Inbee Park issued notice early on a crowded Sunday leaderboard that this tournament was going to be hers for the taking. Park birdied the second and third holes Sunday to climb out to a lead in which she’d never relinquish, firing a 6-under-par 65 on Sunday to take the Volunteers of America North Texas Shootout Presented by JTBC by three shots. The win Sunday is the second time in the three-year history of this event that Park’s won after winning in 2013, and this is Park’s second victory of the season.
“I don’t know how I did it, but I did it twice,” Park said. “I mean I love this golf course. Some people say it’s tough to play on. But I really like it. It seems like it really suits my eye. And yeah, I’ve been playing really good the last three years here, and I love to come here and play. The crowds here, the atmosphere is great, so I love to come to Texas.”
Heading into Sunday’s final round, Park thought 11 or 12-under-par total would probably get the job done. But she lost in the cruelest of fashions two weeks ago on Sunday in Hawaii, Park posted the clubhouse lead and watched as Sei Young Kim chipped in to force a playoff. She then watched helplessly as Kim dunked her second in the playoff hole for an eagle. So even on a back nine where it looked like she was on cruise control, she wasn’t considering the tournament hers until she rolled in her birdie at the last and calmly fist pumped to celebrate her 14th LPGA title.
“Everybody really played well. I didn’t expect, you know, that many people in the two digits after four rounds,” Park said, “but obviously everybody got really fired up and everybody played good, and obviously looking at the leaderboard and looking at everybody playing good, that really motivated me to play well as well. So I said maybe three birdies is not enough, I need to make more, and I went and made more.”
Cristie Kerr and Hee Young Park both entered the day two shots back of the co-leaders but each fired a 5-under-par 66 to vault into a tie for second at 12-under-par. Lexi Thompson posted her best finish of the season, and Maria McBride notched her best finish since 2011 with tie for fourths at 11-under-par.
Kerr snuck into runner-up with birdies at her last three holes, but ultimately, she just ran out of holes.
“Started sort of a birdie barrage at the end,” Kerr said. “I played really well today. I could have had three or four more putts go in, but 5-under on this course is great. Can’t complain.”
No one was catching Park on Sunday. Kerr even hit her Sunday goal, but it’s tough to make up two shots in the final round when the leader doesn’t make a single bogey and pours in six birdies.
“She just played a little bit more consistently than me this week, I think, and I had an even par round, which didn’t help my cause, but I can’t complain,” Kerr said. “ I played really well all week. I was great mentally today and that was my goal, and I thought I had to shoot at least 5 or 6 under to have a chance, and I did that.”
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