Lee-Anne Pace clinched her second Sanya Ladies Open crown after edging out Yu Yang Zhang in a sudden-death play-off in China.
Home hopeful Zhang had forced extra holes at the Yalong Bay Golf Club after closing with a superb seven-under 65, while Pace stuttered to a 70 that included a three-putt bogey at the 17th.
But after both had finished tied at the top on 13 under, Zhang was unable to match the South African’s birdie back at the par-four 18th.
Zhang had earlier set the clubhouse target after putting together a sparkling nine-birdie, two-bogey card, but her total looked like being a shot short when Pace birdied the 15th and 16th only to slip up at the next.
South Korea’s Ye Na Chung finished a shot outside the play-off after a final round of 72, with Sweden’s Linda Wessberg and Chinese amateur Yu Ting Shi another shot back on 11 under.
“It’s amazing, I love it here,” said Pace, who previously won the event in 2010. “It’s a really nice feeling to come back and win here again.
“I started off a bit shaky today. I hit a few loose shots in the beginning and then I birdied immediately afterwards which was good. After I made two birdies in a row (on the seventh and eighth) I just started playing really well.
“On the 17th I had a really sandy lie and I thought it was just a normal shot, nine-iron down the left side, and it seemed to get away from me down the right so left me a tricky putt and I three-putted that. I guess I needed that two-putt to seal the deal but in the end I did it anyway.
“I started to get really pumped up towards the end and all the feelings came back from 2010 when I won here. I made a birdie on 16 in 2010 so I was really pumped up to go. Unfortunately I three-putted 17 but it was good enough to win.”
England’s Trish Johnson finished eighth on seven under after a closing 72.
Source: Sky Sports
