NEWS

Karrie Webb shoots course-record 9-under 63 to win JTBC Founders Cup

By John Nicholson
Published on

PHOENIX -- Karrie Webb flew up the leaderboard with a course-record 9-under 63, then waited about 90 minutes to see if anyone could catch her in the JTBC Founders Cup.

No one could, giving the 39-year-old Australian her second victory of the season and second in four years at Desert Ridge's Wildfire Golf Club.

For the second time in the event, Webb overcame a six-stroke deficit in the final round. In 2011 in the inaugural tournament, she shot a 66 for a one-stroke victory.

The Hall of Famer had 10 birdies and a bogey, playing the back nine in 6-under 30. She birdied five of the last six holes, finishing with a 20-footer on the par-4 18th.

Webb won the Women's Australian Open for the record fifth time last month and has 41 LPGA Tour victories.

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Third-round leader Lydia Ko parred the final three holes to finish a stroke back along with 2013 winner Stacy Lewis, Azahara Munoz, Amy Yang and Mirim Lee.

The 16-year-old Ko finished with a 70. She had a three-stroke lead after birdieing Nos. 2-5, slipped back with bogeys on Nos. 6, 9 and 11 and pulled within one with a birdie on the par-5 15th.

Munoz and Yang, playing together in the third-to-last group, missed long birdie putts on 18 and each shot 67. Lee shot 69 in the next group, also missing a long birdie try.

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That left Ko -- and her 25-foot try on the last hole was just short and right.

Lewis birdied the final two holes for a 66.

Jessica Korda, playing with Ko in the last group, had a quadruple-bogey 8 on the par-4 seventh after hitting into the desert, then played the final 11 holes in 5 under to tie for seventh at 17 under. The Bahamas winner closed with a 70.

Hee-Won Han also matched the course record with a 63 to tie for 15th at 14 under. Playing in the ninth group of the day, she holed a sand wedge for eagle on the par-4 seventh and had only 24 putts.

DIVOTS: Ai Miyazato set the course record in the first round last year, and Cristie Kerr matched it Saturday. Kerr finished with a 67 to tie for 10th at 16 under. ... Top-ranked Inbee Park also closed with a 67 to tie for 10th.