Daniel Wins on 1st Sudden-Death Hole in Rain-Delayed LPGA Event

Beth Daniel overcame a two-stroke deficit on the final three holes, then rolled in a 12-foot birdie putt on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff and beat Patty Sheehan in the rain-delayed $400,000 LPGA Phar-Mor Youngstown Classic today.

Daniel earned the $60,000 first-place prize, plus a $50,000 bonus for being the leading money winner in Phar-Mor drugstores’ two events at Inverrary and Youngstown this year.

Daniel began the final round Sunday with a two-stroke lead, and led by two when play resumed on the sixth hole today following the 18-hour delay.

But Sheehan, who was four strokes from the lead at the beginning of the round Sunday, shot a three-under-par 69 on the last 18 holes, while Daniel was one over at 73. Both finished the 54 holes at nine-under 207.

They returned to the par-four 16th hole for the playoff--the same hole Daniel had birdied an hour earlier--to get within a stroke of the lead. Sheehan had bogeyed No. 17, sending her approach shot over the green and necessitating the playoff.

Sheehan’s approach on the playoff hole left her about 15 feet below the hole, and her putt for birdie rolled about four feet past it. Daniel followed by hitting the 12-footer for the birdie.

Danielle Ammaccapane shot par 72 on the Squaw Creek Country Club course to finish third at 208, eight-under and one stroke from the leaders. Debbie Massie, with a 73, and Ayako Okamoto, with 71, both finished at 209.

Sheehan continued a string of six straight top-two finishes. She won two of those and finished second in four others, including last week’s U.S. Women’s Open.

Daniel has won three tournaments this year, and she increased her 1990 earnings to $370,532, not counting the $50,000 bonus. Sheehan earned $37,000 today and leads the LPGA money list with $492,474.

Sunday’s final round was interrupted until today because of heavy rains. Sheehan was on the par-three sixth hole, awaiting a three-foot birdie putt, when play was stopped Sunday.

She sank the putt today, pulling her within a stroke of Daniel. Sheehan added a birdie on the par-five 11th hole, while Daniel returned from the delay and promptly bogeyed Nos. 6 and 8, falling two strokes back.

Sheehan, 33, led last week’s Open by six strokes going into the final 36 holes, but lost by one stroke to Betsy King. She double-bogeyed her first hole in the Youngstown event Friday, before pulling her game together.

A tornado touched down several miles away from the Squaw Creek Country Club after Sunday’s play was suspended.

A short time later, some 400 people--spectators, reporters, players and officials--were herded into the clubhouse basement for about 15 minutes because of another tornado scare.

Thirty of the 78 golfers playing the final round were able to finish the 6,297-yard layout Sunday. If the rains had continued today, Daniel would have been declared the winner because she led after the second round.