16 November 2009 - 01H04  

Wie claims first LPGA Tour title
Michelle Wie of the United States kisses the trophy after winning the Lorena Ochoa Invitational Presented by Banamex and Corona at Guadalajara Country Club in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Michelle Wie of the United States kisses the trophy after winning the Lorena Ochoa Invitational Presented by Banamex and Corona at Guadalajara Country Club in Guadalajara, Mexico.

AFP - Michelle Wie fulfilled the promise she showed as a golf prodigy Sunday, earning her first LPGA Tour victory at the Lorena Ochoa Invitational.

The 20-year-old Korean-American, who turned pro at a precocious 16, fired a three-under par 69 for a two-shot triumph over Paula Creamer.

Wie finished with a flourish, blasting out of a greenside bunker to six inches at 18 and tapping in for birdie.

Wie, her putter in her hand, raised both arms in triumph, then clapped her free hand over her mouth.

She pulled the ball from the hole, turned first to the fans and then to the sky as she let out a sigh.

Wie won with a 13-under par total of 275. She had started the day tied for the lead with fellow American Cristie Kerr.

Creamer closed with a 70 to take second on 277. Morgan Pressel (67), South Korean Jiyai Shin (71) and Kerr (72) were three shots off the lead on 278.

Wie had opportunities to pull away on the front nine but couldn't make any headway. Her birdie at 11 put her 13-under and gave her a one-stroke lead over Creamer and Kerr.

She bogeyed the next, when her hot from under some trees hit one trunk and ricocheted into the fairway.

But she steadied herself with a string of pars to give herself the chance at the last.

The victory was a milestone for the 20-year-old Wie, who shot to prominence when she qualified for a US Golf Association event at the age of 10 and played an LPGA tournament when she was 12.

She turned pro with great fanfare at 16, but her insistence on testing herself against men's fields drew criticism as well as attention.

She suffered through highly public struggles with her game as well as a debilitating wrist injury in 2007, but finally earned her LPGA Tour card in qualifying school last December.

Since joining the women's tour she has gone from strength to strength. She has two runner-up finishes this season and emerged as a star at the Solheim Cup, where she was unbeaten in four matches.

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