‘J-Ro’ bombs out of contention for Wegmans LPGA title

Manila, Philippines — The championship aspiration of Jennifer Rosales dimmed as she trailed the leader by 12 strokes after 54 holes in the weather-delayed $2-million Wegmans LPGA tournament at the Locust Hill Country Club in Pittsford, New York. Rosales, 31, fired a two-over-par 74 on Saturday (Sunday in Manila) when her excellent putting deserted her. She recorded four bogeys as against only two birdies — a complete turnaround of what she made on the initial 36 holes. She had earlier turned in a pair of 69s midway through, which gave her high optimism for the crown. But with LPGA Tour rookie Jiyai Shin pulling away with a 16-under 200 after a 67, Rosales has now realigned her goal to a top 10 finish instead and earn as much. “Shin is too far ahead. To enter among the first 10 in the finale is more of a believable scenario at this point. I’ll copy what I did in the opening two days and just hope that everybody else fails," Rosales, known in the golf world as “J-Ro," said in a text message. Filipina-American Dorothy Delasin crashed out of the event with a 158 (76-82). South Korean Shin was able to maintain the top spot of the leaderboard after three rounds of play at the Wegmans LPGA after firing a 5-under-par 67 on Saturday under near-perfect conditions. Shin's overall 16-under-par 200 (65-68-67) score gives her a somewhat comfortable four stroke lead. Right on the heels of Shin is four-year LPGA Tour member Morgan Pressel at 12-under-par 204 (68-66-70). Pressel bogeyed her first hole of the day, but managed to bounce back and record birdies on holes four, eight, and 17. Stacy Lewis, also a rookie, is five strokes back with 11-under-par 205 after a 70. She will play in the final group on Sunday for a chance to earn her first career victory. – GMANews.TV