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China's Shanshan Feng takes LPGA Volvik Championship title, notches seventh career victory
Gregory Shamus
China’s Shanshan Feng won the LPGA Volvik Championship by one stroke over Minjee Lee and Sung Hyun Park. No. 7 on the Rolex Ranking entering the week, Feng closed with a four-under 68 after posting rounds of 68-67-66 to shoot 19 under for the week at Travis Pointe Country Club in Ann Arbor, Mich. The impressive scores were aided by solid play off the tee and on the greens; Feng only missed six fairways all week and averaged 28 putts per round.
Feng’s play has been particularly strong in the past nine months: She was the bronze medalist in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. Since that performance last August, she’s had 11 top-10 finishes and three wins.
It was the 27-year-old’s seventh career victory on tour, but Feng found this one particularly validating.
“I’m really happy to have this win,” Feng said, “because I’ve had six wins on the LPGA so far, but only two in the U.S. So I’m really happy that I’m not only playing well in Asia but also in the U.S.”
Of note, Park's T-2 finish puts her even more solidly in the lead for Rookie of the Year honors.
Lydia Ko is on a mid-season break and ran the risk of losing her No. 1 ranking if either So Yeon Ryu or Ariya Jutanugarn had top finishes. Neither player, however, finished within the top 20, so Ko maintains her No. 1 status.