Twenty-year-old Chanettee Wannasaen of Thailand notched her second LPGA Tour victory by winning the Dana Open on Sunday in Sylvania, Ohio.
Wannasaen started the day with a three-stroke lead at Highland Meadows Golf Club and fired a 4-under-par 67 to finish at 20-under 264 for the week.
She was ahead by five shots with nine holes to go, then stumbled from Nos. 10-13 with two bogeys and one birdie in that stretch. Wannasaen converted two crucial birdies at the par-5 17th and 18th holes, as South Korea’s Haeran Ryu made a late run to card a 65 and finish second at 19 under.
“I know she is very good player, very good golfer,” Wannasaen said of Ryu. “I know her. Today I think she is like 5-under or 6-under. That’s play really well. Yeah, she made me a little bit nervous.”
Ryu, who began the day in second place, made four birdies over the final five holes, but her bogey at the par-4 16th came back to bite her. She needed to shoot one better than Wannasaen on one of the final two holes to force a playoff.
“Try not to short shot,” Ryu said of her approach at the final hole. “I think almost five, six meters birdie, and, OK, I got to try to the birdie or eagle and then I want to go to playoff. But really good shots and almost get it in.”
Wannasaen admitted she was nervous entering the round but said it was thrilling to be in contention again.
“It’s really exciting, because like on the last putt, in my brain it’s like nothing,” Wannasaen said. “Just like being, ‘Get in, get in. Just birdie. I don’t want to par; just birdie.’
“After I putt in, the (fans screamed), and after that notice, ‘Oh, my God, a lot of my fans supporting me on this week.'”
Wannasaen earned her first victory on tour last September at the Portland Classic. Earlier this week, she set career-low marks for 36-hole score (131) and 54-hole score (197).
Ssu-Chia Cheng of Taiwan and Linn Grant of Sweden each shot 68 to tie for third at 14 under. Mary Liu (69) and Xiyu Lin (70), both of China, tied for fifth at 12 under.
–Field Level Media
