Anna Nordqvist wins LPGA Championship

U.S. Tour rookie Anna Nordqvist held off a late charge by Australian Lindsey Wright and won the LPGA Championship by four strokes at Bulle Rock on Sunday.

Nordqvist, wielding a hot putter, shot a 68 in the final round, capping it off with a four-foot birdie at the last for a total of 15-under-par 273.

The Swede made the women's major her first victory in an LPGA tournament in her fifth start on the circuit.

She said afterward she received encouragement from role model Annika Sorenstam, the Swede who retired last year with 72 wins including 10 majors.

"She gave me a few words before the round. 'Keep doing what I'm doing. Take it one shot at a time,'" Nordqvist told reporters. "It meant a lot to me, knowing you have support and someone believes in you. It meant a lot to me."

Nordqvist, who won last year's British Amateur title, began the round with a two-shot lead over Wright and stretched it to five by the seventh hole.

Playing in the final pairing with Nordqvist, Wright stormed back with birdies at eight and nine. A birdie at the par-three 12th brought the Australian within two.

Then Nordqvist, who putted superbly in the championship, produced her first three-putt of the event to bogey the 13th and drop to 12-under, just one shot ahead of the Australian.

'AWESOME' PUTTER

However, the tall Swede rose to the challenge.

Nordqvist, world-ranked 214th, drained a 35-foot birdie putt at the 14th and followed with a 14-footer for birdie at 15 to restore a comfortable lead.

"My putting has been awesome this week," said Nordqvist, who took 101 putts in the tournament, 12 fewer than Wright.

Wright, who finished fourth in the season's first major, the Kraft Nabisco, praised Nordqvist.

"I said to her, 'that was bloody awesome,'" the 29-year-old Australian told reporters.

"Under that amount of pressure, not having been in that position before in major and being a rookie -- you can't get any better than that. She was great. She really didn't falter today. She didn't show her nerves at all."

Finishing tied for third place was British Open winner Shin Ji-yai, who shot 68 for 10-under-par 278, one stroke better than fellow South Korean Bae Kyeong, who posted 68 for 279.

Americans Nicole Castrale, Angela Stanford and Kristy McPherson were tied at eight-under 280.

Nordqvist was among eight players who returned to the course early Sunday morning to complete the weather-halted third round. A birdie at the 17th extended her lead over Wright to two strokes heading into the final round.

She will not have an early wake-up call on Monday. Instead of heading off to a 36-hole U.S. Open qualifier, she can rest easy with her newly won five-year exemption.