SYDNEY — Karrie Webb edged South Korea's Chella Choi in a “nerve-racking” battle to win her fifth Women's Australian Open and 40th tour title Sunday with a 12-under-par. The veteran Australian came from five behind at the start of the day to win by a shot from Choi, the overnight leader who shot a course record 10-under 62 in the third round. Webb, 39 and a former world No. 1, thrived in gusty conditions to take her first home Open crown since 2008, finishing with a final round four-under 68. She faced a tense wait as Choi — chasing her first US LPGA title — missed a birdie putt on the par-five 18th which would have forced a playoff. “It was nerve-racking. I actually thought once Chella had that putt on the last — I've played with her quite a bit and I was expecting that one to go in,” said a “very proud” Webb. “I was happy to see that the conditions were going to be a little tougher today because I felt like that gave me a chance to make up some ground.” World No. 8 Webb, disqualified from her title defense of the Australian Ladies Masters last week after signing an incorrect scorecard, said she “got off to a great start” with birdies on the first two holes. She got her break on the par-4 11th, where she birdied a huge 45-foot downhill putt to take the lead. Choi, world No. 28, started with a birdie but then hit her ball out of bounds on the second hole for a double-bogey six and was unable to birdie again — crucially missing on the 18th in a strong cross-wind. New Zealand sensation and world No. 4 Lydia Ko, 16, finished tied third at 10-under (73) with France's Karine Icher (71) and American Paula Creamer (68). Exciting Australian amateur Minjee Lee, 17, runner-up to Tiger Woods' niece Cheyenne at the Australian Ladies Masters, got off to a promising start with a 20-foot birdie putt on the first hole, but a double bogey on the par-4 12th cost her dearly. Aiken bags SA Open Thomas Aiken holed a long birdie on the first play-off hole Sunday to maintain a South African monopoly of the Africa Open. No foreigner has won the seven-year event with Englishman Oliver Fisher the latest to fall just short after finishing level with Aiken on 20-under-par 264 at East London Golf Club. A wayward second shot by the Londoner at the first extra hole landed left of the green and his chip rolled past the pin, leaving him with a challenging 18th-hole par putt. But it proved irrelevant as Aiken saw his putt stay on course and it had just enough pace to drop into the hole and give the Johannesburg-born star a third European Tour title. The 30-year-old, who is ranked 113 in the world, won the 2011 Spanish Open and the Avantha Masters in India last season. Aiken, who was four strokes off the pace entering the final round, said he was thrilled to finally win a European Tour event at home. — Agencies
