LPGA : Five Birdies on the Back Nine Give Betsy King Another Title

Betsy King birdied five holes on the back nine Monday to break out of a tight pack and claim a two-stroke victory over Janet Anderson in the LPGA Rail Charity tournament.

King, the 1984 LPGA player of the year, parred the first nine holes before her birdie spree began. She finished with an 11-under-par 205 in the 54-hole tournament.

At one point late in the $185,000 event, six players were tied for the lead, but when others began to fade, King got hot, sinking five birdie putts, all from within 15 feet.

“I was hitting the ball well all day,” said King, 30, of Limekiln, Pa. “It was just going to be a matter of whether I could sink any putts. Once you make a couple, you feel like you’re going to sink some more.”

Mary Beth Zimmerman, playing just 50 miles from her Hillsboro, Ill., home, and Nancy Lopez, the leading money-winner on the 1985 women’s golf tour, tied for third at eight-under par. Dale Eggeling, Martha Nause and Kathy Morse were tied at seven under.

Chris Johnson, the leader after the first and second rounds of the three-day tournament, tied for eighth, five shots behind King.

It was the second victory this year for King, who is sixth on the women’s money list this year. The victory was the fifth of her nine-year career, all coming in the last three years.