Kuala Lumpur: An age-defying performance saw seasoned professional Cindy Lee-Pridgen claim a start in next month’s Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia after winning the national qualifier on Friday.
The Oklahoma-based Lee-Pridgen proved that she was a woman on a mission as she followed up her opening round of 71 with a four-over 75 at the challenging East Course of Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club to beat national amateur Michelle Koh by four strokes.
Koh, who carded matching 75s, will make her maiden appearance at the prestigious US$2 million LPGA tournament which tees off October 10 alongside Chinese Taipei duo Yu-Shin Chang and Pei-Yun Chien, who saw off compatriot and 2012 winner Ssu-Chia Cheng in a three-way playoff, to emerge triumphant in the regional qualifier.
Lee-Pridgen was delighted that her long-haul trip from Tulsa paid off as she overcame a field comprising of talented local juniors – some half her age. “I’m really, really happy with my performance over the last two days. I was really glad that I was able to come here, perform and basically, get the job done,” said the native Sabahan.
Despite a poor start, the 37-year-old mother of two managed to steady herself and preserve her four-shot overnight advantage. “I shot two bogeys and then had a double on the ninth, which was the start i wanted. But I made the turn positively and I have to credit my caddie this week, who was really helpful. He kept saying “I’ll pull the club and you just hit it” so off we went and it worked.”
Having finished 60th in the inaugural edition in 2010, Lee-Pridgen was confident that experience has taught her to handle the pressure much better, especially when playing alongside the crème de la crème of women’s golf.
“I’ll be looking to erase some bad memories of 2010 but will focus on trying to get a little bit more distance on the drives and work on my alignment between now and the tournament. It will be important to keep my nerves calm and keep the distractions away – it helps that my two boys are little more older now – and just take one shot at a time,” she added.
Despite coming off two victories at the China Amateur and Warren Ford Amateur Opens recently, Koh was nonetheless a little shocked to guarantee a start at the tournament proper.
“I am excited and looking forward to it. I’ve had a good year so far and hopefully, I can bring that good performance forward. I did pretty well, despite having some rough patches. It gave me the chance to make certain decisions that allowed me to get back into my rhythm and I think those lessons will be helpful when the tournament comes around,” said the 23-year-old University of Campbell graduate.
“I personally find the [East] course to be trickier than others but I believe that I’ve gotten past that mental block with the help of the Sime Darby LPGA Development Programme. I’ll continue to work hard and improve on what needs to be done before the tournament,” noted Koh.
Leading final round scores – National (p denotes professional)
146 – Cindy Lee-Pridgen (p) 71-75
150 – Michelle Koh 75-75
151 – Nur Durriyah Damian 77-74, Loy Hee Ying 78-73
152 – Hillferah Tan 78-74
154 – Kelie Kan Kah Yan 80-74
155 – Dianne Luke 75-80
157 – Aretha Pan Herng (p) 79-78
178 – Shareen Rena Lai (p) 88-90
Leading final round scores – Regional
143 – Pei-Yun Chien (TPE) 70-73, Yu-Hsin Chang (TPE) 74-69, Ssu-Chia Cheng (TPE) 69-74
(Chien & Chang advance on the first extra hole)
145 – I-Wen Chen (TPE) 74-71
146 – Ai-Chen Kuo (TPE) 74-72
147 – Aditi Ashok (IND) 72-75, Cyna Marie Rodriguez (PHI) 74-73
148 – Chihiro Ikeda (PHI) 73-75
149 – Wichanee Meechai (THA) 72-77, Kanphanitnan Muangkhumsakul (THA) 73-76, Jaruporn Palakawong Na Ayutthaya (THA) 77-72
