THAILAND’S PORNANONG CAPTURES ORIENT MASTERS

　　August 10, 2007

　　Shanghai: Thailand’s Pornanong Phatlum won her second tournament in two weeks when she captured the US$50,000 Orient Masters Shanghai by two strokes today at Orient Golf and Sports Club.

　　The 17-year-old Pornanong who won on the All Thailand domestic circuit last week, birdied the final hole for a round of 74 and a US$7,500 pay day. She finished with a 54-hole aggregate score of seven-over 223 in the third leg of the four-event Orient Masters Tour.

　　Overnight leader Yang Taoli of China (77) finished runner-up, while Thailand’s Porani Chutichai (76) was third one shot further back. China’s Shen Yanhua (72) was fourth six off the pace, one shot ahead of Thailand’s Tiranan Yoopan (77).

　　Guangdong Province’s Zhou Xiaoxuan (80) was the top amateur, tied with compatriots Yang Hongmei (76) and Wang Chun (79) and Chinese Taipei’s Yu Peilin (69) in equal sixth.

　　Pornanong, who started the day one shot off the lead, went into the 18th hole deadlocked with Yang. As Yang’s second shot landed in an area sloping to water to the left of the fairway in deep rough, her approach fell short of the green.

　　With Pornanong safely on the fairway after two shots on the 523-yard par five, she used a seven iron to stick her approach from 140 yards to within three feet of the pin. As Yang needed three more shots to finish, Pornanong had a two-shot cushion to secure her first Orient Masters Tour win.

　　After finishing fourth twice during the first two legs of the Orient Masters Tour in Beijing and Qingdao, Pornanong called her victory a relief.

　　“I started off my round with consecutive bogeys and put a lot pressure on myself. But I started thinking that’s okay and started to relax and enjoy playing. My game started to improve on the back nine and I started to play aggressive to give myself a chance to win.”

　　Such aggressive play paid off when she recorded consecutive birdies on the 12th and 13th holes. With a heavy wind taking its toll on the field, Pornanong followed with bogeys on holes 14 and 17 before setting up the final-hole showdown.

　　With the Orient Tour culminating next week with a tournament in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, Pornanong said she still needed to improve her game a lot as she will head to the States next month for US LPGA Tour Qualifying School.

　　“My game’s going in the right direction but my approach shots, chipping and putting will all have to get better. I need to get stronger too to get more distance (on my drives). In America I will have to play four or five days straight without a caddie, so there is a lot of preparation ahead.”

　　Yang, the former national team player who turned pro late last year, finished runner-up for the third consecutive occasion on the Orient Masters Tour.

　　“I am very consistent but again I am disappointed,” said the 24-year-old Sichuan native. “I think a victory for me is a matter of time because I have the ability.”

　　“On the 18th hole I tried to punch my (third) shot onto to the green to try and force a playoff. But when her (Pornanong’s) third shot went to within three feet I thought game over.

　　“On the back nine I was thinking too much - about the wind, how to play the shot - and that affected my swing. I always think about those things.”

　　Porani, who started the day two shots off the lead, registered 13 consecutive pars to start her round and had a one stroke lead on Pornanong and Yang through 12 holes. Down the stretch she struggled with bogeys on four of her last five holes.

　　“I tried to get birdies today from the first hole but had no luck. I must have had at least six birdie putts but came away with nothing. After the front nine I knew that it was quite difficult to get birdie and I just concentrated on making pars,” she said.

　　“It was disappointing because for 13 holes I had par which I was okay with. But then I got on a run of bogeys which was disappointing I felt because this was my best round of the tournament. But it was not enough.”

　　The Orient Masters Shanghai is a China Golf Association-sanctioned event.

　　Orient Golf and Sports Club Shanghai is a par-72, 6,505 yard layout designed by T.K. Pen in Shanghai’s southwestern Songjiang District.