Ami Yang wins the HypoVereinsbank Ladies German Open

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Ami Yang wins the HypoVereinsbank Ladies German Open

Thursday, June 5th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

1st June

South Korea’s Amy Yang claimed the HypoVereinsbank Ladies German Open, presented by Audi, by four shots at Golfpark Gut Häusern on Sunday and announced that she would donate the €37,500 first prize money to the victims of the Chinese earthquake.

Yang, 18, began the final round with a five shot lead and shot a five-under 67 for a 21-under-par total. Sweden’s Louise Stahle, the 2007 Ryder Cup Wales Rookie of the Year, finished in second on 17-under with Gwladys Nocera in third one stroke back. Spain’s Marta Prieto and France’s Anne-Lise Caudal shared fourth on 15-under-par.

The richly deserved victory was the first in Yang’s professional career, but her second on the Ladies European Tour. The 18-year-old made worldwide news two years ago when she won the ANZ Ladies Masters in Australia as a 16-year-old amateur. At that time she was the youngest ever winner on the LET. She turned professional in October 2006 and was granted a three year exemption to play on the tour but was unable to commit to full time golf until she finished her school exams in Australia at the end of 2007.

“I’m so happy now,” said Yang, who shot rounds of 71, 66, 63 and 67. “I practised really hard to get this but I need to work harder. I just found last week after playing with Suzann (Pettersen) that I needed to practise more to be like her.”

The teenaged Yang was paired with Pettersen, ranked third in the world, in every round of last week’s Deutsche Bank Ladies Swiss Open, where Yang finished second behind the Norwegian.

Victory was the Korean’s sixth top-ten finish in seven starts on the LET this year and increased her lead of the New Star Money List. It also cemented her place in the high prize money Evian Masters in France and the Ricoh Women’s British Open.

Yang said she couldn’t even compare her first pro victory with her win in Australia, because she couldn’t recall the feeling. “I don’t remember! It was a long time ago, like two years,” she said.

Yang, who used experienced caddie Steve Walsh en route to victory in Munich, now lives in Orlando, Florida, as she holds a conditional card on the LPGA Tour in the United States, but she lived in Australia for three years in order to develop her game.

Another teenager, American Michelle Wie, 18, came sixth on 14-under-par, which marked her first sub-par tournament total in 14 appearances since she tied for second at the 2006 Evian Masters in France.

Wie chipped in for eagle at the first and then birdied the third to be three-under-par after her first three holes but couldn’t keep the momentum going.

Her final round of 67 was her best score in three tournaments this year. “I’m glad that I shot under par; it feels good,” said Wie, whose presence helped to attract almost 17,000 spectators to the remote course over the tournament week.

“I feel that I left a lot of shots out there; a lot of putts; on the par fives a couple. It feels like it’s coming along. It feels like I’m recovering, getting back on track and getting back to where I used to be.”

“I feel a lot more confident about my game. I think a person’s greed means that you always want something more. If you look at my score, 14-under-par, I’m very happy with it but at the same time I could have done better.

“I definitely won’t go back to the States frustrated. I feel like I wish I made a putt here or there. That’s golf. I’ll go back with a lot of confidence. I know what I need to work on. I’m really looking forward to the rest of the summer.”

Like Yang, Wie will now head to America to compete in US Women’s Open Qualifying on 9th June.