South Korea's Shin Ji-yai won her first LPGA title of the 2010 season with 14 under, 274, at the Evian Masters on Sunday (Korean Standard Time), nudging her three rivals by one shot.
She hit five under in the final fourth round held in Evian-les-Bains, France, chasing the third round leader, American Morgan Pressel. Her last and fifth birdie gave her the one stroke edge over Pressel, Alexis Thompson and her compatriot Choi Na-yeon.
"I'm so happy that I won a title after a long time. I know many people have waited for my victory and I'm so pleased to show this," Yonhap quoted Shin as saying, after the game.
"I have had many chances to hit birdies, but I was a little bit worried about my putt. I trusted myself."
The 22-year-old Shin is the first South Korean to win the Evian Masters. She takes home the winner's prize money of US$487,500, topping the official money list with a total of $1.16 million.
She now has seven LPGA Tour victories in two years, winning her first at the British Open in 2008.
She led the tour with three wins in the 2009 season and claimed the Rookie of the Year award, but had not been able win a title in the 2010 season before the Evian Masters.
Shin said she thought of a playoff when she finished the last 18th hole before Pressel.
"I just thought that I should hit a birdie first and wait for Pressel to finish," she said after hitting the last birdie, moving ahead by one stroke over Pressel. "I saw Pressel have a chance for a birdie there. While waiting for her shot, I told myself to focus on a playoff."
Shin held the No. 1 ranking for weeks after former No. 1 Lorena Ochoa retired earlier this season. She later had to leave the field for two weeks due to an appendectomy in June.
Kim Song-hee finished sixth with six under, and Jang Jeong hit eight under to rank eighth on the leaderboard.
Shin's victory marks the fifth title won by South Korean female golfers in the 2010 season.
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