Park In-Bee wins WPGA Championship to return to number 1

Park In-Bee won the Women's PGA Championship on Sunday, her third straight victory in a women's major, returning the South Korean star to number one in the world.

Park finished with a five-under-par 68 for an impressive 19-under total of 273 and a five-shot victory over compatriot Kim Sei-Young.

Park joined Swedish great Annika Sorenstam as the only players to win three successive editions of the tournament, formerly known as the LPGA Championship, rebranded this year in a collaboration between the LPGA and the PGA of America.

And the 26-year-old did it in commanding fashion, rolling in her fifth birdie of the final round at the 18th hole.

"I don't know what word can describe how I feel right now," Park said. "I'm so thrilled and so honored to be in this position ... I do things that I can't even believe."

Kim, who started the day two strokes behind Park, tried to keep the pressure on, but a string of four birdies in a row ended with a double-bogey at the par-five ninth that proved too much to overcome.

The rookie -- who shocked Park in a playoff at the Lotte Championship this season -- finished with a two-under 71 on the par-73 Westchester Country Club's West course for 278.

American Lexi Thompson, who nabbed eight birdies in her first 13 holes, finished in third on 280 after a seven-under 66.

With her sixth major title, Park is assured of returning to number one on the world.

She'll supplant 18-year-old New Zealander Lydia Ko, whose missed cut on Friday was a first in her precocious pro career.
Source: AFP