Beaumont, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Katie Kempter parred the second playoff hole on Sunday to defeat Lee Lopez and win the Volvik Championship.
Kempter birdied the final three holes in regulation for a 1-under 71, while Lopez bogeyed the last for an even-par 72. They ended at 5-under-par 211 at Tukwet Canyon Golf Club at Morongo.
The duo played the 18th hole twice in the playoff. Both players made par the first time around. Kempter found sand off the tee the second time around, and she missed the green with her approach.
Kempter got up and down for par. Lopez had a chance to extend the playoff, but missed a 3-foot par putt. The win for Kempter was her first on the Symetra Tour.
Kempter played the front nine in even-par as she birdied the second and fourth, but dropped shots at six and seven. She bogeyed the 11th and 15th to slide to minus-2. However, Kempter poured in three straight birdies from the 16th to end at 5-under.
Lopez made eagle on the fourth, but bogeyed the sixth and seventh. On the back side, she birdied the 16th to move to minus-6, but stumbled to a bogey at the 18th to fall into the playoff.
Brittany Benvenuto struggled to a 4-over 76 on Sunday. She ended alone in third at 1-under-par 215.
Second-round leader Maude-Aimee LeBlanc parred the first five holes and was comfortably ahead at minus-8. However, she dropped 10 shots over the next seven holes.
LeBlanc carded double-bogeys at the sixth, 11th and 12th to go with a bogey at No. 8 and a triple-bogey at the par-4 10th. She came back to even-par for the tournament with three birdies and a bogey over the final five holes. She faltered to an 8-over 80, which dropped her into a tie for fourth at even-par 216. LeBlanc was joined there by Ginger Howard (69) and Brianna Do (74).
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