Four years of on-the-job training are beginning to produce results for Canadian professional golfer Lisa Meldrum.

Meldrum survived a tempestuous afternoon atop the leader board yesterday to win the iMPACT Classic at Richmond Country Club by one shot. A final- round 65 — the best effort of the day — and a 54-hole score of 8-under-par 206 enabled Meldrum to collect her first victory in 51 Futures Tour starts since 2006.

“It feels unbelievable,” said Meldrum, her eyes wide with delight. “I feel like I’m in la-la land right now.”

Meldrum, 27, won by playing efficient, opportunistic golf. While those around her made the leader board resemble an elevator gone berserk — up, down, up, down; at times as many as five players owned a share of first place — Meldrum only moved up. She played bogey-free golf and made her big push by ringing up three birdies in a span of four holes at the midpoint of the back nine.

“That’s when I started to think, ‘You know what? This might be possible. I think I can do this,’” she said.

Meldrum, who trailed by five shots when she stepped into the No. 1 tee box, earned $14,000 from the $100,000 purse. She said her cumulative experience — some of it unhappy— helped significantly.

“Everybody goes through tough times” when making the jump from amateur to professional competition, she said. “You just have to be patient. You just have to keep working and keep pushing. Every year you learn more. Every tournament you learn more.”

Struggles notwithstanding, Meldrum said, “I never stopped believing that I had it in me. I always knew I could compete at this level — and at the next level. I knew my time would come sooner or later.”

For much of the weekend, it appeared this would be Pernilla Lindberg’s time. The Duramed rookie from Sweden led after each of the first two rounds and at one point yesterday owned a two-shot advantage. But for the second day in a row, Lindberg found it difficult to score consistently on the 6,278-yard

RCC course. She shot a 73 and finished in a three-way tie for second with Song Yi Choi (69) and Gerina Mendoza (68).

“I can’t be too disappointed,” Lindberg said. “You always want to win, of course, so sure, there’s a little bit of disappointment.

But I’m pleased with the way I hung in there, and I’m pleased with the way I handled myself. It was a good experience. I think it was a big step.”

When in contention on Sunday in the past, she said, “I haven’t been at all comfortable. Today, I felt very comfortable.”

Five players — including Mina Harigae, the tour’s leading money-winner — finished at 6 under. Meldrum, Harigae and Choi were tied at 8 under as the shadows began to lengthen on a steamy afternoon in Goochland County. Harigae was the first to blink. She bogeyed the par-4 14th and the par-4 17th. Choi bogeyed the par-4 16th. Lindberg, who slipped to 6 under after making bogey at 16, atoned nicely with a birdie at 17.

One after another, Choi, Mendoza and Lindberg arrived at the 18th hole with a chance to haul Meldrum back onto the course for a playoff. One after another, they fired and fell back.

“I was on the practice green trying to calm myself down because I was sure there was going to be a playoff,” Meldrum said. “I expected someone to make a birdie. But I couldn’t help thinking, ‘You know, it’s going to be pretty cool if there isn’t a playoff.’ ”

Vic Dorr Jr. is a staff writer for the Richmond Times Dispatch.

(6,278 yards, par 72, at Richmond Country Club)
Lisa Meldrum, $14,000…......... 71-70-67—208
Gerina Mendoza, $7,416 .........73-68-68—209
Song Yi Choi, $7,416…............ 71-69-69—209
Pernilla Lindberg, $7,416…..... 65-71-73—209
Jennie Lee, $2,865 .................. 70-72-68—210
Cindy LaCrosse, $2,865 .......... 70-71-69—210
Christine Song, $2,865…......... 69-71-70—210
Kim Welch, $2,865…............... 70-68-72—210
Mina Harigae, $2,865…...........71-67-72—210
Nicole Jeray, $1,700….............71-70-70—211
Min Seo Kwak, $1,700 ............ 69-71-71—211
Danah Ford, $1,400….............. 74-69-69—212
Stephanie Otteson, $1,400 ..... 69-73-70—212
Stella Lee, $1,400 ................... 73-67-72—212
Carling Coffing, $1,200…........71-70-72—213
Pornanong Phatlum, $949 ...... 72-73-69—214
Dewi Claire Schreefel, $949….75-70-69—214
Paola Moreno, $949….............74-70-70—214
Lee Ann Walker-Cooper, $949 73-70-71—214
Hannah Yun, $949…................ 72-71-71—214
Amanda Costner, $949 ........... 73-70-71—214
Katie Miller, $949 ................... 68-74-72—214
Seo-Jae Lee, $949…................ 70-72-72—214
Briana Vega, $949…................66-71-77—214
Whitney Wade, $810 .............. 75-71-69—215
Juli Erekson, $810…................ 71-74-70—215
Garrett Phillips, $810…........... 78-65-72—215
Ryann O’Toole, $810…............ 70-72-73—215
Perry Swenson, $810…...........70-72-73—215
Misun Cho, $810 ..................... 71-71-73—215
Amanda Blumenherst, $810 ... 69-72-74—215
Janice Olivencia, $810 ............72-69-74—215
Gina Umeck, $753…................ 74-72-70—216
Michaela Cavener, $753 .........74-72-70—216
ViradaNirapathpongporn, $753 .70-75-71—216
Moon Su, $753…..................... 69-75-72—216
Christi Cano, $753 ..................72-72-72—216
Rachel Bailey, $753 ................ 72-71-73—216
a-Jessica Yadloczky…............. 69-77-71—217
Amanda Mathis, $710 .............70-75-72—217
Michelle Jarman, $710….........72-72-73—217
Janell Howland, $710…........... 71-73-73—217
Liz Janangelo, $710…..............73-71-73—217
Noon Huachai, $710….............69-73-75—217
Jessica Shepley, $710 ............. 69-73-75—217
Caroline Larsson, $710 ........... 69-73-75—217
Moah Chang, $710…............... 73-69-75—217
Lili Alvarez, $710 .................... 69-72-76—217
Jennifer Ackerson, $666 .........70-76-72—218
Alejandra Shaw, $666 .............73-73-72—218
Samantha Richdale, $666 ....... 76-70-72—218
Sofie Andersson, $666…......... 69-76-73—218
Ashley Prange, $666…............ 71-74-73—218
Sara Brown, $666 ................... 74-71-73—218
Sophia Sheridan, $666…......... 73-71-74—218
Lehua Wise, $666…................. 72-72-74—218
Angela Buzminski, $666…....... 72-71-75—218
Madeleine Holmblad, $637….. 73-73-73—219
Devan Andersen, $637…......... 72-72-75—219
Jenny Gleason, $637 ............... 72-72-75—219
Mo Martin, $637 ..................... 74-70-75—219
Lucy Nunn, $637 .....................72-71-76—219
Ashley Knoll, $623 .................. 71-75-74—220
Lori Atsedes, $623 ..................73-72-75—220
Elisa Serramia, $615…............ 73-72-76—221
Hwanhee Lee, $615 ................ 74-71-76—221
Jasi Acharya, $615 ..................70-74-77—221
Sarah Olsen, $607…................72-72-78—222
Kelly Lagedrost, $607 ............. 72-72-78—222
Laura Crawford, $603….......... 74-72-78—224
Selanee Henderson, $600….... 74-71-80—225