Julie Inkster Scores Major Upset At Sybase Match Play

Gladstone, N.J., United States (AHN) – Suzann Pettersen, the third ranked player in the world, came to the Sybase LPGA match play championship to close the gap between herself and the world’s top-ranked player, Jiyai Shin.

Julie Inkster came to the scenic Hamilton Farms Golf Club happy to still be competing at age 49.

Inkster, the Hall of Famer, proved Thursday she is still be a tough competitor when it comes to match play. Inkster, the 35th-seed, pulled the upset of the first round when she holed an eight-foot birdie putt on the third playoff hole to defeat the third-seeded Pettersen.

Inkster, who will turn 50 in June, got off to a rough start and found herself two-down after two holes. “You gotta hang in there and I managed to hang in there,” she said afterwards. She never led in the match and found herself one-down standing on the 18th tee.

The Hamilton Farms layout favors the longer hitters and Pettersen is one of the longer players on the LPGA Tour. It was her decision to layup and not go for the green in two at that final hole that may have cost her the match.

Inkster, who was known for her aggressive play throughout her career, went for the green in two, chipped to 10 feet and holed the birdie putt to square the match and send it to sudden death. She then put it away with the birdie at the third.

“I never led but it worked out for me,” Inkster said.

Inkster was a match play star long before she turned professional. She won three straight U.S. Amateur Championships. Her experience served her well against Pettersen. “Every match is tough,” Inkster said.

Pettersen was the only one of the top three seeds to fall in the first round. Top seeded Jiyai Shin of Korea defeated another Korean, Kyeong Bae, 3-and-2, second seed Ai Miyazato of Japan was an easy winner, 4-and-3 over Jeong Jang of Korea.

Angela Stanford, the 10th seed, won 4-and-3 over Amy Hung, Christie Kerr, the highest seeded American (fifth) defeated Meaghan Francella, 4-and-3. Fourth-seed Yani Tseng advanced with a 2-and-1 win over Wendy Ward.

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