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Australian Hannah Green held off a late surge from Frenchwoman Céline Boutier to win the LPGA BMW Ladies Championship in South Korea on Sunday.
Green entered the final day with a two-shot advantage, but Boutier made five birdies in his final seven holes to post a six-under 66 and lead into the clubhouse with an 18-under par at Seowon Valley Country Club.
Green’s birdie on the 17th hole proved enough to clinch her third title of the year, as she finished with a round of 71 and a par-19 total of 269.
“It helps me to hit the ball well, and when the putter goes well, it goes well,” the 27-year-old said.
“So I just make sure I can stay consistent.
“But I still have four or five tournaments left for the rest of the year, so I want to continue to work hard and fill those kinds of positions.”
It was the sixth LPGA title for Green, who won a major at the 2019 Women’s PGA Championship.
Boutier, 30, who finished ninth at LPGA Shanghai last week, said: “I had a lot of chances in front (nine) but I just couldn’t convert.
“And in the back, I managed to hit a few really close and that gave me some sort of confidence.”
Thailand’s Channettee Wannasaen also put herself in contention for the title with a final round at four under par.
The 20-year-old made four birdies and an eagle on the front nine to move to the top of the leaderboard, only for her challenge to die with two bogeys on the back nine.
Olympic champion Lydia Ko finished six shots off the pace with a par of 13 under.
The New Zealander was close to the lead heading into the weekend, but fell behind after scoring a 71 over the final two days.
Defending champion Minjee Lee of Australia finished tied for 33rd with a five-under par after a disastrous five-over par 77 in her final round.
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