Austin Ernst wins LPGA Portland Classic in playoff

Austin Ernst seemed to have the 2014 Portland Classic Presented by Cambia wrapped up with two holes to go at Portland’s Columbia Edgewater Country Club.

But she made bogey on back-to-back holes to post 14-under-par. The nerves and disappointment could have crushed her in the playoff, too, but instead, she calmly called her dad – a PGA professional – and got some advice.

Whatever he said proved magical as Ernst blasted a drive straight down the middle and hit a cloud scraping 7-iron 25 feet behind the hole before delicately lagging her birdie putt, which nearly went in, to 6 inches behind the hole for par. She then waited as I.K. Kim was unable to make her 8-foot par putt to force another trip down the 18th hole. She grabbed her brother, who doubles as her caddie, and celebrated her first LPGA Tour win.

The four-day tournament offered a purse of $1.3 million. The tournament, which started in 1972, drew the top players from the LPGA Tour and thousands of fans each day.

Pacific Northwest amateur Gigi Stoll finished tied for 52nd while professional Wendy Ward from Edwall, Wash. missed the cut with rounds of 74-78 and former King’s High School player (Seattle) Jimin Kang withdrew after a 74.