Intro:

Lydia Ko birdied the final hole for her third LPGA Tour victory and first as a professional, holding off Stacy Lewis and Jenny Shin on Sunday (27 April) in the inaugural Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic.

Script:

Thailand's Pornanong Phatlum wasn't in contention to win the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic at Lake Merced in California on Sunday but her birdie on the 12th is well worth watching anyway.

Lydia Ko was on course to claim her first title as a professional.

A birdie putt on the 13th moved the New Zealand teenager two shots clear on eleven under par.

Jenny Shin's birdie on the 17th was followed by a par on the last as she finished the tournament on ten under.

That left Stacey Lewis and Ko to battle for the title.

Lewis's approach to the 18th set up a birdie putt.

Ko may not have been on the fairway but she matched Lewis' effort to move to within inches of the flag and victory.

It was victory that Ko truly deserved just three days after her seventeenth birthday.

SOUNDBITE (English): Lydia Ko, Winner of the 2014 Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic
"The 18th hole, I knew how loud the claps were so I knew I needed to hit it close and give myself a birdie opportunity."

Ko will move up to number two in the world when the next set of rankings are released.