Korea’s Shin wins HSBC Champions

Joint third round leader Hull had a three shot lead at the turn but a bogey on the 10th, a double bogey on the 13th and another dropped shot on 14 blew any hope she had of claiming the biggest victory of her career. She pulled back a shot on the 17th and needed a birdie on the last to force a playoff but could only manage another bogey on a day to forget. It handed Shin the glory, with a six-under-par 66 for a four-round total of 277 to add another tournament scalp to her ever-growing list.

She has now won four times on the US LPGA Tour and 27 times in total, with many of those victories coming on the Korean Tour.

"I'm very surprised and very happy. My goal coming into the tournament was just to make the top 10," said Shin, who signalled her intention with four birdies in the opening four holes. I can't believe I started with four birdies, but I was just feeling very comfortable. I made a birdie on the 15th and she double bogeyed and that made me more determined."

Hull was gracious in defeat, and said she hoped to learn from the experience.

"I'm disappointed I didn't win, but Ji-Yai played great, all credit to her. It's an awesome weekend for her to go 11 under. The better player won," she said. "I actually broke my game plan so I got what I deserved. I decided from the start I'd hit three wood off that tee on the 13th, but I took driver and it was the wrong play. I got too greedy and was over confident. Hopefully it will make me stronger and make me work harder."

No fireworks

Paula Creamer, Angela Stanford and Brazil's Angela Park all finished tied for third, three off the lead.

World number one and defending champion Lorena Ochoa could not produce the fireworks to make a charge and ended four adrift of Shin alongside American Jane Park and Korean Yoo Sun-Young.

So on another blistering hot day at the Tanah Merah Country Club it was Shin who bolstered her bank balance by $ 300,000, adding another chapter to her remarkable story.

The 20-year-old is widely seen as one of the most exciting prospects in golf and has overcome some huge obstacles, none more so than the death of her mother in a car crash when Shin was 15. The accident left her younger brother and sister in hospital for a year, with Shin, who was on the driving range with her father, sleeping in the ward throughout that time to care for them.

It was four months after the tragic death that Shin, who has earned the nickname Little Angel, won her first tournament in Korea and she has gone on to become the greatest winner the Korean Tour has ever known.

She added that her goal this year was to become Rookie of the Year and defend the three US LPGA titles.

"My first goal is to become Rookie of the Year so this win has moved me a little bit closer," she said. "I also want to defend my titles. My first and second round scores here were bad but I changed that in the third and fourth rounds and that has given me a lot of confidence."

"I want to make it a great year."