Caroline Masson's nine Sunday birdies enough for first LPGA Tour title
Monday 5 September 2016 20:57, UK
Germany's Caroline Masson secured her first LPGA Tour title in a thrilling finale to the Manulife Classic in Canada.
Masson battled back from a double-bogey on the first at Whistle Bear Golf Club to card nine birdies in her final round and post a score of 16 under that no one else could match.
The Solheim Cup star started the day five shots adrift of eventual runner-up Mi Hyang Lee and appeared to have given up any hopes of contending when she made six at the opening hole.
But that would just be the start of a rollercoaster round that saw her rally with three successive birdies before dropping another stroke at the fifth.
She birdied the sixth before carding her first two pars and then kicking off a run of four more birdies in a row from the ninth hole.
Although Masson dropped another shot at the 13th she was already well in position to challenge, with Mi Hyang Lee having stumbled badly.
The Korean bogeyed her first two holes before carding an eagle at the third and, after making it back to 15 under at the turn then proceeded to give away two shots at the 10th.
Although she made back-to-back birdies at 15 and 16, she was left needing one more when Masson picked up her ninth birdie of the day at 16 and finished off a round of 67.
With Karine Icher and Minjee Lee in the clubhouse on 15 under, Masson knew her only threats came from Mi Hyang Lee and the in-form Ariya Jutanugarn, who came to the last hole needing a birdie to force a play-off.
Jutanugarn's challenge subsided when she smashed her drive into the trees and had to go back to the tee to play a second ball, although she was able to make a bogey to secure a tie for fifth.
Lee made the green in two and had a putt to tie Masson but she was unable to convert and the $240,000 first prize went to the German, whose only previous professional win came at the 2012 South African Women's Open.
Icher, who finished with a superb 66, Minjee Lee (67) and Mi Hyang Lee shared second ahead of a group on 14 under which also featured Suzann Pettersen and Lydia Ko.
