Stacy Lewis came from behind to land her first major title with a three-shot victory at the Kraft Nabisco Championship.
American capitalises on Tseng wobble
American Stacy Lewis came from behind to land her first major title with a three-shot victory at the Kraft Nabisco Championship.
The 26-year-old trailed leader Yani Tseng by two shots heading into the final round, however a closing 69, which nobody bettered on a windy final day, paved the way for a breakthrough win.
World number one Tseng produced a nightmare final round, carding a disappointing 74 to finish back in second place.
Lewis, who as a teenager required spinal surgery to correct a serious curvature caused by Scoliosis, finished on 13-under 275 for the week.
Superb
A pair of early birdies from the underdog meant playing partners Lewis and Tseng were level on 12-under par by the fifth tee. By the turn, thanks to a four at the long ninth, Lewis had inched herself into a one-shot lead, and her grip refused to loosen.
A fourth birdie of the round arrived at the 12th, and although she let a shot slide away at the par-four 15th, Lewis remained in front.
The 17th proved a key hole, as Lewis nailed a superb curling long putt from the fringe for her par three, the ball dropping in at the side of the hole. Tseng, two behind at that stage, would have been hoping for Lewis' ball to stay up, and for her own putt to find the middle of the hole.
But Tseng missed to the left and the gap was three shots heading to the par-five 18th.
Both reached the green in regulation, effectively ending any prospect of a final-hole swing, and Lewis sealed her success by rolling in a four-foot putt for par before being showered with champagne by her fellow players.
She said on
Sky Sports: "I played great today. I hit the ball probably the best I've played all week.
Consolation
It was tough with the wind but I just hung in there and made some key putts."
Lewis threatened to win the US Open in 2008 when she led her debut major heading into the final round, but on that occasion she finished with a 78 and dropped to third place.
This time she handled a similar situation with greater serenity, proving to herself, as she put it: "That I can play with the best in the world."
She added: "I knew I could hang with Yani and I did it."
Americans Katie Futcher, Angela Stanford and Morgan Pressel tied for third place on four-under, with Michelle Wie falling to three-under for sixth place after a double-bogey seven at the 18th hole.
The consolation for Wie was that she finished in the top 10 at a major for the first time since 2006.
Anna Nordqvist was the highest-placed European on one-under 287 following a 71, while Karen Stupples was the leading Briton after a 78 dropped her to a share of 29th, four over par for the week.
