Dein erstes Forum » We just have to scratch this

DALY CITY, Calif. - After a whirlwind week featuring a multitude of celebrations that included her first LPGA Tour victory as a pro, Lydia Ko planned to sleep late Monday before catching a San Francisco cable car for a little bit of sightseeing. What a successful, memorable trip she had to the Bay Area. Ko turned 17 and had "Happy Birthday" sung to her at the first tee box to kick off the inaugural Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic, earned a spot as one of the 100 most influential people in the world by TIME magazine, and captured her first LPGA Tour title as a professional — all while playing with a fill-in caddie from the local club. "Normally they would say sweet 16, but I would say its sweet 17," Ko said. "I dont think I could have any better birthday week." Poised and unflappable, Ko made the perfect pitch up to the green from the rough to birdie the final hole Sunday, holding off Stacy Lewis and Jenny Shin for her third LPGA win in all. It went down to the final shots, and the teen made a 6-foot birdie putt moments before Lewis knocked in a 4-footer of her own to finish one stroke back. After beginning the day a stroke behind Lewis, Ko birdied three of her final four holes on the front nine on the way to a 3-under 69 and 12-under 276 total at Lake Merced. Ko earned $270,000, celebrating on the 18th green three days after celebrating her birthday at the first tee box with the gallery singing "Happy Birthday." Ko, born in South Korea and raised in New Zealand, will move up two spots to No. 2 in the next world ranking. Her father, G.H., got to see her win Sunday. "Tears nearly ran down my face. You may lose friends, but youre always going to have your parents," Ko said. "I try to make myself not cry of happiness, but it was coming to that point." She won the Canadian Womens Open as an amateur the last two years and took the Swinging Skirts World Ladies Masters in December in Taiwan in her second start as a professional. She has six victories in pro events, also winning in Australia and New Zealand. All three of Kos LPGA wins have come on courses most of the other golfers also played for the first time. The third-ranked Lewis finished with a 71 for her sixth runner-up finish since winning the Womens British Open in August. She will head to her home state of Texas next week looking to build on a disappointing near miss in which she struggled all day with her short game. "I knew she wasnt going away. Lydia played great," Lewis said. "Every time I hit a shot in there, she answered." Shin, still looking for her first tour win after her best finish this year, had a 68 to finish two shots behind. "They were fearless," Shin said about her playing partners, "They just went for it." Playing together for the fourth straight day, neither Ko nor Lewis hit any dazzling shots early. Kos second of three bogeys came on the 417-yard, par-4 seventh in which her tee shot hit a tree and dropped in the rough. Lewis 10-foot birdie putt on No. 9 lipped out. Ko pulled into a first-place tie at 10 under as they made the turn on a picture-perfect spring day, then took the lead with a birdie on No. 13. Lewis went in the bunker, missed the green and two-putted for bogey to fall two back. "The front nine, I did everything I wanted to do, the putts just didnt go in," Lewis said. "I expected her to do exactly what she did today. ... She hit every shot she needed to make from 13 on in." There were two holes-in-one Sunday: Jimin Kang on the 164-yard third and Dewi Claire Schreefel with a 7-iron on the 157-yard 12th hole that earned her a $100,000 prize from China Trust Bank. The weather held for the final day after fog and rain delays earlier in the tournament. This event was the LPGAs first in the Bay Area since the 2010 CVS/pharmacy LPGA Challenge at Blackhawk in Danville. Organizers and club officials are optimistic about keeping the tournament at Lake Merced. Donna Lowe, Lake Merced general manager, hopes an announcement would come within a month to begin planning for 2015. San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee has spoken with Swinging Skirts Chairman Johnson Wang, while Lowe has received positive feedback from LPGA Commissioner Michael Whan, players and their caddies. "So far, its just been amazing and very positive and uplifting," Lowe said of the feedback. DIVOTS: Michelle Wie, who won last week in her home state of Hawaii, tied for ninth at 2 under. Second-ranked Suzann Pettersen shot a 70 to finish at 3 over in her first event since last month after missing three tournaments with a back injury. Top-ranked Inbee Park tied for fourth at 6 under. Derek Roy Jersey . The weekend at Oriole Park has been less kind, with three players suffering varying degrees of injury. 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SEATTLE -- Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon wants his team to take responsibility for this loss. Right fielder Cole Gillespie committed two of Seattles season-high five errors in a 9-7 loss Sunday to the Kansas City Royals. The five errors were three more than they had in a game this year and the teams most since Sept. 5, 2011, against the Los Angeles Angels. "One thing I dont do is make excuses for guys, so the onus is on the players in the locker room today," McClendon said. Johnny Giavotella had a three-run homer in a four-run seventh inning, helping the Royals rally from a 7-5 deficit. Alcides Escobar had given the Royals the early lead with a second-inning grand slam off starter Roenis Elias. But the Mariners rallied behind Dustin Ackleys two homers and Kyle Seagers two-run shot to take the 7-5 lead after five innings. Danny Farquhar (1-1), though, took over in the seventh and yielded all four runs. Farquhar was upset by a critical call by home umpire Marcus Pattillo three batters before Giavotellas home run. The Royals seventh began with a double by Eric Hosmer. Farquhar then struck out Billy Butler and appeared to strike out Danny Valencia on a 2-2 curveball. But Pattillo called it a ball, causing Farquhar to throw up his arms in disgust. "Im pretty sure umpires dont like that," Valencia said. Farquhar was upset and it seemed to have an impact on the rest of his inning. He ended up walking Valencia and Alex Gordon, loading the bases. Lorenzo Cain tied it with a sacrifice fly to centre. Then Giavotella, promoted from Triple-A Omaha on Thursday, hit Farquhars first pitch for his first home run. "Sometimes you want pitches and they are not called," Farquhar said. "You cant let that affect you. I want everything called a strike, so that is nothing different for me." Valencia added, its part of the game. Its going to happen. No ones perfect out there. Fortunately, it was in my favour." Royals manager Ned Yost, when asked about Farquhars borderline pitch, said, "We were upset when we didnt get a third strike on (Mike) Zunino, too, which ended up costing us two runs. Thats part of the game." That pitch came during the Mariners three-run, second-inning rally. After Ackley hit his first home run to open the iinning, Stephen Romero was hit by a pitch, bring up Zunino.dddddddddddd Starter Jeremy Guthrie believed he had Zunino struck out but it was called a ball. Zunino then singled to right and both runners scored on a double by Brad Miller, ending a 0-for-19 slide. Greg Holland came on in the ninth to pick up his ninth save in 10 opportunities. Louis Coleman (1-0), who worked a scoreless sixth, earned the victory. A pair of errors in the fourth allowed the Royals to build the lead by to 5-3. Giavotella walked and Escobar singled. Catcher Zunino tried to pick Giavotella off second but his throw scooted into centre for an error, with the runners advancing. First baseman Justin Smoak then bobbled Nori Aokis bouncer, allowing Giavotella to score. Seager, who missed the previous two games with flu-like symptoms, hit his sixth home run in the fourth followed by Ackleys second, his first career multihomer game. Ackley also had a home run in the sixth inning Saturday, giving him three in three straight at-bats. He has four on the season. "Ive been seeing the ball pretty well," Ackley said, "putting good swings on balls and not missing things." The Mariners added a run in the fifth on Corey Harts two-out single, scoring James Jones from second. Entering the game, the Royals had hit just 14 home runs, lowest in baseball. But seven of their nine runs scored via the long ball. "Sometimes errors are as contagious as hitting is," Ackley added. "Anything is contagious. We just have to scratch this one and move on. It was a tough game. I think we should have won it." NOTES: Mariners RF Michael Saunders, who slipped chasing a flyball in the third inning of Saturdays game, missed the game with a hyper-extended left knee. "Its a little sore but nothing thats going to hinder me from missing significant time," Saunders said. He pinch hit in the eighth and struck out. ... Mariners pitchers James Paxton (strained lat muscle) and Taijuan Walker (shoulder impingement) threw bullpen sessions before the game. Paxton is up to 40 pitches and will have another session Wednesday before a decision will be made where he will pitch next. Walker threw 25 pitches and will need at least a couple more sessions before the club considers a rehab assignment. ' ' '