Park Nails Down Fifth Title of the Year


Inbee Park further cemented her spot as the top-ranked woman in golf on Sunday.

The 24-year-old carded a 4-under 67 to finish tied in regulation at 12-under 201 with fellow South Korean So Yeon Ryu (69), then birdied the first sudden-death layoff hole - par-5 18th hole at Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers, Ark., for the second time in a half-hour - to win the 54-hole Walmart NW Arkansas Championship.

The victory was the fifth of the season for Park, whose previous 2013 titles came in Thailand, the Kraft Nabisco Championship, the North Texas LPGA Shootout and the LPGA Championship earlier this month. Two of those - the Kraft Nabisco and LPGA Championship - are majors.

Finishing a stroke out of the playoff was first-round leader Mika Miyazato, who closed with a 67. Sharing fourth at 203 were New Zealand amateur Lydia Ko (68), South Korean I.K. Kim (69) and gallery favorite Stacy Lewis.

Lewis, a former All-American at the University of Arkansas who had a share of the three-way lead entering Sunday, shot a 71 in front of her hometown crowd.

Norway's Suzann Pettersen (67) and Paula Creamer (68) ended up tied with the other two 36-hole co-leaders - Spain's Beatriz Recari and Japan's Chie Arimura, who both shot 72s.

South Korean Haeji Kang (67) and Japan's Ai Miyazato - no relation to Mika - had a 68 to tie for 11th at 205.

Park's latest win was worth $300,000, while Ryu settled for $184,703.

For all the scores, visit www.lpga.com.