YANI TSENG WINS ANZ LADIES MASTERS BY FOUR SHOTS

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR
By BETHAN CUTLER
Media Manager, LET
bcutler@ladieseuropeantour.com
Taiwan's Yani Tseng shot a closing 68 to win the ANZ RACV Ladies Masters at RACV Royal Pines Resort today and is predicted to claim the world No. 1 ranking from Korean Jiyai Shin when the rankings are announced on Monday.
Tseng, 22, who has played the Ladies Masters on Queensland's Gold Coast since she was a 16-year-old amateur, produced rounds of 67, 66, 63 and 68 against par of 72 to finish at 24 under par 264, four shots clear of Australia's Nikki Campbell and American Stacy Lewis.
Another American, Ryann O'Toole, took fourth place at 18 under while 16-year-old New Zealand amateur Cecilia Cho tied for fifth with Lee-Anne Pace of South Africa, Amanda Blumenhurst of the US and Aussie Sarah-Jane Smith.
Tseng’s win comes on the heels of her victory at the ISPS HANDA Women's Australian Open at Commonwealth GC in Melbourne last week, a double achieved only by Karrie Webb in 2007. Webb was looking to win the title for the eighth time this year but after sharing the lead with an opening 66, shot subsequent rounds of 71, 68 and 67 to drop back to a share of ninth place.
Tseng's elevation to the top spot in the rankings is almost routine for the winner of the ANZ Ladies Masters. Others to use the tournament as a springboard to No. 1 are Se Ri Pak of Korea, Webb, Annika Sorenstam and Lorena Ochoa.
The winner of three majors - the 2009 LPGA Championship and the Kraft Nabisco and Women's British Open in 2010 - said her goal at the start of the year was to be ranked the best player in the world. She advanced from No. 5 to No. 2 with the Australian Open win and completed the journey at Royal Pines.
The trick now, she says, is staying there. Since Ochoa retired on top in May last year, Shin, Ai Miyazato of Japan and American Christie Kerr have assumed and lost the mantle.
"It is so soon," said Tseng. "I wasn't expecting it as quickly as this. I still have another 10 months to go. I just need to be very patient and keep working hard."
She described the win as a dream come true. "I'm very appreciative of the opportunity to play in this tournament since I was an amateur," she said. "I have learned a lot here, coming to play with the best golfers in the world. The first time I came here I told all my friends that one day I want my picture on Champion Drive with all the other winners."
The circuit now moves to Christchurch for the Pegasus Women's New Zealand Open, the third event in as many weeks co-sanctioned by Australian Ladies Professional Golf and the Ladies European Tour.
FINAL TOTALS
Par 288 (4x72)
264 Yani Tseng (TPE) 67 66 63 68 (62,500 Euros).
268 Nikki Campbell (AUS) 68 67 69 64, Stacy Lewis (USA) 67 65 67 69 (35,208 Euros each). 
270 Ryann O'Toole (USA) 68 66 67 69 (20,833 Euros).
271 Lee-Anne Pace (SA) 68 70 68 65, Amanda Blumenherst (USA) 69 70 67 65, Sarah-Jane Smith (AUS) 67 69 69 66, Cecilia Cho (Am) (NZ) 69 67 68 67
272 Sarah Kemp (AUS) 74 66 67 65, Eun Hee Ji (KOR) 66 70 69 67, Karrie Webb (AUS) 66 71 68 67, Christina Kim (USA) 69 69 66 68
273 Belen Mozo (ESP) 68 71 64 70, Ashleigh Simon (SA) 68 66 68 71
274 Florentyna Parker (ENG) 71 66 71 66, Karine Icher (FRA) 68 69 71 66, Frances Bondad (AUS) 71 67 69 67, Melissa Reid (ENG) 67 67 72 68, Katherine Hull (AUS) 69 66 71 68, Maria Hernandez (ESP) 66 68 70 70, Jennifer Rosales (PHI) 70 68 66 70, Jennifer Song (USA) 70 66 67 71 (4,932 Euros each). 
275 Marianne Skarpnord (NOR) 71 69 69 66, Stephanie Na (AUS) 72 67 68 68, Tiffany Joh (USA) 71 69 66 69, Kristie Smith (AUS) 67 65 73 70, Diana Luna (ITA) 66 69 70 70, Ursula Wikstrom (FIN) 70 68 67 70, Jean Chua (MAL) 70 68 67 70, Shin Ae Ahn (KOR) 67 67 70 71
276 Linda Wessberg (SWE) 69 70 70 67, Cindy LaCrosse (USA) 70 69 68 69, Julieta Granada (PAR) 69 70 68 69, Giulia Sergas (ITA) 67 69 69 71, Hannah Jun (USA) 69 66 69 72
277 Caroline Masson (GER) 72 68 70 67, Chae-young Yoon (KOR) 69 68 70 70, Katie Futcher (USA) 68 71 68 70, Virginie Lagoutte-Clement (FRA) 69 70 68 70, Bo-Bea Kim (KOR) 70 70 67 70, Sandra Gal (GER) 70 64 72 71
278 Beth Allen (USA) 69 70 70 69, Tamie Durdin (AUS) 68 71 69 70, Alexis Thompson (USA) 69 68 69 72, Reilley Rankin (USA) 68 69 67 74
279 Becky Brewerton (WAL) 68 67 75 69, Karen Lunn (AUS) 66 69 75 69, Mollie Fankhauser (USA) 74 63 73 69, Minjee Lee (Am) (AUS) 68 68 73 70, Julie Maisongrosse (FRA) 74 65 69 71, Dewi Claire Schreefel (NL) 70 66 71 72 (1,541 Euros each).
280 Mariajo Uribe (COL) 71 69 72 68
281 Leah Hart (AUS) 68 70 72 71, Becky Morgan (WAL) 69 68 72 72, Rebecca Flood (AUS) 69 70 70 72, Nicole Hage (USA) 71 69 69 72, Elizabeth Bennett (ENG) 71 68 69 73, Sophie Walker (ENG) 71 69 68 73, Jessica Parker (AUS) 70 70 67 74 (1,071 Euros each). 
282 Sarah Oh (AUS) 70 68 74 70, Nancy Harvey (CAN) 71 69 70 72, Cassandra Kirkland (FRA) 66 70 71 75
283 Bree Arthur (AUS) 69 71 71 72
284 Malene Jorgensen (DEN) 73 67 74 70, Laura Davies (ENG) 69 67 74 74, Sarah Nicholson (NZ) 69 69 71 75 (590 Euros each).
285 Stacy Lee Bregman (SA) 71 69 71 74
286 Felicity Johnson (ENG) 68 71 77 70, Momoko Ueda (JPN) 69 71 71 75
287 Danielle Bowers (ENG) 68 72 73 74 (480 Euros)

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