crop=1.777xh:h;*,*&downsize=510px:* 510w")
On this week’s episode of Group Canada Right now, Andi Petrillo tells you all it’s good to find out about Canada’s softball staff popping out of a 13-year Olympic hiatus. 10:19
