Morgan Pressel birdied two of her final three holes to clinch the inaugural Kapalua Classic in Hawaii yesterday.
Closing with a three-under-par 69, the 20-year-old American finished one stroke ahead of Norway''s Suzann Pettersen on eight under par, with Laura Diaz third on six under.
Pressel was in tears after securing victory at her home course and admitted that she had been concerned by the prospect of facing Pettersen in a playoff.
"I was nervous out there. I knew what I had to do. ... I didn''t want to go extra holes," she said afterwards.
Currently ranked 23 in the world, the Florida-born player became the youngest ever winner of an LPGA Major when she triumphed at the Kraft Nabisco Championship last year.
World number one Lorena Ochoa tied for 14th at the Kapalua Classic after closing with a 71 to finish one under par.
20/10/2008