The Loop

GW Monday: Tseng's uncharacteristic finish

April 04, 2011

From the April 4 issue of Golf World Monday:

Yani Tseng struck a victory pose on the first tee Sunday, hoisting the Dinah Shore Trophy over her head. It was her first mistake, but not her last. The defending Kraft Nabisco champion and No. 1 in the Rolex Rankings, Tseng was unable to protect the two-stroke lead she took into the final round over Stacy Lewis.

In an out-of-character performance with a tournament on the line, Tseng was thoroughly outplayed, her closing 74 five shots in arrears of Lewis, who won for the first time. Although Tseng won't drop from her perch atop the Rolex Rankings, Sunday's play does indicate that she might not run away from the rest of the players in the world as did Lorena Ochoa and Annika Sorenstam, two of her predecessors at No. 1.

In fact, Americans might be more in the mix than you might imagine. Lewis' win gives U.S.-born players three of the last four major titles -- Cristie Kerr and Paula Creamer won the LPGA Championship and U.S. Women's Open in 2010 -- and four of the last nine.

And what about the South Koreans? Since the start of the 2009 season they have won just one major, by Eun-Hee Ji at the '09 Women's Open. Maybe, just maybe, the times, they are a-changin'.

-- John Strege