Anna Nordqvist held off Inbee Park, Catriona Matthew and Michelle Wie to win the Honda LPGA Thailand on Sunday.
This was the third tournament of the 2014 LPGA season and was the strongest field thus far. All 10 of the top-10 women in the world were in the field along with 17 of the top-20.
Nordqvist held the 54-hole lead at 11-under par with rounds of 66-72-67, but knew she had to keep making birdies to stay ahead of the rest of the field. Her final round four-under par 68 was good enough to get her to 15-under par and give her the two-shot win.
“I'm speechless to be honest,” said Nordqvist in her post-round interview following the win. “It's been a couple years since I won. I've been working very hard. I’ve had my ups and downs and just couldn't be happier to be here. It was such a hard push on the back nine. Inbee kept making birdies and Michelle was playing great. I couldn't really breathe until the last putt, so obviously I could just let go on the last putt.”
Inbee Park was the defending champion this week and was making her inaugural start of the year. She shot 67-66 on the weekend to finish two shots back and finish runner-up to Nordqvist. Park took an extended vacation after her record-setting 2013 season. It appears that she is ready to continue her stellar play from last year.
After a first round 76, Catriona Matthew posted 71-65-65, finished at 11-under par and solo third. Winner of the 2009 Women’s British Open, Matthew won the 2013 Ladies’ Scottish Open on the Ladies European Tour, but has not won on the LPGA since the 2011 Lorena Ochoa.
Michelle Wie finished just one more stroke back for solo fourth and collected $78,000. Wie took five weeks away from golf at the end of last season and it appears she is beginning to find the form that has been expected from her for years.
Lexi Thompson, Stacy Lewis, Gerina Piller, Yani Tseng and Julieta Granada all finished tied for fifth at nine-under par.
Tseng is beginning to regain the form that made her a five-time major champion and for Lewis it was yet another ho-hum top-10 finish.
World No. 2 Suzann Pettersen posted eight-under par and finished in the 10th spot.
A native of Thailand, 2013 Honda LPGA Thailand runner-up, Ariya Jutanugarn finished T-51. Her sister Moriya, 2013 LPGA Tour Rookie of the Year, was T-55.
Another Thai Pornanong Phatlum finished T-36. Thidapa Suwannapura finished at seven-under par and earned low Thai honors this week at T-14.
Lydia Ko posted a poor two-over par 74 on Sunday and fell 14 spots to finish T-19.