SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Michelle Wie drained a monster birdie putt from off the green on the final hole to record a stunning one-shot victory at the HSBC Women’s World Championship after a thrilling final round of low scoring and late drama on Sunday.
Wie’s seventh birdie of the day completed a bogey-free round of 65 to finish on 17-under 271 for the tournament, a stroke ahead of American compatriots Danielle Kang and Nelly Korda, South Korea’s Jenny Shin and Canada’s Brooke Henderson.
“It was crazy, I still don’t know what’s going on right now, my head’s running at a million miles an hour,” the 28-year-old, who led going into the final round a year ago, said at the trophy ceremony.
“I wanted to win really badly, especially after what happened last year, I had some unfinished business. I knew if I shot seven, eight under I’d have a chance and that was my one and only goal.”
The victory was Wie’s first since she claimed the 2014 U.S. Open title, the American pumping her fist and galloping towards the green as her long-range putt dropped into the cup before she had an anxious wait for the final group to finish.
Overnight leader Korda nailed her approach to within nine feet on the last but the teenager’s putt to get into a playoff drifted right as her hopes of following up sister Jessica’s win in Thailand last week evaporated on the 72nd green.
Shin, in the group ahead of Wie, had stormed into the lead with eight birdies in 11 holes and she reached the 18th with a one-shot lead, but an errant approach and duffed chip led to her first bogey of the day and opened the door for her pursuers.
Korda had started the final round a stroke ahead of Kang, who was three strokes clear of the rest, but neither were able to pick up shots while the rest of the field were eating into their advantage as the top of the leaderboard became congested.
Earlier, Kim Sei-young briefly threatened to shoot an LPGA-record matching 59 but a bogey on her 16th hole stalled her progress and the Korean had to settle for a course record 10-under 62 to finish in a tie for 10th on 12-under-par.
American Angela Stanford and Germany’s Caroline Masson both fired matching 63s around the New Tangjong Course but at the end of a thrilling Sunday, Wie was left to savor a victory that was sealed in the most dramatic of fashions.
“It’s been a while since I stood up here so it feels pretty good,” Wie added.“We consider this to be Asia’s major and to win this event means the world to me.”
Reporting by John O'Brien, editing by Nick Mulvenney