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Park Inbee becomes first Korean to successfully defend major golf title

August 18, 2014

Jenny Shin, left, Meena Lee, center, and Illhee Lee, right, spray Champion Inbee Park after she won the Wegmans LPGA golf championship in Pittsford, N.Y., Sunday, Aug. 17, 2014. Park won in a sudden death playoff round. (AP Photo/Gary Wiepert)

By Lee Kyutae

Park Inbee became the first Korean golfer to successfully defend a major title.

Park came from behind to win the Wegmans LPGA Championship for the second straight year on Sunday in New York. She edged out Brittany Lincicome with a par on the first hole of a sudden death playoff at Monroe Golf Club.

Park took home a winner’s check of US$337,500.

It was Park’s fifth career major, which ties her with Pak Se Ri for most majors won by a South Korean golfer.

Park, former world No. 1 and currently ranked third, won three majors last year. Her first major win was at the 2008 U.S. Women’s Open, which she has also won twice (2008, 2013).

Lincicome led Park by a single stroke to begin the final round, and kept that margin until the very last hole. But she missed a par putt on the final 18th hole (Par 4) that would have clinched the championship, and allowed a tie at 11-under 277.

The first three majors of this year were won by Americans — Lexi Thompson (Nabisco Championship), Michelle Wie (U.S. Women’s Open), Mo Martin (British Women’s Open) — but the U.S. would be denied of a major sweep by the 26-year-old South Korean.

Lee Mi-rim, who beat Park for her first career LPGA title last week, was the only other South Korean in the top 10. Lee finished in a five-way tie for sixth at 5-under.