Reigning British Women's Open champion Jiyai Shin stormed to a superb two-stroke victory over Australian Katherine Hull in the HSBC Women's Champions tournament in Singapore.
Seven adrift at halfway and still six behind with a round to go at Tanah Merah, the tiny 20-year-old South Korean took the $300,000 first prize with her second successive 66 for an 11 under total of 277.
Shin, now with 26 professional wins to her name already, birdied the first four holes and then picked up further strokes on the 11th and 15th to put the pressure on Hull.
The overnight leader was four clear after turning in 34, but followed a bogey on the 10th by going out of bounds and running up a double bogey seven three holes later.
She dropped another stroke on the next, but a birdie at the 17th left her needing another to force a play-off. Instead, however, the Australian Masters champion bogeyed for a bitterly disappointing 74.
Joint third were Americans Paula Creamer and Angela Stanford and also Brazil's Angela Park, while world number one and defending champion Lorena Ochoa, winner by 11 last year, had to settle for a share of sixth spot.
Shin revealed she had first thought she was capable of claiming victory at the turn when she had closed to four shots of Hull.
The 20-year-old had overcome the same margin at last year's Korean Open and revived those memories over the back nine.
"Last year at the Korean Open I was four strokes behind after nine holes, so I thought ... if I made some more birdies I would have a chance," Shin said at a press conference after her win.
"I made a birdie at 15 and Katherine made a double bogey at the 13th, so when I knew that I played more safe... not attack the pin, just fairway, green."
She added: "My goal for this tournament was top 10 because at the SBS Open in Hawaii I missed the cut and in Thailand last week I finished 13th."
"Then this morning I just felt comfortable. On the first four holes I made birdies, I was very surprised. I just had to hit it with the putter or chip it and I got a birdie."
Hull lamented a wayward drive on the par five 13th, which she doubled bogeyed to lose her lead.
The Australian then dropped a further stroke at the next to give up the lead.
"I made a really bad choice. I actually broke my game plan so I got what I deserved," she said of her drive on the 13th.
"I decided from the start I'd hit three wood off that tee, I took driver and it was the wrong play. I got too greedy and was overconfident.
"Hopefully it'll make me stronger and make me work harder."
Collated final-round scores & totals (USA unless stated, par 72):
277 Ji-Yai Shin (Kor) 72 73 66 66
279 Katherine Hull (Aus) 70 69 66 74
280 Paula Creamer 67 71 72 70, Angela Stanford 69 72 66 73, Angela Park (Bra) 67 76 69 68
281 Jane Park 67 71 73 70, Sun Young Yoo (Kor) 71 69 68 73, Lorena Ochoa (Mex) 69 73 69 70
282 Mi-Hyun Kim (Kor) 71 68 70 73, Karrie Webb (Aus) 74 69 73 66
283 Ya-Ni Tseng (Kor) 72 71 69 71, Cristie Kerr 73 71 70 69
284 Se Ri Pak (Kor) 69 72 72 71
285 Meena Lee (Kor) 72 70 71 72, Eun Hee Ji (Kor) 69 73 70 73, Amy Yang 73 69 69 74, Suzann Pettersen (Nor) 72 70 71 72
286 Jee Young Lee (Kor) 73 74 71 68, Seon Hwa Lee (Kor) 68 74 73 71, Momoko Ueda (Jpn) 71 73 71 71, Song-Hee Kim (Kor) 72 70 74 70
287 Jimin Kang (Kor) 72 73 70 72, Juli Inkster 72 70 69 76
288 Lindsey Wright (Aus) 72 69 72 75, Karen Stupples (Eng) 73 74 67 74
289 Ai Miyazato (Jpn) 68 72 72 77, Anja Monke (Ger) 73 70 72 74, In Kyung Kim (Kor) 71 74 74 70, Laura Diaz 75 73 72 69, Michele Redman 70 72 74 73
290 Teresa Lu (Tai) 72 74 73 71, Na Yeon Choi (Kor) 74 72 72 72, Alena Sharp (Can) 72 72 78 68, Kristy McPherson 72 71 72 75, Christina Kim 73 73 73 71, Shanshan Feng (Chn) 70 71 78 71, Hee Young Park (Kor) 72 72 73 73
291 Natalie Gulbis 70 73 76 72
292 H J Choi (Kor) 72 74 71 75, Ji-Young Oh (Kor) 71 75 75 71, Giulia Sergas (Ita) 77 71 68 76, Morgan Pressel 73 75 72 72, Ji-Hee Lee (Jpn) 73 72 72 75, Gwladys Nocera (Fra) 69 74 76 73
293 Heather Young 70 76 72 75, Stacy Prammanasudh 73 76 71 73, Louise Friberg (Swe) 71 76 74 72, Catriona Matthew (Sco) 72 73 73 75, Katie Futcher 72 77 73 71
294 Pornanong Phatlum (Tha) 75 73 73 73, Hee-Won Han (Kor) 73 72 73 76, Wendy Ward 73 74 75 72, Janice Moodie (Sco) 74 74 73 73, Brittany Lang 71 74 74 75, Candie Kung (Tai) 74 77 67 76
295 Russy Gulyanamitta (Tha) 72 72 76 75, Il Mi Chung (Kor) 71 76 76 72, Carin Koch (Swe) 71 77 72 75, Sophie Gustafson (Swe) 72 79 71 73, Sandra Gal (Ger) 73 76 71 75, Helen Alfredsson (Swe) 77 73 69 76
296 Jin Joo Hong (Kor) 76 71 75 74
297 Minea Blomqvist (Fin) 73 75 73 76, Nicole Castrale 77 78 71 71
298 Rachel Hetherington (Aus) 77 73 74 74, Young Kim (Kor) 76 74 74 74
299 Becky Morgan (Wal) 79 75 73 72
301 In-Bee Park (Kor) 74 77 74 76, Leta Lindley 73 80 73 75
302 Laura Davies (Eng) 81 77 72 72, Shiho Oyama (Jpn) 72 77 76 77
303 Ashleigh Simon (Rsa) 8071 72 80
304 Vicky Hurst 79 84 71 70, Diana D'Alessio 81 77 72 74, Pat Hurst 76 79 74 75
308 Allison Fouch 82 76 73 77
311 Jill McGill 82 72 77 80
321 Poh Joey (Sin) 78 83 76 84
TIGHT AT THE TOP IN SINGAPORE
HULL LEADS THE WAY
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