LOS ANGELES — Ingrid Lindblad won the JM Eagle LA Championship on Sunday in her third start as an LPGA Tour member, avoiding a playoff when fellow rookie Akie Iwai bogeyed the final hole at El Caballero Country Club.
“You should never not expect it, right?” Lindblad said. “But obviously got it done in a couple starts. Just kind of crazy.”
Playing a group ahead of Iwai, Lindblad shot a 4-under 68 to finish at 21-under 277. The 25-year-old former LSU star from Sweden made the last of her six birdies on the par-5 11th and parred the final seven holes. She had two front-none bogeys.
“Felt like I could have made a couple more birdies on the back nine but nothing really wanted to drop. I feel like I was just trying to like be where you can’t see if you’re 5-under par or 5-over par. Just staying in the moment and show no emotion. But sometimes it’s hard to show no emotion.”
Iwai followed a third-round 64 with a 69 to fall a stroke short.
“I got confidence, yeah, but I lose this week,” Iwai said. “But I got confidence, a lot. Little by little, this week, next week, the next week, just keep going”
The 22-year-old Japanese player’s twin sister, Chisato, tied for 11th at 15 under after a 68. The sisters played alongside each other Saturday.
Iwai pulled even with Lindblad at 21 under with a birdie on the par-5 16th. After her drive went left and bounced twice on the cart path, Iwai hit a low cut around a tree to the front edge of the green and rolled a 75-foot eagle putt to inches.
On the par-4 18th, Iwai drove to the right over a bunker into rough, then hit a 9-iron from 150 that bounced near the flag and went off the back edge.
“Maybe I have adrenaline,” Iwai said. “But I don’t like short.”
From a good lie in choppy rough, she ran the downhill chip past the hole and missed the comebacker.
“That was a tough putt,” she said.
Lindblad got a break on the par-4 13th when her drive struck a tree on the left side and bounced into the fairway. She parred the hole to maintain a two-stroke lead.
“I don’t know the camera guy up there, but he was like, `There was a little squirrel up there who was nice to you and bumped it out on the fairway,'” Lindblad said.
Lauren Coughlin (70), Esther Henseleit (64), Miyu Yamashita (66) tied for third at 19 under. Nasa Hataoka had a 63 to get to 18 under.
Hannah Green, the winner each of the last two seasons at Wilshire Country Club, closed with a 67 to tie for ninth at 16 under. Second-ranked Jeeno Thitikul also was 16 under after a 69.
Top-ranked Nelly Korda had a 72 to tie for 16th at 14 under in her final start before her title defense in the major Chevron Championship. The major event starts Thursday outside Houston at The Woodlands.
The tournament — the final event of the tour’s West Coast swing — was played at El Caballero because of renovations at Wilshire. It will return to Wilshire next season.
Lindblad also shot 68 in the first and second rounds and had a 63 on Friday.
“I feel like I played pretty aggressive all week,” Lindblad said. “I think it would just hurt me if we were trying to get too defensive. Felt like we stuck to the same game plan as we had the first three days, and turns out it worked out really well.”
