Ochoa shows perfect poise to claim fourth LPGA player-of-year honour

Houston: Lorena Ochoa edged out South Korean Shin Ji-yai to become the LPGA player of the year for a fourth successive time on Monday after Swede Anna Nordqvist won the season-ending LPGA Tour Championship.

Mexican Ochoa coolly birdied the final hole for a five-under-par 67 at The Houstonian Golf and Country Club to finish alone in second place at 11-under 205, two strokes behind Nordqvist who signed off with a 65.

Shin, who led Ochoa in the player of the year race going into the weather-delayed tournament, had to settle for a share of eighth place at six under after closing with a 73.

The bespectacled Korean, playing with fellow rookie Nordqvist in the final group, would have overhauled Ochoa with a birdie at the last but her chip from greenside rough slid past the right edge of the cup.

Ochoa, who ended her season with three victories and 13 top-10 finishes in 22 starts, had tears in her eyes as she watched Shin's birdie attempt from the edge of the 18th green.

"This has been the toughest [player of the year award] and for sure the one that I am going to enjoy the most," the slim Mexican said in a greenside television interview.

"Everything came down to the last hole and I am just really proud of the way I finished. I can be happy. I'm going to go home and rest and enjoy that top position.

"It's not easy being on top for four years in a row," added the world number one who edged out Shin by 160 points to 159.

Shin had already been voted LPGA rookie of the year after winning three times on the circuit.

Scores

Leading final round scores (tournament shortened to 54 holes because of weather. South Korea unless noted):

203 - Anna Nordqvist (SWE) 70-68-65

205 - Lorena Ochoa (MEX) 66-72-67

206 - Na Yeon Choi 70-72-64, Kristy McPherson (USA) 69-67-70

209 - Sophie Gustafson (SWE) 70-71-68, Song-Hee Kim 73-68-68, Hee Young Park 70-72-67

210 - Ai Miyazato (JPN) 73-68-69, Suzann Pettersen (SWE) 72-68-70, Jiyai Shin 70-67-73, Yani Tseng (TPE) 69-71-70

211 - Cristie Kerr (USA) 72-69-70, Jee Young Lee 74-68-69, Sun Young Yoo 74-69-68, Heather Young (USA) 69-69-73

212 - Maria Hjorth (SWE) 73-69-70, Karin Sjodin (SWE) 70-72-70, Wendy Ward (USA) 72-70-70, Amy Yang 76-68-68