Pebble Beach (California), Jul 10 (PTI) India’s Aditi Ashok enjoyed her best round of the week, an even par 72 with just one birdie and a bogey, to finish tied 33rd, as Allisen Corpuz won the U.S. Women’s Open after closing with a 3-under 69 here.

On Sunday, Corpuz became the first American in 20 years to make the US Open her first LPGA title.

Corpuz, who finished at 9-under 279, was the only player to break par all four days.

For Aditi, playing her record 25th Major, it was not the best of weeks as she shot 74-74-76-72 for 8-over and it included a quadruple on Par-4 eighth hole on the second day.

Corpuz, 25, from Hawaii, pulled away with a big par putt and back-to-back birdies on the back nine to enjoy a scenic walk up the 18th fairway. She won by three shots over Charley Hull (66) and Jiyai Shin (68) and claimed the USD 2 million prize, the richest ever for an LPGA major champion.

When she tapped in for par, she covered her smile with her hand and wiped tears away with her Aloha-print towel.

Former President Barack Obama was among the first to congratulate her on Twitter. Both went to Punahou School in Honolulu.

Hilary Lunke, in 2003 at Pumpkin Ridge, was the last American to get her first win at the U.S. Women’s Open, that one in a three-way Monday playoff.

Corpuz never gave anyone much of a chance. Nasa Hataoka lost her one-shot lead on the opening hole when Corpuz hit her approach to 5 feet for birdie, and the 24-year-old from Japan dropped too many shots down the home stretch.

They were tied at the turn until Corpuz hit her approach to just inside 10 feet for birdie on the 10th. The key moment came at the par-3 12th, when Corpuz hit her approach shot into the bunker and had 15 feet for par.

Hataoka rolled her birdie putt from the fringe 5 feet by the hole. Corpuz made her par, Hataoka missed her putt, and the lead was at two.

Corpuz stretched it to four shots with superb wedges to 8 feet on the par-5 14th and 4 feet on the 15th and both were birdies.

Source: PTI News