Katherine Hull kept calm by reciting Bible verses

B5

THE CANADIAN PRESS

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OTTAWA - While Australians haul in Olympic medals in Beijing, Katherine Hull emerged with some hardware of her own by winning the US$2.25 million CN Canadian Open yesterday.

Hull, who keeps herself calm on the course by reciting Bible verses to herself, took advantage of Yani Tseng's collapse to overcome a six-stroke deficit and claim her first LPGA tournament title at Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club.

The Brisebane native shot 69 to finish at 11-under 277 -- one stroke better than South Korean veteran Se Ri Pak, who birdied the 18th to card an even-par 72 for 278.

"This is something we all dream about as kids and to have it actually happen is amazing," Hull said with the championship trophy at her side. "I was thinking this might be the year I broke through and got a win but, at six shots back, I didn't think much about it.

"I just tried to play the best I could. I honestly didn't expect to win at all. But that's how golf goes. It's four rounds, 72 holes and anything can happen."

Tseng, a rookie sensation on tour who won the LPGA championship this year, went into the final round with a four-stroke lead on Pak and six on Hull and defending champion Lorena Ochoa of Mexico.

But the 19-year-old from Taiwan bogeyed four holes on the front nine, then double-bogeyed the 11th and bogeyed the 12th to finish at 5-over 77. The distraught Tseng, who declined to speak to the media after her round, finished third at 279.

Hull, who posed for the traditional winner's picture with some Mounties on the 18th green, clearly likes to play in Canada. Her best previous finish was second at the 2005 Canadian Open behind Meena Lee -- her only other top-3 finish since joining the tour in 2004.

The win moved her from 51st to 17th on this year's money list and got her a spot in the ADT Championship. It also put her over the $1 million mark for her career.

Pak, a Hall of Famer with 24 career wins, was 4 over on the front nine as she battled a gusting wind, but clawed back to take second place and win $205,481. That was enough for her to become the fifth player in LPGA history to top the $10 million mark in career earnings.

The 30-year-old bogeyed the fourth and fifth, then made what she said was the first four-putt of her career on the sixth hole. But she responded with birdies on three of the next four holes for her best finish of the year.

"I just tried to forget about it, there was lots of golf left," said Pak. "It was too early to give up."

Ochoa, the world's top-ranked player, struggled to a 73, while Sun Young Yoo carded a 69 and Song-Hee Kim a 70 to finish in a three-way tie fourth place at 281.

Suzann Pettersen shot 68 to take seventh place at 282.

Pak felt for Tseng, who has four second places and a third to go with her lone win.