Recari beats Kim after two playoff holes at Kia Classic

Beatriz Recari had three-putted No. 18 in regulation and again on the first hole of a playoff with I.K. Kim as dusk approached Sunday.

Here she was again, with a chance to win the Kia Classic.

This one was true enough that Recari began her victory celebration even before her 18-foot birdie putt from the fringe rolled into the cup.

The 25-year-old from Pamplona, Spain, raised her right fist and, after the ball rolled in, raised both arms in the air and smiled.

She later put her hands to her face and wiped away tears as her caddie boyfriend, Andreas Thorp, put his arm around her.

"There was a lot going on," Recari said. "I had a good feeling, but the same as the other putts. The other ones went by and missed the hole. This one went in. I had the same process and the same shot. Nothing different. I'm always trying to do my best. It just dropped in."

It was her first LPGA Tour victory since her rookie season of 2010.

Recari said she was emotional because she was thinking of "all those people that have been there with me no matter what. ... And at the same time I just couldn't believe that the ball was in the hole and like it was over and that I won. It was a lot. Part of it I still don't remember. Just a lot of emotions. It's a different win; it's my first in a playoff. It's a lot of different things, different situation. I'm definitely more emotional than my first and I don't know what my third will bring."

The tour is off next week before the first major of the year, the Kraft Nabisco Championship in Rancho Mirage.

Recari and Kim three-putted No. 18 both in regulation and on the first playoff hole.

Recari, who brought a two-stroke lead into the day after three bogey-free rounds, had a chance to win in regulation. But, like Kim in the twosome ahead of her, she three-putted the par-4 18th - including a 6-footer that would have won it had she not rolled it past the hole. Recari closed with a 2-over 74 to match Kim at 9 under at Aviara. Kim shot a 71.

They teed off on 18 again and both players three-putted. With the sun setting and the temperature dropping, they played the hole again.

Kim had a 30-foot putt on the second playoff hole and rolled it left before Recari made the winner.

Recari wasn't sure if she and Kim were missing the putts on the big green because of shadows cast by the grandstands or because it was lumpy after a full day of golf.

Recari, who hit a 3-wood off the tee all three times on 18, said she was more aggressive on the second playoff hole, when she hit a 6-iron on her approach.

" I think my caddie tricked me a little bit, I think he put me more toward the right, more toward the pin because we agreed that we were going to the big Kia and that started at the pin, so I think he led me a little more to the right. I hit OK shot and I just missed the green and I made the putt. It's golf."

Recari went 59 holes before carding her first bogey in the tournament.

Kim bogeyed four of her last eight holes in regulation. A South Korean player, now based in Rancho Santa Fe, won the last of her three LPGA Tour titles in 2010.

On the par-4 16th, Kim had a great drive to about 10 feet and fell to her knees as she just missed an eagle putt. It was the same hole where Recari had an eagle on Saturday.

Cristie Kerr, Pornanong Phatlum and Mo Martin tied for third, a stroke out of the playoff. First-round leader Jane Park was another stroke back along with Lizette Salas and Hall of Famer Karrie Webb.

Stacy Lewis, playing for the first time as the world's No. 1 ranked player, was in a group of four at 6 under after closing with a 73. She was coming off consecutive victories in Singapore and Phoenix.

Paula Creamer, who started the day three shots off the lead, had five straight bogeys and seven overall in her final-round 77.

DIVOTS: Recari won $255,000 from the $1.7 million purse. ... She made 57 starts between victories. ... Recari holds the fourth-longest streak of consecutive cuts made with 38. She trails Karrie Webb (49), Creamer (47) and Jiyai Shin (41). ... Sunday evening, Creamer tweeted a picture of a glass a red wine. "This pretty much sums up my day..... (hash)muchneeded," her tweet said. A few minutes later, she tweeted: "I just didn't have my A game today. I didnt even have my C game. That's golf." ... Lewis had two double bogeys on the back nine, including No. 18 when her drive went into the water on the right side of the fairway. After taking a drop, her next shot wasn't much better, landing behind a big rock. Her only choice was to chip out onto the fairway. ... Lewis found the water quite a bit on the hilly, 6,593-yard course designed by Arnold Palmer. 

Kia Takes Aim At US Premium Sedan Market With 2014 Kia Cadenza

"Launched in 2009 in South Korea, the Kia Cadenza (or Kia K7 in S. Korea) will finally be made available to North American consumers beginning with the 2014 model year to go on sale beginning in the second quarter of 2013. It's not available to purchase yet, but you can check it out at the Cleveland Auto Show, which is going on now at the International Exposition Center in Cleveland, OH. It's also been on display at other auto shows across the country. Unlike many of Kia's other model vehicles, the Cadenza is aiming for the North American premium sedan market and the buyers who are looking for a car that's somewhere between mainstream and luxury.

The launch of the Kia Optima and Sorento cross-over has helped slowly move Kia up the ranks and away from their start as an economy automaker. The launch of the new Cadenza will only help to move them along further towards that goal of being seen as more than just a cheap automaker. Kia describes the Cadenza as having elements of European design, which will help in defining itself in the higher-end market. It will also be available with Kia's most powerful V-6 engine.

The Cadenza features 3.3-liter, V-6 engine and six-speed automatic transmission that includes a manual shift model as well as paddle shifters on the steering wheel. Designed to run on regular unleaded gasoline, the Cadenza produces 293 horsepower.

Kia is launching the Cadenza with some premium features that they've never before made available with their vehicles here in the U.S. Standard features on the Cadenza include leather seats, a navigation system, Kia UVO, alloy wheels and Bluetooth. Some of the premium features being offered with the 2014 Cadenza include a backup camera and warning system and a 550-watt 12-speaker audio system, amongst other options. For example, one of the premium packages includes a 7-inch LCD instrument cluster, premium leather seats, and a full-length panoramic sunroof.

The price of the Kia Cadenza will be announced closer to the time that it goes on sale in the second quarter of 2013, but analysts are expecting it to be somewhere in the $34,000 MSRP range when it hits showrooms in May (before any specials or discounts). When it goes on sale, it will be just one of three Korean luxury sedans sold in the U.S., with the other two being the Hyundai Genesis and Hyundai Equus. Both the Genesis and Equus are already on sale in the U.S. and are manufactured by Hyundai, which owns Kia.

The Kia Cadenza faces some tough competition, and it will be interesting to see how it fares with consumers. We got a chance to check it out at the Cleveland Auto Show, and made sure to take some video of the car for those of you who are unable to make it out yourselves, or who want to give it a second look before being able to see it in the showrooms later this spring. "

New Kia Concept teased for Geneva – targets Nissan Juke

The South Korean based automaker Kia has released the very first teaser images with a new concept car scheduled to debut in March during the 2013 Geneva Motor Show.

According to the car manufacturer, the new Kia vehicle will be a "racy new urban concept" which will preview a final production version scheduled to make its way onto the market in the nearby future. The model, whose name remains unknown for the moment, will be a direct rival for the Nissan Juke, for the Opel / Vauxhall Mokka, for the Peugeot 2008 and for other vehicles which will enter the B-segment for crossovers.

The new Kia Concept will get the company's tiger-nose signature and it will have strong styling lines which will probably be adopted by the final production version of the model. Besides the Kia crossover concept, the automaker will also unveil the hotter GT versions of the new Cee'd generation, along with the Pro Cee'd, during the same 2013 Geneva Motor Show. Additional details on the new Kia Concept or on the new versions of the Kia Cee'd are limited for the moment and will be announced in a couple of months, during the 2013 Geneva Motor Show in March. 

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Kia Cadenza takes the brand into the realm of luxury

"They may be corporate siblings but Kia must feel like the stepbrother. For each new model or entry into a new product segment, it is generally the Hyundai brand in the lead, with Kia's version down the road.

Kia's response, however, to doing it later has been to do it with more style.

So it seems again today with the unveiling of the Cadenza, Kia's coming new upscale, full-size sedan. Hyundai has been competing in that segment with its Azera and rolled out a redesigned a markedly improved version for 2013.

Now we see the stylish take on it from Kia, and Peter Schreyer, the head Kia designer just promoted to president of the brand, as well as to overseer of both the Hyundai and Kia design operations

.The five-passenger Cadenza has a distinctive front end and a European look in a vain attempt to separate from Azera.

It will come loaded with features like an advanced navigation system and eight-inch display screen, backup camera, 550-watt sound system and 12-way leather seats.

There's an available sunroof and retractable sun visor for the rear window plus a technology package that adds 19-inch wheels, blind-spot detection, lane departure, an electric parking brake and a more advanced cruise control system.

It goes on sale in the spring."

Courtesy of USA Today

Winter isn't going anywhere for awhile! Remember the basics of snow and ice driving!

Driving safely on icy roads

1. Decrease your speed and leave yourself plenty of room to stop. You should allow at least three times more space than usual between you and the car in front of you.
2. Brake gently to avoid skidding. If your wheels start to lock up, ease off the brake.
3. Turn on your lights to increase your visibility to other motorists.
4. Keep your lights and windshield clean.
5. Use low gears to keep traction, especially on hills.
6. Don't use cruise control or overdrive on icy roads.
7. Be especially careful on bridges, overpasses and infrequently traveled roads, which will freeze first. Even at temperatures above freezing, if the conditions are wet, you might encounter ice in shady areas or on exposed roadways like bridges.
8. Don't pass snow plows and sanding trucks. The drivers have limited visibility, and you're likely to find the road in front of them worse than the road behind.
9. Don't assume your vehicle can handle all conditions. Even four-wheel and front-wheel drive vehicles can encounter trouble on winter roads.

Courtesy of Weather.com