Mallon Fights Off Winds to Take Canadian Open

Meg Mallon took advantage of a gust of wind that cost Catriona Matthew the lead on the back nine and won the Canadian Women’s Open on Sunday by three strokes despite a closing 73.

It was the 10th come-from-behind victory for Mallon, who finished at four-under 284 and took home the winner’s share of $180,000.

“When I woke up this morning, I saw the conditions, and I just knew it was going to be a very difficult day,” Mallon said after her 14th LPGA victory and first since she won the du Maurier Classic two years ago. “I knew that nobody was going to come from behind and shoot a low round to come back.”

As predicted, the winds returned, gusting at over 30 mph all day, playing havoc with every shot, and making the greens oh-so-fast. The top 10 players combined for 33 bogeys, four double bogeys and one triple bogey, and only Canadian Lorie Kane broke par (71).

Matthew, who began the day with a one-shot lead over Mallon, was unable to recover from a disastrous triple bogey at the 12th hole, even though Mallon gave her the opportunity with three bogeys on her final seven holes.

Matthew finished with a 79 and one-under 287, tying Michelle Ellis and Michele Redman for second.

The 344-yard, par-four 12th, with its hard-sloping green and narrow fairway, was Matthew’s undoing. After going one under at 12 through the first three rounds, she drove into the wind, and it swept the ball out of sight.

“I was just hitting a little four-wood that I didn’t hit that bad, got it turning left, and it went with the wind and ended up in the bushes,” said Matthew, forced to take a drop that cost her a penalty stroke. “That really threw me, and the last few holes it was tough to try and make birdies. You were really just trying to make pars.”