China’s Feng Shanshan plays a shot on the 18th hole during the final round of the LPGA Titleholders golf tournament in Naples, Florida on Sunday. Photo: AFP

 

China's Feng Shanshan fired a bogey-free six-under-par 66 on Sunday to win the season-ending $2 million LPGA ­Titleholders tournament by one stroke and capture her third career tour crown.

World No.7 Feng, who began the day two strokes behind a trio of co-leaders, birdied the 15th and 17th holes to hold off American Gerina Piller and capture the LPGA's biggest top prize of $700,000 with a 72-hole total of 15-under-par 273.

"I never thought I was going to win even though I was only two behind," Feng said. "All the people in the last two groups were strong competitors.

"I set a goal to finish 15 under par and that's what I was able to do. I'm really happy I'm at 15 under and I finally won."

Feng, who became the first woman from China to win a major title when she captured last year's LPGA Championship, took her second triumph of the season, having also won last month's Reignwood Classic near Beijing.

"I set a goal early this year to win twice on the LPGA Tour this year," Feng said. "I hadn't won at all until I went to China. I left it to the last minute but I did it. I'm really happy.

"It means I can take a little more time off in the off-season I guess."

Piller fired a 69 but settled for second on 274, one stroke ahead of Thailand's Pornanong Phatlum, who finished with a final-round 70. It was Piller's best LPGA finish, having never cracked the top four ­previously, and her eighth top-10 showing of the season.

Germany's Sandra Gal was fourth on 276 with South Koreans Park In-bee fifth on 277 and Yoo Sun-young sharing sixth on 278 alongside Americans ­Cristie Kerr and Stacy Lewis.

"I'm very happy to end this season with a win, which reached my goal set at the beginning of this year - to win two LPGA tournaments," Feng posted on Sina Weibo on Monday.

"The two tournaments are meaningful to me, one is at home, and the other is at the Titleholders tournament."

Feng's win also earned a congratulatory letter from the China Golf Association on Monday.

"You have made history for Chinese golf," the letter read. "Your win could ignite other Chinese players' passion, to make them train hard to make similar achievements."

But Feng's triumph didn't generate much attention online. Luo Le, a sports commentator, told the Global Times that golf is still an elite sport which is ­regarded as a hobby for the rich in ­China.

"If this does not change, golf will not develop at the grass-roots level," Luo said. "Sports that are eager to develop want to cultivate the grass roots to make themselves popular."

AFP - Global Times