Davies blows title chance
England’s Laura Davies had to settle for a disappointing third place as American Brittany Lincicome came from behind to claim the Ginn Open at the Reunion Resort in Florida on Sunday.
Davies, tied with Mexico’s Lorena Ochoa at the start of the final round, was one stroke ahead with two holes to play.
But she double-bogeyed the long 17th and then took a triple-bogey at the last for a 79.
Lincicome, four shots back going into a final round that was delayed for well over two hours due to stormy weather, shot a great 72 on a day when 45mph winds sent scores soaring.
The 21-year-old from Florida finished on a 10-under-par 278 and won the $390,000 (288,000) first prize by a shot from Ochoa, who double-bogeyed the 18th for a 77.
The 25-year-old, who needed the win to take over from Annika Sorenstam as world number one, hit her second shot into a bunker and then three-putted from the edge of the green and finished on nine under. Davies was alone in third on seven under.
It was a horrendous finish for Davies, who was aiming for a first win in six years on the LPGA Tour.
At the par-five 17th she drove into the rough, hit a third shot over the green and then took four more to get down. She three-putted from five feet – the second miss was under two feet.
One behind playing the last, she drove into a bunker and tried to rescue the situation by hitting a long iron second.
But she hit the lip and went on to take four to reach the green before again three-putting.
“It is really disappointing,” admitted Davies. “I blew it on 17 and then at 18 I just had to try and go for it with my second shot. But I just have to take some positives out of the week.”
Davies won a tournament in Norway last year and finished at the top of the Ladies’ European Tour money list.
But she has not won on the LPGA Tour since the Rochester International in June 2001 and she still needs two more titles to enter the LPGA Hall of Fame.
Ochoa, who started the day tied with Davies, also threw it away over the closing stretch.
In addition to the six at the last, she double-bogeyed the 13th and dropped shots at the 15th and 16th as the winds took their toll.
Lincicome had three birdies and three bogeys in the tough conditions, and the youngster admitted she was surprised to outplay two far more experienced players.
“I never really thought that I had a chance when we set out today,” she said after adding a second LPGA title to last year’s HSBC Women’s World Matchplay. “But level par was always a score that looked good in these conditions.”
