WUHAN, China, June 2 (Xinhua) -- Huang Ching captured her first China LPGA Tour title on Saturday when the Chinese Taipei native closed with consecutive birdies over the final two holes for a two stroke victory at the Orient Masters Wuhan Challenge on Saturday.
After starting the day with a one stroke lead, Huang recovered from a stumbling start to post a 71 to finish on nine-under 207 at Orient Wuhan. The victory was worth RMB75,000.
Thailand's Kanyalak Preedasuttijit was runner-up after closing with a 68 for her best round of the week. Her compatriot, Wanchana Poruangrong (73), was third, three shots off the pace.
Sui Xiang (69), a second-year pro from South China's Guangdong, finished fourth at four shots back.
After opening with a bogey five at the 358-yard first to surrender her lead, things got worse for Huang when she dropped another shot at the fifth hole. With playing partner Wanchana briefly leading by one stroke through six holes, Huang made a clutch birdie three at the 329-yard seventh hole to grab a share of the lead.
When Wanchana made a double-bogey five at the 153-yard eighth hole to drop two shots back, Huang put together a strong back nine featuring three birdies and a bogey to seal the win.
"I had a slow start today, missed a three-foot putt and got a bogey on the first hole. But I kept counting the scores of my opponents and kept telling myself don't miss any chances," said the 21-year-old Huang.
"The first win on the China Tour, I am very satisfied with my performance today. I have been practicing my putting a lot these weeks, it finally paid off."
Wanchana, who started her round with seven consecutive pars, said she was "a little bit excited today" but her iron play had let her down in the quest for her first CLPGA Tour win. She now has two top-three finishes this year in five starts in China.
"Today the pins were at the back of the greens. On the eighth hole, I shot over the green and chipped over again and got three putts. It was really a pity," lamented the Surin native.
The 19-year-old Sui posted her fourth top-10 finish in seven starts this season with a bogey-free final round that include three birdies.
"Generally I am satisfied with my performance today. But I still made several mistakes, especially on the eighth hole. I shot the ball on the green and left only nine-feet left. After putting the ball stopped just outside the hole. I lost a birdie chance."
Wang Jiayi (73) and Wang Xinying (71) were the top amateurs as the Chinese teenagers finished on one-under 215 in equal-eighth place.
Orient Wuhan is a 6,102-yard, par-72 layout designed by TK Pen.
Orient Masters Wuhan Challenge third round leading scores
Players are mainland Chinese unless stated *denotes amateur
207 – Huang Ching (Chinese Taipei) 69-67-71
209 – Kanyalak Preedasuttijit (Thailand ) 71-70-68
210 – Wanchana Poruangrong (Thailand) 69-68-73
211 – Sui Xiang 72-70-69
213 – Chonlada Chayanun (Thailand) 71-73-69
214 – Aunchisa Utama (Thailand) 70-72-72, Zhang Yunjie 69-72-73
215 – Wang Xinying* 70-74-71, Jackie Chulya (Thailand) 70-73-72,
Wang Jiayi* 73-69-73
216 – Munchin Keh (New Zealand) 73-74-69, Renuka Suksuksont (Thailand) 75-69-72, Yupaporn Kawinpakorn (Thailand) 73-70-73, Yuan Hexi 71-70-75
217 – Aretha Pan (Malaysia) 74-71-72
218 – Tian Hong 73-75-70, Diane Luke (Malaysia) 74-74-70,
Lee Ye-seul (South Korea) 74-74-70, Pauline del Rosario (Philippines) 73-68-77
