LPGA TOUR REPORT, SCORES

Na Yeon Choi rallies after losing a seven-hole

lead to win Samsung World Championship

Anyone who loses a seven-stroke lead in a tournament is usually on the slippery slopes of defeat. But not so Na Yeon Choi of South Korea. She let a seven-shot advantage slip through her fingers - and then rallied to win the Samsung World Championship, her first LPGA Tour victory.
Choi finished with a 71 for 16-under 272 and held off runner-up Ai Miyazato of Japan, who shot a 69, the low round of the day at Torrey Pines, San Diego in California.
Choi began the final round with a two-stroke lead, got birdies on two of her first four holes and made a 10ft eagle putt on the sixth hole to extend her lead to seven strokes.
It looked then like Choi, who has won four times on the Korean LPGA Tour, would cruise to her first LPGA Tour victory.
But Miyazato, playing in the group in front of Choi and Jiyai Shin of South Korea, made two quick birdies on Nos. 7 and 8 to cut Choi's lead to five.
Choi missed a tiddler of a putt on the ninth hole for a bogey, cutting the lead to four heading into the back nine.
She continued to struggle with two consecutive bogeys, and Miyazato tied Choi at 16-under with a 4-foot birdie putt on No. 16. Miyazato took the lead shortly after when Choi three-putted for bogey on No. 14.
Then it was Miyazato's turn to make a mistake. With 203 yards remaining for her second shot, Miyazato's 5-wood approach hit the bank in front of the 18th green and rolled into the water. She dropped in front of the pond but could not get up and down for par.
Choi's second shot on the 18th reached the front left of the green and her third shot came to rest 5 feet below the pin. Choi, who had missed several putts of equal or less distance, converted the birdie for the victory.
FINAL TOTALS
Par 288 (4x72)
272 Na Yeon Choi (Kor) 71 67 63 71
273 Ai Miyazato (Jpn) 68 68 68 69
277 Jiyai Shin (Kor) 66 69 68 74
279 Paula Creamer 69 69 70 71, Lorena Ochoa (Mex) 67 69 72 71
282 Sophie Gustafson (Swe) 67 70 75 70
283 Cristie Kerr 72 66 73 72
286 Yani Tseng (Tai) 75 66 70 75, Song-Hee Kim (Kor) 66 72 78 70, Suzann Pettersen (Nor) 71 72 70 73
288 Anna Nordqvist (Swe) 71 74 72 71, Catriona Matthew (Sco) 74 68 73 73, Brittany Lincicome 70 70 73 75, Angela Stanford 72 74 71 71
290 Karrie Webb (Aus) 73 72 70 75, Juli Inkster 68 74 74 74, Kristy McPherson 73 72 70 75
291 Lindsey Wright (Aus) 73 72 74 72
294 In-Kyung Kim (Kor) 72 73 73 76
298 Eun Hee Ji (Kor) 78 73 72 75