GUANGZHOU, China, March 15 (Xinhua) -- A final-round birdie blitz proved the difference for Wang Zixuan on Saturday as the rookie pro beat overnight leader Lin Xinen to win the rain-delayed Golfjoy Women's Open by a stroke in Dongguan, south China's Guangdong Province.
After starting the day four shots off the lead, the 17-year-old Wang closed with a six-under 66, the best round of the tournament, for a 54-hole score of seven-under 209 to claim her maiden pro win.
Lin, who led the CLPG Tour tournament through the first two rounds, had to wait nearly an hour to attempt her birdie putt on the 18th green after play was halted for a thunderstorm at the Leadbetter Course at Mission Hills Golf Club. When play resumed, she missed the 15-footer that would have forced a playoff, carding a one-under 71 to finish runner-up.
Li Menghan closed with a two-under 70 to finish as the top amateur at four strokes back in a tie for third place with Cai Danlin (73). Pan Yanhong (70), Fang Shuanshuan (72), and He Jiaying (73) shared fifth place at six strokes off the pace.
Wang, who turned pro last year, stumbled early with a bogey at the first hole. She made her first birdie at the fifth hole and added further strokes at the eighth and ninth to make the turn at two-under.
Following birdies at the 11th and 12th, the teenager drew even with Lin at the 14th, where she placed her approach within a foot of the hole for a tap-in birdie. With Lin shooting nine straight pars on the back nine, Wang took the lead for good on the par-five 17th, sinking a 20-foot putt to move to the top of the leaderboard.
"I watched Lin Xinen from the clubhouse trying to make her final putt, and honestly, I felt nothing about it. I wasn't that nervous. I was prepared for a playoff. When she missed the putt, I was happy to achieve my first victory on the China LPGA Tour," said Wang, who finished second in Tianjin last year and was runner-up to Ye Lei at the 2023 Women's China Open.
"Over the last two holes, I told myself to be more daring and aggressive than last year. My goal for this tournament was to finish in the top 10, which would help me qualify for next week's Mitsubishi event. I'm thrilled that I accomplished my mission."
Lin, who led the tournament by a stroke through 36 holes, lamented a missed opportunity to capture her maiden win. Her round included two birdies and a bogey, all on the front nine.
"This is my first time finishing in the top 10. The road ahead is long, with many more tournaments to come this year. My pro career is just beginning. Let's wait and see," said the Guangzhou native, a student at Shenzhen University.
"Knowing I had a 15-foot birdie putt (at the last hole), I didn't feel it as pressure but more as motivation. I tried to be aggressive with that putt, but I just didn't execute it as well as I could have."
Li, who finished 17th at the Women's Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship last week in Vietnam, rebounded from a 75 on Friday to close with a two-under-par round featuring four birdies and two bogeys.
"I feel like I could have scored better because I had a lot of birdie chances on the front nine. But I didn't due to some careless mistakes. My mindset wasn't good, either," lamented the Weihai teenager. "This result could definitely have been better, but my putting really wasn't up to par. There's still room for me to improve." ■
