U.S. Open: Birdie time
A South Korean golfer from the second last pairing won her first LPGA tournament — only it wasn’t Michelle Wie, it was her playing partner Birdie Kim. Birdie changed her name to Birdie last year, to distinguish herself from the other Kim golfers. Well, good name change!
Birdie, who was in or tied for the lead most of the back nine, made a miraculous birdie on the final hole, the most difficult hole of the tournament. Birdie hit a 30 yard sand shot, that was a low slider that headed straight for the hole. It was only the 4th birdie surrendered on the 18th all week, where the stroke average was 4.7. The birdie put Birdie at +3, leaving the dejected Morgan Pressel (who had been tied for the lead at +4) back in the 18th fairway in complete disbelief and close to tears. TGC’s pic of Birdie’s shot here and celebration.
Final Leaderboard – Top 10
+3 Birdie Kim
+5 Brittany Lang
+5 Morgan Pressel
+6 Natalie Gulbis
+6 Lorie Kane
+7 Karine Icher
+7 Young Jo
+7 Lorena Ochoa
+8 Cristie Kerr
+8 Angela Stanford
+8 Karen Stupples
Full leaderboard here (TGC).
