Nordqvist claims an LPGA

Major title 12 months after

victory at North Berwick

+Almost 12 months to the day after winning the Ladies British open amateur championship trophy at North Berwick (pictured right by Cal Carson Golf Agency), Sweden's Anna Nordqvist has won an LPGA Tour Major title - the McDonald's LPGA Championship. Last June, Anna told Kirkwoodgolf.co.uk that she did not think she would ever be good enough or consistent enough to follow in the footsteps of her Swedish compatriot, Annika Sorenstam, and certainly didn't want to be described as the "new" Annika, but it looks like Anna was being too modest.
Read the LPGA Tour website report of her brilliant four-shot victory at Havre de Grace, Maryland:

$300,000 cheque and a place in US Women's Open for rookie Anna

Swedish rookie Anna Nordqvist had been frustrated this season, only being able to compete in four LPGA Tour events. The problem was solved on Sunday, as Nordqvist became the second rookie in as many years to win the McDonald's LPGA Championship Presented by Coca-Cola in her first appearance.
Her final 15-under-par 273 (66-70-69-68) outdistanced runner-up Lindsey Wright, an Australian who was actually born in Kent, England, at 11-under-par 277 (70-68-69-70). It was a career-best finish for Wright, who has never finished lower than a tie for 20th in five years at the event.
In addition to the $300,000 winner's check and major champion title, Nordqvist no longer has to go through sectional qualifying for the U.S. Women's Open tomorrow. Her entry into future LPGA events should be a bit easier, as well.
"I think I haven't realised I won a major yet. I mean, I just tried to focus on what I can do," said Nordqvist, just days after celebrating her 22nd birthday. I really can't do anything about what the other players are doing on the course."
Nordqvist played with the composure of a veteran over the 6,641-yard Bulle Rock Golf Course track. After a career-low 6-under-par 66 in the opening round, Nordqvist still found herself one-stroke behind Nicole Castrale, who finished tied for fifth at 8-under-par 280 (65-72-74-69).
During the second round, Nordqvist and Castrale switch positions on the leaderboard.
Weather moved in during the third round and forced a 2hr19 min delay and play to be suspended at 8:10 p.m. due to darkness. Nordqvist still had three holes to play and a one-stroke lead over Wright, thanks to a 15th hole birdie.
She returned to the course on Sunday morning at 7:30 and managed to gain another stroke on her lead to end the third round two strokes ahead of Wright.
Nordqvist extended her lead to as much as five after a Wright bogey on hole seven. However the duo would go back-and-forth until Wright evened the score with a birdie on hole 16. However, a bogey on hole 17 gave Nordqvist the one-stroke edge and she sealed the deal, landing her 21-degree hybrid to three feet for the birdie on 18.
Despite her runner-up finish, Wright was pleased with the week."Under that amount of pressure, not being in that position before and in a major and being a rookie? You can't get any better than that," said Wright, who is now ninth on the LPGA Official Money List with nearly $518,000 in season earnings.
"The week's been amazing. I played really consistent and held it together mentally and physically, which is something I've not been able to do as well in the past."
Nordqvist attributed her win to strong putting - 101 for the week after puttting rounds of 22, 26, 26 and 27. "I mean, my putting has been awesome this week. I've been working with PING in the putting lab just trying to get a good roll of the ball," said Nordqvist, who is just the fifth player in tournament history to win the event in their first appearance.
"I feel like the last couple weeks, I've been putting well. I mean, obviously making putts gives you confidence and I felt very confident on the greens and I saw the lines. I mean, my putting has just been awesome this week."

LPGA Tour Scoreboard
McDONALD'S LPGA CHAMPIONSHIP
Bulle Rock Golf Course, Havre de Grace, Maryland.
FINAL TOTALS
Par 288 (4x72)
273 Anna Nordqvist (Swe) 66 70 69 68
277 Lindsey Wright (Aus) 70 68 69 70
278 Ji-Yai Shin (Kor) 73 68 69 68
279 Kyeong Bae (Kor) 70 69 72 68
280 Angela Stanford 70 71 70 69, Kristy McPherson 70 70 70 70, Nicole Castrale 65 72 74 69
281 Na Yeon Choi (Kor) 68 71 70 72
282 Jin young Pak (Kor) 69 71 69 73, Amy Yang 68 74 70 70, Song-Hee Kim (Kor) 73 72 68 69, Stacy Lewis 68 72 71 71
283 Brandie Burton 73 71 72 67
284 Irene Cho 72 75 65 72, In-Bee Park (Kor) 70 72 73 69
285 Paula Creamer 74 70 71 70, In-Kyung Kim (Kor) 72 74 68 71, Shi Hyun Ahn (Kor) 73 70 72 70, Sophie Gustafson (Swe) 69 74 70 72, Katherine Hull (Aus) 69 69 76 71
286 Natalie Gulbis 72 75 69 70, Hee-Won Han (Kor) 70 69 73 74
287 Eun Hee Ji (Kor) 74 69 73 71, Lorena Ochoa (Mex) 72 69 73 73, Maria Hjorth (Swe) 71 75 72 69, Mindy Kim 74 69 72 72, Michelle Wie 70 74 73 70, Ya-Ni Tseng (Tai) 73 71 69 74, Paige Mackenzie 68 77 69 73, Allison Hanna-Williams 72 74 69 72
288 Heather Bowie young 75 70 70 73, Young Kim (Kor) 72 74 71 71, Beth Bader 73 73 74 68, Cristie Kerr 76 70 70 72, Na Ri Kim (Kor) 71 73 72 72, Michele Redman 72 73 72 71, Ashleigh Simon (Rsa) 68 74 74 72, Soo-Yun Kang (Kor) 73 71 72 72
289 Mika Miyazato (Jpn) 72 74 70 73, Ji-Young Oh (Kor) 73 74 71 71, Seon Hwa Lee (Kor) 74 71 76 68, Brittany Lang 72 72 72 73, Janice Moodie (Sco) 74 73 70 72
290 Minea Blomqvist (Fin) 73 69 70 78, Juli Inkster 73 71 73 73, Anna Grzebien 74 73 69 74, M J Hur (Kor) 71 72 74 73, Kris Tschetter 70 72 73 75
291 Stacy Prammanasudh 73 71 72 75, Sun Young Yoo (Kor) 73 74 68 76, Karrie Webb (Aus) 72 70 76 73, Sandra Gal (Ger) 71 71 76 73
292 Johanna Mundy (Eng) 73 73 73 73, Chella Choi (Kor) 71 72 76 73, Eunjung Yi (Kor) 73 74 69 76, Moira Dunn 68 74 74 76
293 Taylor Leon 72 72 75 74, Wendy Doolan (Aus) 72 73 74 74, Aree Song (Kor) 68 73 74 78, Il Mi Chung (Kor) 74 73 72 74, Momoko Ueda (Jpn) 76 71 70 76, Karin Sjodin (Swe) 70 77 72 74, Candie Kung (Tai) 72 72 75 74, Helen Alfredsson (Swe) 74 71 76 72
294 Jee Young Lee (Kor) 75 72 72 75, Becky Morgan (Wal) 71 71 73 79, Se Ri Pak (Kor) 72 74 74 74, Marcy Hart 71 72 75 76
295 Carin Koch (Swe) 74 72 74 75, Katie Futcher 71 71 74 79
296 Teresa Lu (Tai) 76 70 73 77, Jamie Hullett 73 71 76 76, Meaghan Francella 69 76 75 76
297 Karine Icher (Fra) 75 72 76 74
298 Julieta Granada (Par) 75 72 75 76
299 Marisa Baena 70 74 78 77
303 Jackie Gallagher-Smith 72 75 74 82