Masson races past rivals with nine birdies in final round

Caroline Masson with her trophy following her win in Canada to become the first German winner on the LPGA Tour in five years.

It’s not much fun waiting on the practice putting green to see if you have won — just ask Caroline Masson.
Masson scored a brilliant five-under par 67 in the final round of the LPGA Classic in Canada last month to stall off three others who ended up being tied for second.
There was every chance Masson could be involved in a playoff and she headed to the practice green while the others completed their rounds.
But she later admitted she hardly had her mind on a good putting stroke.
“It took forever, it felt like,’’ Masson said.
“I was just waiting, hanging around, trying to keep loose, not think about it. But yeah, I just tried to hit a few putts to distract myself from the situation.’’
Masson said she couldn’t bring herself to watch the action on the golf course.
“You’re never hoping for anything bad to happen, but obviously I was just not really watching.
“I just heard the reaction, and then when I figured that she (one of the runners-up, Mi Hyang Lee) didn’t make birdie on the last, it was just, yeah, definitely worth it.”
Masson’s win saw her become the first German to win on the LPGA Tour in five years. The previous had been Sandra Gal who won the Kia Classic in 2011.
Masson, 27, started the final day three shots behind the leader and her finish was the third-best on the LPGA Tour for the season.
But it could hardly have got off to a worse start. She had a double bogey on the first hole but had an amazing nine birdies in the lst 17 holes and become the sixth first time winner on the tour for the season.
“It’s hard to believe,” Masson said. “I mean it really is. Obviously I was in a good position coming into today, and I was thinking, well, if I can shoot a really good round, I might have a chance, but I was totally not expecting it.”
Masson admitted that her 2016 season had been a bit of a frustrating one. She made the cut in 14 of 21 starts (Previous best: tied sixth in the ANA Inspiration) before the tournament at Whistle Bear
“I always know that I can win a tournament on the LPGA,” Masson said.
“I obviously also know that a lot of things have to go right for that. Golf is a funny game, and I was a little streaky this year.
“I played a lot of great golf, and I missed a lot of cuts and most of them actually by one shot which was really disappointing. It was a really frustrating period this year. And you know, it’s all about just keep working and believing that you can do it, and that’s what I did and that’s what my team helped me with.”
Masson has enjoyed success playing on the Ladies European Tour and was a winner in 2012 at the South African Women’s Open.