Golf

South Africa’s Paula Reto wins in Canada for first LPGA title

South Africa’s Paula Reto captured the first title of her nine-year LPGA profession on Sunday, holding on down the stretch to win the Canadian Women’s Open by one stroke.

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The 32-year-old from Cape Town made 5 birdies on the entrance 9 on her solution to firing a four-under-par 67 and ending on 19-under 265 for 72 holes at Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club.

Reto ended her drought in her 157th profession LPGA begin.

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“Dream come true for sure,” Paula Reto stated.

“I’m really happy and it has been such a long time. I was like, ‘I hope one day I will win,’ and it came true. I’m really so excited.”

Reto, who fired a course-record 62 on Thursday, solely received her first professional title in February on the Sunshine Tour in her homeland.

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Third-ranked American Nelly Korda, who would have taken the primary spot with a victory, additionally shot 67 to share second with South Korea’s Choi Hye-jin on 266.

New Zealand’s Lydia Ko closed with 4 consecutive birdies to shoot 63 and end fourth on 267 with South Korea’s An Na-rin fifth on 268.

LPGA rookies Choi and An shared the 54-hole lead however Choi started with 14 pars and shot 69 whereas An fell again with a double bogey on the seventh and a triple bogey on the par-5 eighth on her solution to firing a 72.

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Clinging to a one-stroke lead, Reto went over the inexperienced on the par-3 seventeenth however chipped the ball inches from the cup and tapped in for par to remain in entrance heading to the par-5 18th.

Reto despatched her strategy into the appropriate tough on a slope, then punched out to fifteen ft from the opening.

Choi then got here up quick on a protracted eagle putt over a ridge that may have given her a share of the lead, as a substitute settling for her ninth top-10 effort of the season.

Reto lipped out on her birdie putt then tapped in for the victory.

“I was so nervous coming to the last hole,” Paula Reto stated.

“I used to be like, ‘Just calm your nerves.’

“I kind of hit a bad 3-wood and that rough shot over there kind of saved me. I was just committing to it, trying to keep it simple.”

Paula Reto began the day 1 shot behind

Reto started one stroke off the tempo however charged rapidly with a gap birdie and a chip to inches from the cup to arrange a birdie on the third.

After a birdie on the par-5 sixth, Reto holed a six-foot birdie putt on the par-3 eighth and a protracted birdie putt on the par-5 ninth to grab three-stroke edge on the flip.

Korda, the Tokyo Olympic champion, had charged into second place with a birdie at 11 and an eagle on the twelfth. She answered a bogey at 14 with a birdies at 15 and 16 whereas Reto took a bogey on the 14th, trimming her result in one stroke to arrange the closing drama.

Leading scores after Sunday’s last spherical of the LPGA Canadian Women’s Open at Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club (par-71, USA except famous):

265 – Paula Reto (RSA) 62-69-67-67

266 – Nelly Korda 67-64-68-67, Choi Hye-jin (KOR) 68-63-66-69

267 – Lydia Ko (NZL) 69-68-67-63

268 – Kim A-lim (KOR) 66-69-66-67

269 – Sarah Schmelzel 69-64-66-70, An Na-rim (KOR) 64-65-68-72

271 – Emma Talley 65-70-68-68

272 – Alison Lee 68-71-70-63, Kim Sei-young (KOR) 70-68-71-63, Lucy Li 66-70-69-67, Lindy Duncan 69-62-70-71

273 – Carlotta Ciganda (ESP) 68-68-70-67, Megan Khang 70-66-69-68, Ariya Jutanugarn (THA) 67-68-69-69, Nasa Hataoka (JPN) 66-67-69-71

274 – Alena Sharp (CAN) 67-72-68-67, Haylee Harford 68-70-68-68, Lilia Vu 65-69-72-68, Amy Yang (TPE) 67-69-69-69, Yealimi Noh 67-69-68-70, Jessica Korda 67-68-69-70, Stephanie Kyriacou (AUS) 71-63-70-70, Lizette Salas 68-64-72-70, Danielle Kang 67-66-68-73

By Garrin Lambley © Agence France-Presse


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