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Wannasaen started the day with a three-stroke
lead at Highland Meadows Golf Club and fired a 4-under-par 67 to
finish at 20-under 264 for the week.
She was ahead by five shots with nine holes to go, then stumbled
from Nos. 10-13 with two bogeys and one birdie in that stretch.
Wannasaen converted two crucial birdies at the par-5 17th and
18th holes, as South Korea's Haeran Ryu made a late run to card
a 65 and finish second at 19 under.
"I know she is very good player, very good golfer," Wannasaen
said of Ryu. "I know her. Today I think she is like 5-under or
6-under. That's play really well. Yeah, she made me a little bit
nervous."
Ryu, who began the day in second place, made four birdies over
the final five holes, but her bogey at the par-4 16th came back
to bite her. She needed to shoot one better than Wannasaen on
one of the final two holes to force a playoff.
"Try not to short shot," Ryu said of her approach at the final
hole. "I think almost five, six meters birdie, and, OK, I got to
try to the birdie or eagle and then I want to go to playoff. But
really good shots and almost get it in."
Wannasaen admitted she was nervous entering the round but said
it was thrilling to be in contention again.
"It's really exciting, because like on the last putt, in my
brain it's like nothing," Wannasaen said. "Just like being, ‘Get
in, get in. Just birdie. I don't want to par; just birdie.'
"After I putt in, the (fans screamed), and after that notice,
‘Oh, my God, a lot of my fans supporting me on this week.'"
Wannasaen earned her first victory on tour last September at the
Portland Classic. Earlier this week, she set career-low marks
for 36-hole score (131) and 54-hole score (197).
Ssu-Chia Cheng of Taiwan and Linn Grant of Sweden each shot 68
to tie for third at 14 under. Mary Liu (69) and Xiyu Lin (70),
both of China, tied for fifth at 12 under.
--Field Level Media [© 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights
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