Momoko Ueda Wins 2nd Mizuno Classic Title In Three-Hole Playoff Over Shanshan Feng

Momoko Ueda, 2011 Mizuno Classic Winner

Sometimes it’s just meant to be. On a day when Momoko Ueda hit a fan in the head with a shot only to have the ball ricochet back onto the fairway which would lead to an eventual birdie and she came up short on two previous opportunities to end the event, she finally closed out Shanshan Feng with a birdie on the third playoff hole to win the 2011 Mizuno Classic. Momoko, whose 3-under 69 lifted her final score to 16-under, missed a 16-foot birdie putt on 18 that would have ended the contest in regulation play. On the first playoff hole, she just missed a 5 foot birdie putt that again would have sealed the win. But when it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be. On the third playoff hole Ueda nailed a 20 foot birdie putt to finally claim victory.

It was an emotional and thrilling triumph for Momoko. When she first won the Mizuno Classic in 2007, she looked like the next shooting star on the LPGA tour. More wins were expected from this talented 9-time JLPGA winner (including both co-LPGA sponsored Mizuno titles). Until today, those wins didn’t come. Moreover, she was having trouble adjusting to the language and culture in America. For LPGA fans of Momoko, and I hope she knows she has many of them, this Mizuno win could not have come at a better time. She was considering quitting the U.S. based tour.

When I missed two weeks in a row to go play on the JLPGA, I thought about quitting the LPGA. The JLPGA is also a high level of competition. But sometimes, it’s not always about playing golf. It’s also to learn the language. – Momoko Ueda

It is my hope that she now reconsiders quitting the LPGA and stays on tour. In the end, she will do what is best for her. If she is still having problems adjusting to the States, then regrettably but understandably she should go. But maybe, like when American Nancy Lopez and Canadian Lorie Kane befriended Se Ri Pak and helped her adjust, there will be a player who can step up and help Momoko.