By Ann Miller
Advertiser Sports Writer
KAPOLEI — Keeping her head while all around her others lost theirs — along with caps, maps and anything else that wasn’t bolted down — Catriona Matthew yesterday made the Cup Noodles Hawaiian Ladies Open her first LPGA victory.
An astonishing first round (5-under-par 67) in awful conditions kick-started Matthew’s excellent adventure at blustery Kapolei Golf Course. She played the final two rounds in 1-under par, including an even-par 72 yesterday, to finish off the field.
In other words, Matthew played like someone who knew how to win, even if she never had on this tour. The 31-year-old from Scotland has two international victories and a slew of amateur successes.
"She got off to such a good start," said Annika Sorenstam, who finished second for the second week in a row, three shots back. "Anytime in a three-day tournament you shoot five under, you know you’re going to be in the top three. It would take a lot to blow that lead. She has some experience and it showed."
Told of Sorenstam’s statement, Matthew grinned and replied: "I wasn’t quite as confident as that."
Her game never gave her away. Combined with a warm appreciation for the wind she grew up with, Matthew was — after seven years of near-misses — an LPGA champion.
The final round was played in 25 mph winds, barely a whisper after what hit here earlier. Matthew played through it all in blissful, "it was the same for everyone" ignorance. Most couldn’t share her serenity.
"I had trouble with it the first day," admitted Sorenstam, who put her first shot of the tournament into the water. "Then the second day, I was so much more comfortable. So, with someone who grew up in windy conditions, it was just a normal day. She was definitely more comfortable than the rest of us."
At the turn yesterday, Matthew was one over for the round and tied with Nancy Scranton for the lead. Scranton came into the final day two back after a spectacular 64 Friday.
Dina Ammacapane (72) joined them in first place on the 10th hole, with her sixth birdie. Sorenstam (70) and Wendy Ward (73) were two back. Only two others were under par, and only eight would finish there in a windswept week where the average score was 75-plus.
The scrum ended with a Matthew miracle on the par-4 11th hole. She hit a 7-iron 142 yards into the hole on the fly for an eagle and the tournament was down to two: The wire-to-wire winner and Scranton, who was so stunning Friday and rock steady for 16 holes yesterday.
"I’ve never done that before in my life — holed one out on the fly," Matthew said. "When I hit it, I thought it would be a bit big, but it hit the pin and went in."
Matthew saved par from 10 feet on the next hole. Scranton bogeyed to fall three back, then rallied. She birdied the 14th and Matthew bogeyed the next — her approach shot nearly rolling into the water — to make it a one-shot difference.
On the par-5, 459-yard 17th, all hell broke loose for Scranton. Confused by the wind from less than 100 yards out, she hit her third shot over the green and into a bunker. Her fourth found another.
When it was over — one double bogey later — so was the tournament. Matthew barely missed birdie and still stretched her advantage to three shots. Scranton left the 18th in tears.
"Maybe she hit it a little thin or caught a flier," Matthew said of Scranton’s third shot, "but it went over the back and you’re just dead from there."
Matthew, composed to the end, parred the final hole and saw pals Kathryn Marshall and Lorie Kane "lurking behind the green, shaking beer cans . . . I don’t think they could find any champagne."
They doused her as soon as she had kissed her caddy/husband Graeme. It was the first time anyone had caught her all week. Matthew was the first wire-to-wire winner in the 15-year history of this tournament.
Her tenacity was rewarded with $112,500, "probably a few more beers tonight" and "a dream come true."
Not bad for three days in the wind.
SHORT PUTTS: Karrie Webb, who shot 77 Thursday, was two under for the tournament after 17 holes. She double-bogeyed the final hole — three-putting it for the second time in three days — and finished tied for ninth. Her $14,215 check put her back on top of the money list ($216,766), though she has yet to win in five starts. . . . Laura Diaz had the second hole-in-one this week, acing the 154-yard 16th yesterday with a 7-iron. . . . Lorie Kane, who won last week at Kona, shot 68 — the day’s low round. . . . All four Scots who played this week — Catriona Matthew, Janice Moodie (70-217), Mhairi McKay (70-217) and Kathryn Marshall (73-221) finished in the top 35. . . . Matthew won a Rolex watch for her first LPGA victory. . . . The average score yesterday was 72.935 — four shots better than Thursday. . . . The 13th (384-yard par-4) was the most difficult hole this week, playing nearly a half-shot over par. The seventh (426-yard par-5) was the easiest, playing to an average of 4.711.
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