Cristie Kerr completes LPGA Tour win on Monday

FROM THE PGA.COM WEBSITE
SPRINGFIELD, Illinois -- Cristie Kerr won the rain-delayed State Farm LPGA Classic by one shot over Anna Nordqvist and Na Yeon Choi today.
The final round of the event was complted a day late due to weekend rain interrupting play. Kerr fought off flu-like symptoms and late challenges from Nordqvist and Choi, shooting a 3-under 69 in the final round to finish at 22-under 266 at Panther Creek Country Club.
Kerr had a two-shot lead heading to the final hole, so a bogey on the final hole gave her the one-shot victory. It is her second State Farm Classic win, and she becomes the first American to win on the LPGA Tour since Michelle Wie won the Lorena Ochoa Invitational last November.
"That definitely motivates me to be the top American and top player on tour," said Kerr, who won $255,000 to move into the second on the money list, $60,000 behind Ai Miyazato. "I'm just happy not to have to answer, 'Why are there no American winners anymore?' "
Juli Inkster, whose first-round 65 had her tied for second, shot 68-71 on the weekend to end in 35th.
Karrie Webb made her way into a tie for 11th with a final-round 65. Natalie Gulbis went 4 under in her closing round to finish tied for 36th and Wie finished at 6 under, tied for 52nd.
Kerr led after third-round play was completed Sunday morning and would have been the champion if the fourth round had been washed out. But with more than half the round completed when heavy rain and lightning rolled in Sunday, tour officials decided to try to finish the tournament Monday.
Kerr never wavered. After Saturday's delay, she made six more birdies to finish with a 63. Monday, she birdied three holes before an inconsequential bogey on 18.
Kerr said the stormy conditions Sunday helped her.
"It was actually to my advantage that they called play last evening, because I was just exhausted," she said. "I didn't sleep well at all on Saturday night, just up coughing the whole night."
Kerr came down with flulike symptoms early in the week and then weathered two storm postponements that left birdie putts on the course to post rounds of 67-67-63-69. She missed the green and bogeyed 18 on Monday, but with a two-shot lead over Nordqvist and Choi, her two-putt was good for the victory.
"You know, you always want to try and complete the tournament to be able to feel like you earned it," Kerr said. "I would have taken it, don't get me wrong, but this feels better."
Choi birdied three of her last four holes to get to 21 under, but Nordqvist, who birdied four straight before the rain stopped play on Sunday, was up and down after the break. She bogeyed the par-4 12th and before birdies on Nos. 13-14. She had another birdie chance on the par-5 16th, but missed a short put. She had to get up and down from the sand on 18 to save par, but the bad read on 16 is what really cost her.
"I knew I had to make a couple of birdies those last couple of holes to give it a shot, but I gave this my best," she said. "I thought I hit a pretty good putt, it just broke a little too much. I mean, that's life."
First-round leader Shanshan Feng and Hee Young Park, who just missed a birdie putt on 18 that would have given her a final-round 62, ended tied for fourth at 20 under. Feng, the only Chinese golfer on the tour, loves to play Panther Creek.
"I think this course fits me. It's not an easy course, but I feel like it's good for me as a long hitter," she said. "My putting was really good. My putting is not usually that good, but it's good here."
Park's 63 was a personal best and included nine birdies. She was playing on an injured knee and the delay may have helped.
"It's getting worse, so I rested it," she said. "That was a good choice."
A day into the new week on tour, Kerr was already thinking of what lay ahead.
"Winning is a great feeling, but you can't stop there," she said. "You've got to be able to set new goals. I've got another tournament (this) week and then I've got another major."
FINAL TOTALS
Par 288
266 Cristie Kerr 67 67 63 69
267 Na Yeon Choi (Kor) 65 69 68 65, Anna Nordqvist (Swe) 66 69 65 67
268 Hee Young Park (Kor) 67 69 69 63, Shanshan Feng (Chn) 64 72 65 67
269 Jee Young Lee (Kor) 67 70 65 67, Gwladys Nocera (Fra) 67 69 67 66
271 Na On Min (Jpn) 70 69 64 68, Song-Hee Kim (Kor) 66 70 66 69, Katie Futcher 72 65 69 65
272 Yani Tseng (Tai) 68 71 66 67, Sun Young Yoo (Kor) 68 69 67 68, Karrie Webb (Aus) 69 71 67 65
273 Amy Yang 68 65 72 68, Alena Sharp (Can) 66 68 71 68
274 Morgan Pressel 68 70 65 71, M.J. Hur (Kor) 66 66 71 71, Sophie Gustafson (Swe) 67 69 72 66, Moira Dunn 68 71 68 67, Stacy Lewis 70 67 69 68
275 In Kyung Kim (Kor) 69 71 68 67, Hee-Won Han (Kor) 69 67 70 69
276 Lindsey Wright (Aus) 68 70 70 68, Azahara Munoz (Spa) 71 68 68 69, Heather Bowie Young 68 67 70 71, Meena Lee (Kor) 66 71 70 69, Brittany Lincicome 71 68 69 68, Angela Stanford 72 70 70 64, Inbee Park (Kor) 67 67 72 70
277 Mika Miyazato (Jpn) 67 75 65 70, Jimin Kang (Kor) 68 69 70 70, Eun Hee Ji (Kor) 73 69 65 70, Tamie Durdin (Aus) 69 69 70 69, Karine Icher (Fra) 70 68 68 71
278 Juli Inkster 65 74 68 71
279 Natalie Gulbis 71 67 73 68, Diana D'Alessio 69 70 70 70, Michele Redman 69 67 72 71, Jeong Jang (Kor) 70 70 71 68
280 Mariajo Uribe (Col) 71 71 68 70, Shi Hyun Ahn (Kor) 71 70 68 71, Brittany Lang 73 68 70 69, Helen Alfredsson (Swe) 71 70 68 71, Seon Hwa Lee (Kor) 72 70 69 69, Louise Friberg (Swe) 69 71 75 65, Mi-Hyun Kim (Kor) 70 70 68 72, Samantha Richdale 69 72 69 70, Kyeong Bae (Kor) 69 69 70 72
281 Catriona Matthew (Sco) 71 71 68 71, Lorie Kane (Can) 71 68 75 67, Amanda Blumenherst 72 70 70 69
282 Michelle Wie 69 69 73 71, Il Mi Chung (Kor) 70 68 74 70, Paige Mackenzie 74 68 72 68
283 Stephanie Louden 70 72 69 72, Lisa Meldrum 69 71 72 71, Rachel Hetherington (Aus) 70 72 72 69, Sarah-Jane Smith (Aus) 70 71 69 73, Nicole Castrale 72 69 71 71, Mina Harigae 71 69 68 75, Hye Jung Choi (Kor) 72 69 70 72
284 Elizabeth Janangelo 71 71 73 69, Wendy Ward 68 71 73 72, Ashli Bunch 71 69 72 72
285 Meaghan Francella 70 72 70 73, Karin Sjodin (Swe) 69 72 76 68
286 Tanya Dergal 68 73 73 72, Mikaela Parmlid (Swe) 68 74 74 70, Haeji Kang (Kor) 71 70 76 69, Kris Tamulis 71 70 71 74
287 Paola Moreno 70 72 72 73, Allison Hanna-Williams 70 68 72 77
289 Laura Diaz 72 70 75 72
293 Brandie Burton 72 70 76 75
DQ: 213 Lisa Strom 71 68 74