Amy Yang sank a short birdie putt on the 72nd hole to seal a five-stroke victory at the Honda LPGA Thailand in style Sunday, the Korean claiming the title for a second time with a new tournament record. The 2015 champion closed with a four-under 68 at the Siam Country Club in Chonburi to finish with a 22-under-par total of 266, one shot lower than the previous record and well clear of nearest rival, fellow Korean Ryu So-yeon (68). Compatriot Kim Sei-young finished a further two strokes back in third place, while Americans Lexi Thompson and Danielle Kang shared fourth place alongside another Korean, Chun In-gee, on 13-under-par at the rain-hit event. Frustrating weather delays during the first three rounds left the players either battling boredom or needing to play almost 36 holes in a day, but Yang stayed focused throughout to claim a third LPGA title after leading for all four days. "I'm beyond happy," Yang said in a greenside interview. "It wasn't easy with all the rain delays, 4 a.m. wake-up calls two days in a row, but I stayed patient out there and did my best and am delighted to have won the tournament." Starting her final round with a five-shot cushion, Yang always appeared in control of her destiny but when Ryu threatened to cut her lead to just two strokes on the back-nine, the 27-year-old produced a pair of title-winning shots. Yang made a complete mess of her chip from beside the green on the par-four 14th but breathed a huge sigh of relief when she drained a difficult 20-foot downhill putt to match Ryu's par and keep her advantage at a manageable three shots. "The chip wasn't easy from the bottom (of the slope) and I had a poor bounce but I knew I had to make the putt and fortunately I did," added Yang, who only recorded two bogeys all week. Still pumped by the adrenaline of her clutch par-save, Yang sent a booming drive into the centre of the green on the short par-four 15th and was able to extend her lead by another shot with a tap-in birdie as Ryu's challenge faded with a par. Fowler zooms four clear American Rickie Fowler set himself up for his first victory in more than a year, grabbing a four-shot lead after the third round at the Honda Classic in Florida Saturday. Fowler birdied two of the final three holes to jump clear of the field with a bogey-free five-under-par 65 on an unusually calm day at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens. He posted a 13-under 197 total, a tournament record low 54-hole score, with Englishman Tyrrell Hatton (66) the closest challenger on nine-under, and a group of five players six strokes back in a tie for third. Fowler won the European Tour's Abu Dhabi Championship in January last year, but has not triumphed on the PGA Tour since 2015, when he clinched his second and third career victories. He is 0-4 when holding the lead starting the final round on tour, though he has never had such a big cushion. Fowler was not quite firing on all cylinders early Saturday but improved as the round progressed. After ideal conditions Saturday, the forecast Sunday calls for a stiff breeze, which could create drama over the water-lined closing stretch. "This course can jump up and bite you at any time so I need to stick to the game plan," Fowler said. Fowler distanced himself from Hatton by sinking a ten-foot birdie putt at the par-four 16th and then picking up another birdie at the par-five 18th after a blistering 340-yard drive. Hatton, who will make his Masters debut this year, could have been closer to the lead had he not bogeyed the penultimate hole. He also failed to birdie the last. — Agencies
