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Edina, Minnesota: South Korean teenager Park Inbee, maintaining her poise in blustery conditions, became the youngest player to win the US Women's Open with a four-shot victory on Sunday.
Two strokes off the pace going into the final round at Interlachen Country Club, the 19-year-old birdied the first two holes on her way to a two-under-par 71.
With most of her closest challengers floundering in the gusting winds, Inbee eased to her maiden LPGA Tour title, eclipsing compatriot Pak Se-ri who won the tournament in 1998 aged 20.
Inbee, who birdied the last for a nine-under total of 283, also became the third youngest woman to win a major championship.
American Morgan Pressel was 18 when she won last year's Kraft Nabisco Championship and Taiwan's Yani Tseng triumphed at this month's LPGA Championship at 19.
Veteran Swede Helen Alfredsson, playing with Inbee in the penultimate group, birdied the final hole for a 75 to secure second place at five under.
"I'm very happy with that," a beaming Inbee said in a greenside television interview. "It's really an honour and it's very, very special for me that I won the event 10 years after I start playing.
Focused
"Everything is happening is so fast, it's almost scary. I really tried to stay calm out there, but it was so exciting, I couldn't do it."
Inbee made a fast start at Interlachen where the day became one of survival for most of the field.
She chipped in from just off the green to birdie the first and collected another at the par-five second where she was just short off the green in two before chipping up to two feet.
"That was very important," Inbee said of her start.
"I was able to get my momentum going from there. I was really calm and focused out there today."
Although she bogeyed the sixth and the par-three eighth, she reached the turn in level-par 36 with a two-stroke cushion. Surprise overnight leader Stacy Lewis, seeking victory in her first professional start, slid down the leaderboard with an outward nine of four-over 40.
Her playing partner Paula Creamer, the American world number four, fared even worse with a front nine of 41.
Bogeyed
Inbee, who finished joint fourth in last year's U.S. Open at Pine Needles, rolled in a 10-footer to birdie the par-five 11th before picking up her fourth shot at the 13th to stretch her advantage to four.
Although she bogeyed 17 after finding a bunker with her approach, she signed off with another birdie at the last.
Lewis, who turned professional 20 days ago to compete in a sectional qualifier for this week's event, closed with a 78 to tie for third with Korean Kim In-kyung (75) and Brazil's Angela Park (73).
Scores
US Women's Open (par-73, South Korea unless noted):
283 - In-Bee Park (KOR) 72-69-71-71; 287 - Helen Alfredsson (SWE) 70-71-71-75; 288 - In-Kyung Kim 71-73-69-75, Stacy Lewis (USA) 73-70-67-78, Angela Park (BRA) 73-67-75-73; 289 - Nicole Castrale (USA) 74-70-74-71, Paula Creamer (USA) 70-72-69-78, Mi Hyun Kim 72-72-70-75, Giulia Sergas (ITA) 73-74-72-70; 290 - Teresa Lu (TPE) 71-72-73-74, a-Maria Jose Uribe (COL) 69-74-72-75; 291 - Stacy Prammanasudh (USA) 75-72-71-73; 292 - Cristie Kerr (USA) 72-70-75-75; 292 - Jee Young Lee 71-75-74-72, Suzann Pettersen (NOR) 77-71-73-71, Momoko Ueda (JPN) 72-71-73-76; 293 - Catriona Matthew (GBR) 70-77-73-73, Morgan Pressel (USA) 74-74-72-73; 294 - Na Yeon Choi 76-71-71-76, Jeong Jang 73-69-74-78, a-Jessica Korda (USA) 72-78-75-69, Candie Kung (TPE) 72-70-79-73, Ji-Yai Shin 69-74-79-72; 295 - Song-Hee Kim 68-76-75-76, Annika Sorenstam (SWE) 75-70-72-78; 296 - Ai Miyazato (JPN) 71-72-76-77, Seon Hwa Lee 75-70-73-78, Minea Blomqvist (FIN) 72-69-76-79; 297 - Sun-Ju Ahn 76-71-78-72, Lorena Ochoa (MEX) 73-74-76-74, Karen Stupples (GBR) 74-73-75-75, Ji Young Oh 67-76-76-78, Young Kim 74-71-71-81; 298 - Jennifer Rosales (PHI) 74-72-77-75, Karrie Webb (AUS) 75-75-72-76.
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