Liu birdies 18th hole twice to earn Four Winds Invitational victory at South Bend
SOUTH BEND — Yan Liu was a birdie machine all week in the $200,000 Four Winds Invitational at South Bend Country Club.
So perhaps it’s fitting that the 24-year-old golfer from China, who opened the 54-hole tournament Friday with nine birdies in an 8-under 64 round, won her first Epson Tour event Sunday by making a pair of birdies on the 485-yard, par-5 18th hole, the second in a playoff to beat playing partner Gabby Lemieux and Finland’s Kiira Riihijarvi.
On a day when birdies were a dime a dozen at South Bend Country Club — 36 of the 66 players who survived the 36-hole cut shot rounds under par — Liu closed out a 2-over 74 with a two-putt birdie from 60 feet at 18. That earned her a spot in the playoff at 7-under 209 with the 26-year-old Lemieux, who closed with an even-par 72, and the 25-year-old Riihiijarvi, who waited 50 minutes after shooting 68.
When Liu knocked in her three-foot winning putt, she finally got to experience what Riihiijarvi, a former University of Tampa golfer, already has this season and what Lemieux is still searching for — a victory.
“Of course,” replied Liu when asked if her first victory had sunk in yet. It was worth $30,000 and brought her season earnings to $59,559. “I’m feeling overwhelmed. I’m just so proud of myself for not giving up.”
Riihiijarvi, who earlier this season won the Ann Arbor’s Road to the LPGA event in June, and Lemieux each received $16,413 for their runner-up efforts.
“My caddie (American Jamie Adams, a retired Maryland State Trooper) told me to stay patient on the back nine,” added Liu, who had a two-stroke lead over Lemieux at the start of the day but lost it by the sixth hole as Lemieux played the front side in 3-under 34.
Lemieux’s lead grew to two shots when Liu bogeyed the 195-yard 10th hole to fall to 8-under with eight holes to go in regulation. “Jamie told me don’t give up, that we still had a chance.”
Lemieux, however, bogeyed three holes — Nos. 12, 15 and 16 — to fall back into a tie when Liu made par at the 16th. Liu then dropped a stroke at the 195-yard, par-3 17th. But the long-hitting Liu reached the uphill par-5 18th hole with a 3-wood and almost sank the eagle attempt before settling for par. Then Lemieux left her uphill 12-footer short for a winning birdie in regulation.
“Honestly, I thought I played my best golf today,” said Lemieux, who shot a 6-under 66 Saturday to earn her final-round pairing with Liu. With husband Jared on the bag, the Native American who played at Texas Tech was trying to end a recent drought that included six straight missed cuts — one at the U.S. Women’s Open and five more in Epson Tour events.
“The last couple of putts were the ones I needed to make,” said Lemieux, whose first miss at 18 for the victory was followed by a nearly similar-length missed birdie putt in the playoff. “Overall, I’ll take all the positives from this week. I’ve never been in this position, playing in the lead group. I didn’t finish as well as I hoped, but it was still a great week.”
Riihiijarvi, meanwhile, was surprised she got a chance at her second Epson Tour victory of the season. She made six birdies during her round, including three over her final four holes. She then waited until the Liu-Lemieux duel played out and other players fell short. Finishing one shot out of the playoff at 6-under 210 were China’s Weiwei Zhang (69), Thailand’s Pinyada Kuvanun (70), Canada’s Selena Costabile (72) and Czech Republic golfer Klara Kuvanun (70).
“I didn’t think I had a chance to win it – I was just trying to play a good round,” Riihiijarvi said after making bogey in the playoff. Her closing 68 was surpassed only by the 66s recorded by Americans Alexa Pano, Katelyn Sisk and Kristin Coleman (who each recorded 4-under 212 finishes) and the 67 by Sweden’s Elin Arvidsson (213). “I didn’t think 7-under would be enough.”
Liu set up her winning birdie in the playoff by coming up short of the green in two and then playing a 58-degree wedge to within three feet.
“I’m just so proud of myself for never giving up,” Liu said. “But the season is not over yet. I need to keep working.”
Seventeen birdies in 55 holes — that’s a pretty good work week for any champion golfer as Yan Liu now is on the Epson Tour.
FINAL RESULTS FOR FOUR WINDS INVITATIONAL
Final results and prize money Sunday in the $200,000 Four Winds Invitational at the par-72 (37-35), 6,266-yard South Bend Country Club:
209 (-7)
x-Yan Liu (Fujian, China) 64-71-74, $30,000
Kiira Riihijarvi (Oulu, Finland) 72-69-68, $16,413
Gabby Lemieux (Caldwell, Idaho) 71-66-72, $16,413
x-Liu won playoff with par on first extra hole
210 (-6) $8,141
Weiwei Zhang (Hainan, China) 72-69-69
Klara Spilkova (Prague, Czech Republic) 72-69-69
Pinyada Kuvanun (Khonkaen, Thailand) 69-71-70
Selena Costabile (Thornhill, Ont.) 68-70-72
211 (-5) $4,613
Milagros Chaves (Asuncion, Paraguay) 71-72-68
Cassie Porter (Peregian Springs, Australia) 73-69-69
Celine Borge (Tonsberg, Norway) 71-70-70
Kim Kaufman (Clark, S.D.) 71-69-71
212 (-4) $3,075
Alexa Pano (Lake Worth, Fla.) 77-69-66
Katelyn Sisk (Columbia, S.C.) 72-74-66
Kristin Coleman (Rolling Hills Estates, Calif.) 71-75-66
Julie Aime (Nice, France) 74-69-69
Regina Plasencia (Guadalajara, Mexico) 69-74-69
Amelia Garvey (Christchurch, New Zealand) 72-70-70
Pauline Del Rosario (Manila, Philippines) 70-72-70
Gabriela Ruffels (Melbourne, Australia) 70-72-70
Polly Mack (Berlin, Germany) 70-72-70
213 (-3) $2,054
Elin Arvidsson (Falkenberg, Sweden) 72-74-67
Daniela Iacobelli (Melbourne, Fla.) 73-71-69
Anita Uwadia (Newcastle, England) 74-69-70
Yue Ren (Guangdong, China) 71-72-70
Maria Fernanda Escauriza (Asuncion, Paraguay) 72-70-71
Jillian Hollis (Rocky River, Ohio) 72-70-71
Lindy Duncan (Plantation, Fla.) 71-71-71
Hira Naveed (Perth, Australia) 70-72-71
Ssu-Chia Cheng (Taipei, Chinese Taipei) 69-73-71
Linnea Strom (Hovas, Sweden) 67-75-71
Dottie Ardina (Laguna, Philippines) 71-69-73
Michelle Piyapattra (Eastvale, Calif.) 70-70-73
214 (-2) $1,479
Amy Lee (Brea, Calif.) 73-73-68
Jaravee Boonchant (Bangkok, Thailand) 72-73-69
Natalie Srinivasan (Spartanburg, S.C.) 76-69-69
Michaela Finn (Brastad, Sweden) 72-72-70
Moeka Nishihata (Osaka, Japan) 73-70-71
Roberta Liti (Siena, Italy) 68-71-75
215 (-1) $1,276
Grace Kim (Sydney, Australia) 77-67-71
Vivian Hou (Taipei, Chinese Taipei) 67-73-75
216 (E) $1,153
Karen Chung (Budd Lake, N.J.) 74-71-71
Sarah Jane Smith (Sunshine Coast, Australia) 73-72-71
Beatrice Wallin (Gothenburg, Sweden) 70-72-74
Gina Kim (Durham, N.C.) 73-68-75
217 (+1) $1,029
Dani Holmqvist (Stockholm, Sweden) 73-73-71
Yu-Sang Hou (Taipei, Chinese Taipei) 72-73-72
Greta Isabella Voelker (Witten, Fla.) 75-69-73
218 (+2) $889
Kaitlin Milligan (Norman, Okla.) 74-72-72
Britney Yada (Hilo, Hawaii) 72-73-73
Min-G Kim (Cheongju, Republic of Korea) 74-70-74
Carley Cox (China Grove, N.C.) 71-73-74
Lakareber Abe (The Woodlands, Texas) 69-75-74
Maddi Caldwell-Young (Canton, Ga.) 74-69-75
Kenzie Wright (McKinney, Texas) 69-74-75
219 (+3) $772
Lauren Cox (Orange, Texas) 75-71-73
Katherine Smith (Detroit Lakes, Minn.) 74-72-73
Soo Jin Lee (Carlingford, Australia) 71-75-73
Malene Krolboll Hansen (Taastrup, Denmark) 68-75-76
220 (+4) $710
August Kim (Nashville, Tenn.) 75-71-74
Mind Muangkhumsakul (Banphai, Thailand) 71-75-74
222 (+6) $684
Pavarisa Yoktuan (Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand) 70-76-76
Haley Moore (Escondido, Calif.) 73-72-77
223 (+7) $669
Louise Stahle (Lund, Sweden) 75-70-79
224 (+8) $648
Clariss Guce (Artesia, Calif.) 72-74-78
Karolina Vickova (Kladno, Czech Republic) 74-71-79
Laetitia Beck (Caesarea, Israel) 72-73-79
MISSED CUT
147 (+3): Robyn Choi (Gold Coast, Australia) 71-76; Nishtha Madan (Delhi, India) 74-73; Becca Huffer (Denver, Colo.) 74-73; Laura Wearn (Charlotte, N.C.) 76-71; Samantha Wagner (Windermere, Fla.) 75-72; Sophie Hausmann (Nottuin, Germany) 77-70; Gabriella Then (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) 74-73; Emilee Hoffman (Folsom, Calif.) 73-74; Alisa Rodriguez (Austin, Texas) 73-74; Pilar Echeverria (Guatemala City, Guatemala) 76-71; Vicky Hurst (Melbourne, Fla.) 75-72
148 (+4): Ingrid Gutierrez Nunez (Cuautla, Mexico) 72-76; Kendra Dalton (Poughquag, N.Y.) 75-73; Leslie Cloots (Antwerp, Belgium) 77-71; Anna Redding (Concord, N.C.) 73-75; Shasta Averyhardt (Flint, Mich.) 73-75; Elayna Bowser (Dearborn, Mich.) 74-74; Sofia Garcia (Asuncion, Paraguay) 75-73; Riley Rennel (Columbia, Tenn.) 76-72; Jiwon Jeon (Daegu, Republic of Korea) 73-75; Lindsey McCurdy (Liberty Hill, Texas) 71-77; Tess Hackworthy (Madison, Wis.) 73-75; Laura Restrepo (Panama City, Panama) 73-75; Sarah Elizabeth White (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 76-72
149 (+5): Karen Fredgaard (Frederiksvaerk, Denmark) 75-74; Lori Beth Adams (Burlington, N.C.) 75-74; Nannette Hill (Jupiter, Fla.) 73-76; Bailey Tardy (Norcross, Ga.) 74-75; Kum-Kang Park (Seoul, Republic of Korea) 73-76; Hyo Joon Jang (Seoul, Republic of Korea) 75-74; Siyun Liu (Shanghai, China) 72-77
150 (+6): Fernanda Lira (Mexico City, Mexico) 78-72; Maria Fernanda Torres (San Juan, Puerto Rico) 73-77; Mariah Stackhouse (Riverdale, Ga.) 73-77
151 (+7): Emily Mahar (Brisbane, Australia) 77-74; Louise Ridderstrom (Stocksund, Sweden) 77-74; Alejandra Llaneza (Mexico City, Mexico) 77-74; Ana Paula Valdes (Morella, Mexico) 72-79; Amanda Tan (Singapore) 75-76; Rebecca Lee-Bentham (Toronto, Ont.) 76-75; Emma Broze (Nervieux, France) 79-72; Mariel Galdiano (Pearl City, Hawaii) 78-73
152 (+8): Abby Herrmann (Pensacola, Fla.) 78-74; Maria Parra (Guadiaro, Spain) 75-77; Maddie Szeryk (London, Ont.) 77-75; Stephanie Na (Adelaide, Australia) 74-78; Jessica Porvasnik (Hinckley, Ohio) 77-75; Gigi Stoll (Beaverton, Ore.) 75-77; Auston Kim (St. Augustine, Fla.) 74-78
153 (+9): Prima Thammaraks (Bangkok, Thailand) 77-76; Megan Osland (Kelowna, B.C.) 75-78
154 (+10): Teresa Toscano (Huelva, Spain) 78-76; Brynn Walker (St. Davids, Pa.) 80-74; Miranda Wang (Tianjin, China) 78-76
155 (+11): Jessica Peng (Taoyuan, Chinese Taipei) 81-74
156 (+12): Julienne Soo (Melbourne, Australia) 82-74; Kennedy Swann (Mckenzie Bridge, Ore.) 80-76
157 (+13): Marta Sanz Barrio (Madrid, Spain) 80-77
160 (+16): Chanoknan Angurasaranee (Saraburi, Thailand) 75-85; Min Seo Kwak (Seoul, Republic of Korea) 78-82
163 (+19): Katharine Patrick (West University Place, Texas) 79-84
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Liu birdies 18th hole twice to earn Four Winds victory at South Bend
