Birthday Girl

Rosales, meanwhile, had played the 18th hole in an interesting fashion. She followed up a good drive with a horrendous second shot that flew into the spectators boxes around the 18th green. Hopefully she did not take anyone's eyes out. Indeed, she was very lucky those boxes were there; were they not, she probably would have been 50 yards over the green. As it was, she got a drop near the green, albeit in a terrible lie. She needed to save par to stay ahead of Lee, and she did, notching a 14 under par, the new score to beat.

Next up was Grace. She had made a bunch of birdies this day, but two early bogies had derailed her somewhat. A birdie at 15 moved her to 12 under, and there she would remain until the 18th hole. So now she had to get an eagle to tie Rosales. She certainly hit a great drive, so was set up for it, but her second shot also hit the grandstand and bounced back, but not, unfortunately, onto the green. She made birdie and finished at 13 under, another 2nd place finish for her gunbelt.

Grace has fun in the thick rough near
the 18th green

Peanut missed a few crucial putts during the final round,
though she tried to coax them in!

And that left Mi Hyun Kim, playing in the final group. By the 11th hole, she had moved into a tie with Rosales at 14 under. But a bogey on 15 knocked her back. She needed to get another birdie somewhere and make no more mistakes. But her chances effectively ended with another bogey on 17, meaning she would have to make eagle on the last hole to tie for the win and force a playoff. Not likely, as Peanut was not nearly as long as Grace, and the conditions did not lend themselves to her rolling the ball up onto the green.

Indeed, her second shot left her short of the green, and her third, which would have had to go into the hole from 60 yards, did not. She wound up with par and a 6th place finish. Mi Hyun would have to wait another day to get her long awaited 6th win.

In the end, one of the most unlikely scenarios had occurred. You had 5 time winner Mi Hyun Kim, Rookie sensation Aree Song, #1 Annika Sorenstam, #2 Se Ri Pak, and superstar Grace Park all near the lead going into Sunday, and none of them walked off with the trophy. For Aree, it was a powerful setback that she will hopefully bounce back from with ease. For Se Ri, another disappointment, but at least she showed signs she's ready to get her house in order. And for Lee, Park and Kim, more proof that they are here and ready to win.