Christina Kim the winner but Acker-Macosko the star

BY Bruce Young | LPGA Tour | 2004 Longs Drugs Challenge | Wrap | 27 Sep 2004

The inevitable happened at today’s LPGA Longs Drugs Challenge in California when Christina Kim won for the first time on the LPGA Tour by powering home over the final nine to catch and pass both Julie Inkster and Karrie Webb.

In recent weeks it had been Kim herself who was the one hunted down in the closing stretches of several tournaments, but as if learning from some rather emotional near misses in recent weeks, today she got the job done and how.

A sluggish start to her final round today saw Kim fall behind both Inkster and Webb, who had both started strongly. When Kim reached the turn she had recovered somewhat with birdies at the 7th and 8th but once she turned for home she not only had Inkster and Webb in her sights, but the finish line as well. Five birdies over the closing eight holes saw her edge ahead of her playing partner, Webb, who following three consecutive birdies from the 13th, could not produce that one extra birdie needed to force a playoff.

The experienced Julie Inkster led for much of the last day but could not withstand the birdie barrage by firstly Webb, then Kim. Webb had also thrown in an eagle for good measure at the par four 7th.

For the 20-year-old Kim, who is in her second year on the LPGA Tour following a successful rookie year on the Futures Tour in 2002, this win was being forecast for several weeks. She has been in the mix in several recent events, including three weeks ago when second to Christie Kerr at the State Farm Classic, only to falter at the final hurdle. This was an opportunity she was not going to let go and the first win that had been predicted by so many for so long, finally came.

For runner up Webb this performance followed a 10th placing last week which suggested she was back on track after a shaky series of events since her last win in June at the Kellogg Keebler event. After withdrawing from the Evian Masters and them missing the Women’s British Open, she seems almost back to her best and it may now be that another win for her is not far away.

Inkster is such a classy veteran that although she has not played well in 2004, once she got near the lead here she was always going to be tough to run down. She couldn’t produce the magic over the closing holes but this was a finish (her second best of the year) that will give her a lot of pleasure despite not winning.

Last week’s winner Hee Won Han was fourth but the round of the day and perhaps the round of the year was that of relative unknown Anna Acker-Macosko. The 35-year-old from Wisconsin has played the LPGA Tour since 1996 but in something close to 120 starts has never finished closer than fifth. In eighteen starts this year she had made only six cuts and recorded only one top ten. Starting the final round in 40th place at two under, Acker-Macosko was out in a very impressive five under par and had moved to seven under for the tournament but surely this couldn’t last? Not only did it last but it got even better. Six birdies on the first seven holes of the journey home saw her standing on the seventeenth tee knowing that one birdie on either of the last two holes would see her join Annika Sorenstam as the only lady golfer to have broken 60. She was not able to do it but what a performance. Her share of fifth equalled her best ever but nearly breaking that magical number will be a far more endearing memory for her.

Of the Australians other than Webb, Katherine Hull further confirmed her growing status on the LPGA Tour with yet another good week for 7th. After reaching eleven under and challenging for a top three position through six holes today, Hull bogeyed three consecutive holes to fall back but then came home strongly in 31. Hull will win before too long on the LPGA Tour.

Nadina Taylor had another solid week in 23rd place, further consolidating her position on the LPGA Tour money list in her rookie year and Rachel Teske after a good start to the tournament was 25th.

The LPGA Tour now has a one week break before the Asahi Ryokuken International in South Carolina.