Although she was a bit disappointed that she did not win the tournament, Rosales, a Smart endorser, remained in high spirits for having played superb golf in the three-day tournament, considering that she came into Japan hobbling from a mediocre 35th-place finish.
"It went well out there but not the way I wanted it to. But I’m pretty happy with the way I played the whole week," said Rosales, who had 16 birdies and an eagle in a record bogey-free tournament.
"It is the first time in a tournament that I didn’t make any bogeys so that is unbelievable for me," said Rosales, a two-time LPGA winner, including the SBS Open at Turtle Bay in February. "I’m hitting the ball good and I’m just happy. I am proud of myself. I am very proud."
Rosales, who headed for the United States for The Mitchell Co. Tournament of Champions slated Nov. 10-13 at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail in Mobile, Alabama, also thanked her sponsors, including Smart, and fans for their continued support and prayers.
The feat netted Rosales a whopping $90,691 purse, raising her earnings to $491,759 as she leapfrogged from No. 30 to 23rd place in the LPGA money list.
That assured her spot in the $1 million ADT Championship, exclusively for the top 30 players in the money rankings, slated Nov. 15-20 in Florida.
The former US NCAA Division I champion and five-time winner of the RP Ladies Open is scheduled to arrive in Manila on Nov. 23 for the holidays and in time for the Southeast Asian Games on Nov. 27-Dec. 5.
Sorenstam’s record fifth straight win in the Mizuno Classic also put her beyond reach on No.1 with earnings of $2,373,240, almost twice as the $1,480, 639 winnings of second running Paula Creamer, winner of two tournaments this year, including the Evian Masters. — Dante Navarro