Golf roundup: Inbee Park shoots a 64 to win HSBC Women’s Champions tournament

Inbee Park used her self-described “amazing” putting to win the HSBC Women’s Champions tournament by one stroke on Sunday after closing with an eight-under-par 64.

The South Korean finished 19-under 269 at the Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore, one shot clear of her playing partner Ariya Jutanugarn, who was second after a 66.

Sung Hyun Park (68) was third, a further shot back, while overnight leader Michelle Wie dropped back into a tie for fourth after a 72.

Wie was two in front after making birdies on the second and third holes before her round unraveled when she four-putted for a double-bogey on the par-five fifth.

“Overall, I can’t complain, but right now it stings a little bit,” Wie said. “Just a couple putts didn’t go in, and Inbee played really well. Obviously I wanted to walk away with the trophy, but there’s so many leaps and strides forward that I made this week.

“Stuff happens sometimes. Sometimes you just four-putt and you’ve just got to carry on with your life.”

The American finished alongside Canadian Brooke Henderson (66) and Jang Ha-na (69), last year’s Singapore champion.

Inbee made her first birdie of the day on the same hole that Wie’s charge started to falter, then proceeded to reel off another eight birdies to the 17th hole, draining a series of long putts in a near-flawless display on the greens.

“My putting was amazing today, obviously,” she said. “I couldn’t make any putts yesterday and obviously I made up for it today.

“Pretty much everything I looked at, it wanted to drop in. It was very consistent ball-striking all week, and obviously there is a lot of birdie opportunities out there and I was able to convert the birdies. This was one of my best putting daysI was just in that zone.”

Despite being a seven-time major winner, Inbee Park said she surprised herself by winning so soon. The 28-year-old took six months off shortly after winning the gold medal at the Rio Olympics last year to recover from a thumb injury and was playing only her second event.

“I thought it may take maybe a couple months to kind of get back out on the tour and to get my rhythm back,” she said. “I thought I was going to be just a little bit rusty. That’s how I felt exactly last week. This week was totally different. Especially the final round was just what I wanted.”

Burmester wins first European tour title

Dean Burmester shot a final-round 65 for a convincing three-shot victory at the Tshwane Open to win his maiden European Tour title.

The South African came from a shot off the lead overnight to win at 18-under-par 266 at Pretoria Country Club.

Mikko Korhonen (67) and Jorge Campillo (68) were tied for second as overnight co-leaders Alexander Bjork and Scott Jamieson fell off the pace.

Burmester made six birdies in his opening nine, starting with three on his first three holes, to go out in 29 and had a 6-shot lead over his challengers at one point. He made three more birdies but also three bogeys coming home but was still far enough ahead to win comfortably.

Felton wins New Zealand PGA Championship

Australian Jarryd Felton won the New Zealand PGA Championship with a birdie on the first hole of a three-way playoff.

Felton shot a four-under 67 in his final round on the Manawatu Golf Club’s Hokowhitu course to finish tied at 14-under with compatriot Josh Younger and New Zealand’s Ben Campbell.