Big Finish

Three was a crowd for Japan’s Ai Miyazato on the back nine of Saturday’s final round of the LPGA Lotte Championship.

Tied with South Korea’s Meena Lee and Spain’s Azahara Munoz, the 26-year-old from Okinawa birdied three of the final six holes en route to a 12-under 276 finish to win this inaugural event by a comfortable four shots.

But it was anything but comfy and cozy for Miyazato standing over a 20-foot birdie putt at the 15th from the fringe. Still tied with Lee, who was teeing off at the 18th, Miyazato rolled it in to put a little separation between the two professional golfers.

Lee made a mess of her closing hole, eventually settling for double bogey to shoot a final-round 70, dropping into a tie for second with Munoz, who closed with a 71.

Miyazato made a nice par save from 10 feet at the 16th, then dropped another birdie putt at the 17th to take off the pressure going into the difficult closing hole. She parred it by getting up and down from a greenside bunker.

Only then was she willing to call it good.

“I didn’t know that until 17,” Miyazato said when asked when she knew of Lee’s double-bogey finish. But even with the four-shot advantage, she still had to close it out.

“Because 18 is a really difficult hole,” she said. “If I hit this tee shot, I think I don’t have to think anything, but before that, I was still, you know, focused on my game.”

Her second shot went into the back bunker, but unlike Lee, she got up and down for par to win for the eighth time on the LPGA Tour and first since last summer’s Evian Masters.

She was second to world No. 1 Yani Tseng the first two events of the year. Tseng closed with a 74 and was never a factor.