In a ‘nerve-racking’ and thrilling finale, former world number one Karrie Webb, came from five shots back at the start of the day to win the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open by a shot over South Korea's Chella Choi.
Choi was the overnight leader after shooting a course record 10-under 62 in the third round. But the 39-year-old Hall of Famer thrived in gusty conditions to take her first home Open crown since 2008, closing with a four-under 68 to finish at 12-under at the Victoria Golf Club.
She was hardly on the radar all week. In fact, a difference of opinion between her and a top Golf Australia official on a potential rule violation on the first hole of the first day was the most focus Webb had received at Victoria Golf Club … until Sunday.
Swept up in the possibility of Minjee Lee, a 17-year-old Karrie Webb Scholarship winner, becoming the first amateur to win the Women's Australian Open, the probability of the golfing great rewriting history was overlooked.
Webb made clutch putts to save par and sometimes bogey. She got her break on the par-4 11th, where she birdied a huge 45-foot downhill putt to take the lead and give the crowd reason to believe.
But it was her ability to stop the ball near the hole when chipping that was the difference all day on Sunday.
Not that Choi, world number 28, didn't give it one hell of a run. It wasn't until the final putt of the tournament that Webb, the clubhouse leader, knew a fifth Australian Open was hers.
Choi, started with a birdie but then hit her ball out of bounds on the second hole for a double-bogey six and was unable to birdie again - crucially missing on the 18th in a strong cross-wind.
Coming down the 18th fairway, 23-year-old Choi needed a birdie to force a play-off and gave herself every chance by splashing a sweet chip shot over the bunker to within 2.4 metres.
But the putt didn't roll. Choi could not miss on Saturday when she set a course record 62. On Sunday, she couldn't buy a putt.
Riding that final putt hard was Choi's father, who will not retire as her caddy until she wins. For Mr Choi the tour grinds on.
Webb, a native of Queensland, Australia, has now won 10 times since her induction into the Hall of Fame in 2005.
New Zealand sensation and world No. 4 Lydia Ko (73), finished tied third at 10-under with France's Karine Icher (71) and American Paula Creamer (68).
The world’s No. 3, Stacy Lewis (69), shot an under-the-radar nine-under to finish tied for sixth-place with fellow Americans Morgan Pressel and Amelia Lewis who both shot 72 on Sunday.
Rounding up the Top 10 was American Gerina Piller (68) who finished in solo 10th with an eight-under.
Exciting Australian amateur Minjee Lee, 17, runner-up to Tiger Woods' niece Cheyenne at the Australian Ladies Masters, got off to a promising start with a 20-foot birdie putt on the first hole, but a double bogey on the par-4 12th cost her dearly.
Lee closed shooting a disappointing 78 to finished tied for 11th place with fellow Australian Jessica Speechley (73), Spain’s Azahara Muñoz (70) and South Korea’s Mi Hyang Lee (74).
Woods couldn’t replicate last weekend’s magic and had to settle for a T-23rd finish at four-under. Second round leader and Solheim Cup heroine, Caroline Hedwall, shot 74-75 on the weekend and finished T-15th.
World’s No. 2, Suzann Pettersen, came into the tournament with a chance to top Inbee Park for the Rolex Ranking’s No. 1 spot. She was the first round leader after shooting an opening round of 66 and was still second after Friday’s 68.
But a very disappointing 72-80 on the weekend saw her drop to finish T-28th.
The LPGA continues this weekend when Inbee Park makes her first title defense of the year at the Honda LPGA Thailand, February 20-23 from the Siam Country Club, Pattaya Old Course in Chonburi, Thailand.