Minjee Lee has bagged her third win of the season
Thursday 31 October 2019 14:49, UK
Minjee Lee of Australia secured a dramatic one-shot win at the LPGA Blue Bay on Hainan Island to claim her third career win on the Tour.
Lee birdied the last to card a final round of 70 and finish on 13-under-par, a stroke clear of America's Jessica Korda (71) and two in front of World No 2 Ariya Jutanugarn (70) from Thailand.
The 20-year-old winner bogeyed the 17th to slip into a tie for the lead with Jutanugarn, who birdied the par-three.
However, Jutanugarn, who was seeking a tour-high sixth victory, hooked her three-wood drive on the par-five last into the water and ended up making a bogey.
Lee then chipped to three feet from the run-off area and holed out for what proved the winning birdie, with Korda unable to roll in an 18-footer for eagle that would have forced a play-off.
"I think my heart was coming out of my chest," said Lee, who won the LPGA's Kingsmill Championship in May last year and the Lotte Championship in Hawaii in April.
"I was a little nervous all day, actually, I had to really work for this win.
"They're great competitors, it was a good fight out there, and I fought to the end."
Despite missing out on victory, Jutanugarn padded her lead over Lydia Ko in the player of the year points race.
Thailand's Pornanong Phatlum (72) and Germany's Caroline Masson (73) tied for a distant fourth at six-under with England's Charley Hull a shot further back and alone in sixth after closing with a 69, her best round of the week.
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