Park takes comeback win at LPGA Thailand

CHONBURI, Thailand, Feb. 24 (UPI) -- Inbee Park, down by four strokes going into the final round, used a 5-under-par 67 Sunday to win the Honda LPGA Thailand golf tournament.

Park, who won both the LPGA money title and Vare Trophy last year, had six birdies in her first 11 holes Sunday and finished the tournament at 12-under 276.

At the time she was two strokes behind third-round leader Ariya Jutanugarn but the Thai teenager suffered a triple-bogey 8 at the final hole. That included missing a 3-foot putt that would have forced a playoff with Park. Jutanugarn ended up second at 11-under.

The win marked the eighth professional title for Park, with four of the victories coming on the LPGA Tour. She has four titles overall in the last year.

Two-time defending Thailand champion and No. 1-ranked Yani Tseng had the tournament's best round Sunday, opening with an eagle en route to a bogey-free 9-under 63. That pulled her into a third-place finish at 10-under, tied with Stacy Lewis and Beatriz Recari, who each shot 70 Sunday.

Park began her final round with a birdie and added others at Nos. 5, 7 and 9 in making the turn at 4-under. She pulled close to Jutanugarn with back-to-back birdies at 10 and 11 before the bogey at the par-4 14th. She was 3-over on that hole for the week.

Jutanugarn shot a very unconventional even-par 72. She had birdies at 1 and 5 before a bogey at the eighth hole. She made a hole-in-one at the par-3 12th and followed that with a birdie at 13. She was still up by two after a bogey at the 14th hole.

Park closed with a series of pars before Jutanugarn came to the 18th. A poor lie after her second shot led to a drop and her fourth shot went over the green. Her seventh shot -- the 3-foot putt -- lipped out, giving Park the title.