Feng wins LPGA, 1st major for China

PITTSFORD, New York - Agence France-Presse

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Feng Shanshan became the first Chinese golfer to win a major title by firing a bogey-free five-under par 67 on Sunday to capture the LPGA Championship by two strokes.

The 22-year-old from Beijing, who began golfing at age 10 and came to America as a teen before joining the LPGA in 2008, took her first career LPGA triumph by finishing 72 holes at Locust Hill Country Club on six-under 282.

“I still can’t believe that I won a major. It just feels so good,” Feng said. “I’m just so excited right now. I did it.” Japan’s Mika Miyazato, Norway’s Suzann Pettersen, American Stacy Lewis and South Korean Eun-Hee Ji shared second on 284.

World No. 10 Feng, whose victory was worth $375,000, fired the low round of the week on the last day.
“My goal for the year was to win on the LPGA Tour and a top-10 in a major. I did them at one time,” Feng said.

In a strong amateur career in China, Feng won nine titles, including the China Women’s Amateur title from 2004 through 2006.

Feng shared the runner-up spot in February’s HSBC Women’s Champions event in Singapore to match her best LPGA result to that point, runner-up efforts in last year’s Mizuno Classic and the 2008 Bell Micro LPGA Classic.

“This means a lot for me,” Feng said. “This is my fifth year on the tour. I had no winning. I was down. I was thinking, ‘Could I win again?’ Now I know I can win again.”