SportingNews.com - Golf : Daniel wins Canadian Women's Open

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Daniel wins Canadian Women's Open
July 13, 2003

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Beth Daniel was starting to wonder if she'd ever win again.

"But I always had confidence in myself," the 23-year LPGA veteran said. "I always felt like I was going to win again."

And she did -- in dramatic fashion.

Daniel birdied the final two holes in rainy conditions for a 4-under 68 and a one-stroke victory over Juli Inkster at the Canadian Women's Open on Sunday. Daniel finished at 13-under 275 for her 33rd career title and first since 1995.

"It's been a while," said Daniel, who at 46 years, eight months and 29 days old became the oldest player to win an LPGA event. "You go through a spell that long and you kind of start wondering, No. 1, if you're ever going to win again, and No. 2, if maybe you're too old to be out here."

Daniel made a 3-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th to tie Inkster at 12 under. Daniel laid up to 104 yards on the par-5 18th, but knocked her wedge to 6 feet. After Inkster left her 12-foot birdie putt short, Daniel made a right-to-left breaking putt for the $195,000 win.

"It was a battle the whole way and for a golf tournament to come down to the last hole like that is a spectator's dream, Daniel said.

Daniel and Inkster -- both LPGA and World Hall of Fame members -- started the day tied at 9 under and battled for 18 holes at the rain-soaked Point Grey Golf and Country Club.

"Coming down the last two holes, it was kind of like match play," the 43-year-old Inkster said. "She's been knocking on the door for a while and unfortunately she opened it up on me."

Daniel birdied the first and third holes to take a two-stroke lead, but missed makable birdie putts on the 10th and 11th holes to give Inkster a chance.

Inkster made up one stroke with a birdie on the 485-yard, par-5 10th, and took the lead with a two-stroke swing on No. 12. Inkster made a 2-foot birdie putt on the 12th, while Daniel struggled to a bogey after hitting her tee shot into the thick rough on the right side.

"All week here I was very calm, I was very confident, I felt like it was my golf tournament," Daniel said. "The only time I got a little derailed was the two-shot swing on 12, where Juli made birdie and I made bogey and all of a sudden I didn't have the lead anymore. I just had to dig in deep and try to get it back."

For a while, it looked like she never would.

Inkster kept the lead through No. 17, and her 8-foot birdie putt on the 143-yard par-3 appeared to be headed in before swinging right at the last second and stopping on the edge.

Daniel made her putt to move back into a tie.

"Seventeen was in the heart," Inkster said. "I was getting it out of the hole."

Daniel laid up on the 468-yard, par-5 No. 18. Inkster had a fairway metal in her hand and appeared ready to go for the green in two, but after waiting for a few minutes for the group ahead to putt out, decided to lay up as well.

"The rain started coming down harder and harder and harder and it's hard to get a good swing on a fairway wood in the rain off a tight lie," Inkster said. "Beth laid up, so I knew she was in the same boat."

Inkster almost holed her short iron, but the ball stopped inches from the cup and spun back 12 feet. She left her birdie putt a half-foot short.

"I did everything right, the only thing I didn't do was I forgot it was uphill and wet," she said of the short putt. "I had it right in the heart, too."

Daniel stepped up and made her putt for the win. After waiting eight years since the last one, it was a win she could truly appreciate.

"Definitely, I'm in the so-called autumn of my career and I think you enjoy it a lot more when it gets to that point where the wins are few and far between," she said. "I said I'd play as long as I feel I can still win out here and I proved it today."

Kim Saiki birdied four of her first five holes to move into a tie for the lead, but bogeyed the 11th and missed a 1-foot par putt on the 18th to fall into a tie with Grace Park for third place at 9 under. Park's 5-under 67 was the low round Sunday.

Se Ri Pak (69) birdied the final hole to finish alone in fifth place at 7 under. Jeong Jang (68) was alone in sixth at 6-under 282.

Divots: JoAnne Carner was the previous oldest LPGA winner at 46 years, five months and 11 days. Only 15 players finished under par. Dawn Coe-Jones, a 20-year LPGA Tour veteran who was inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame on Monday, birdied the final two holes for a 71 that made her the top Canadian at 1-over. ... Saiki's missed putt on the final hole cost her $20,000.