South Korean teenager golfer wins China Ladies Open

South Korean teenager Kim Hyo-joo emerged from a final-hole dual to win the Hyundai China Ladies Open Sunday as two-time defending champion Kim Hye-youn stumbled down the stretch with a double-bogey six to finish runner-up at the national championship.

With both players deadlocked at -11 under going into the par-four last at Orient Xiamen Golf Club in Fujian province, 17-year-old Kim Hyo-joo got up-and-down for par. The 23-year-old Kim Hye-youn, however, struggled as her approach landed just off the green. After watching her putt roll three yards past the pin, she then took three putts to find the hole.

It was the seventh consecutive year a South Korean won the 400,000-U.S.-dollar tournament, a joint-sanctioned event between the China LPGA Tour and the LPGA Tour of Korea.

For Kim Hyo-joo who turned pro in October, the victory was her third of the year after winning twice as an amateur on the South Korea and Japan pro circuits. She finished the tournament with a score of 11-under 205.

"I'm glad to get my first win after turning pro just recently. It is a little a bit of a surprise because I'm not in great shape recently as I've struggled with my putter. I came here and put great effort in my putting and the practice paid off," said the Wonju teenager who pocketed 80,000 dollars for the victory.

Both Kims started the day three strokes ahead of the pack at eight-under. After posting two bogeys and two birdies in her first eight holes, Kim Hyo-joo took the outright lead when she birdied the par-five ninth. She then bogeyed the par-four next to fall back into a tie.

After both players birdied the par-five 12th, Kim Hye-youn birdied the next to reclaim the lead. It was short-lived as she would bogey the next as Kim Hyo-joo sank a 12-foot putt to birdie for a two-shot swing, deadlocking the score at -11 under.

"There was still a lot of golf to play so I just tried to keep it going," said Kim Hyo-joo. "This win was a gift from God because I never expected to win so quickly (as a pro)."

Kim Hye-youn could only express her disappointment.

"My tee shot (on the 18th hole) went left into the woods. Then I hit my approach longer than expected over the green. (Kim) Hyo-joo hit a great chip very close to the pin and I felt pressure about my putting. That' s my mistake," the Daejeon native said.

"I feel very disappointed because I was tied for the lead going into the last hole, and I lost at the last hole, especially by my own mistakes. But China is good to me. This golf course is good to me. I have two wins and one runner (in Xiamen) and next year I will come back and try to win three times."

World No. 5 Feng Shanshan of China, the top-ranked player in the field, closed with a 69 to finish equal third with South Koreans Lee Min-young (67) and Jang Ha-na (70). Yoon Seul-a (68) and Lee Jeong-eun (70) were five shots back in equal sixth.

China's Yan Jing, the 16-year-old double silver medalist at the 2010 Asian Games, fired a final-round 70 to finish top amateur at even par.

Feng, the China No. 1 who won in Dubai last week for her sixth win of the year, started the day four shots back but could never mount a challenge. She drained an 18-foot putt for birdie at the last for equal third after finishing runner-up last year.

"It seems like this golf course suits Korean players. The U.S. Women's Open is held at different courses across the United States, so maybe next year we should change the venue," suggested the U.S. LPGA Tour regular, referring to Xiamen's hosting of all seven years of the national championship.

"But I'm satisfied with my finish. You know that's a good birdie. It's a good finish for my last event of the year."