Anna Nordqvist ended a nearly five-year- victory drought by closing with a 4-under-par 68 to win the Honda LPGA Thailand by two strokes over Inbee Park of South Korea, the world No. 1, on the Pattaya Old Course at Siam Country Club in Chonburi, Thailand.
The 26-year-old Swede, who captured the McDonald’s LPGA Championship and the LPGA Tour Championship as a rookie in 2009, carded five of her seven birdies on the back nine in the final round to hold on for her third LPGA Tour victory after seeing her four-stroke lead shrink to one.
“I’m speechless to be honest,” said Nordqvist, who was a two-time All-American at Arizona State. “It’s been a few years since I won. I’ve been working very hard, had my ups and downs.
“I just couldn’t be happier to be here. It was such a hard push on the back nine. Inbee kept making birdies and Michelle (Wie) was playing great. I couldn’t really breathe until the last putt, so obviously I could just let go on the last putt.”
Park, playing for the first time this season, put the pressure on Nordqvist with a bogey-free 66, but her rally came up short when she finished with three consecutive pars.
Catriona Matthew of Scotland played the weekend in 65-65 to finish third, four shots back, and Wie was another stroke behind in fourth after a 69.
Stacy Lewis, ranked third in the world, closed with a 66 to tie for fifth with Gerina Piller, who also had a 66, Yani Tseng of Taiwan, who shot 68, Lexi Thompson, who also had a 68, and Julieta Granada of Paraguay, who came in with a 69.
Second-ranked Suzann Pettersen was solo 10th after a 66.
