Rancho Mirage, United States: US teenager Lexi Thompson won the Kraft Nabisco Championship on Sunday to deny Michelle Wie the win she was seeking to snap a four-year winless drought on the USLPGA Tour.
The 19-year-old Thompson fired a closing four-under 68 for a 14-under par total of 274 to win her first LPGA major tournament and fourth LPGA Tour event.
That gave her a three-stroke win over fellow American Wie, who finished with three bogeys in the final round en route to a one-under 71.
Thompson, who is 19 years, one month and 27 days, becomes just the second youngest to win a women’s major championship.
Thompson, who held a share of the third-round lead, clinched the victory by sinking a one-foot putt on 18.
She sank the winning putt and was mobbed by her family members who poured beverages over the teenager’s head.
Thompson then celebrated with a jump into the water hazard next to the 18th green with her caddie and entourage in tow.
Her bogey-free round included four birdies, all on the front nine.
The 24-year-old Wie made it easy for Thompson as she finished with three bogeys, including on the par-three No. 8 and the par-three 17. She had four birdies to shoot one-under on the day and finish with a 11-under 277 total.
Wie putted first on 17 missing a short putt and then making bogey, giving Thompson a four-shot lead heading into the final hole. She birdied the last but it was too late.
The former teen phenomenon has failed to live up to the early hype in her career.
Wie has two career wins on tour but none since the 2010 Canadian Women’s Open. She won in Mexico in 2009 and Canada a year later. She has never won a full tournament in the United States.
