Shin ends season with another LPGA win

Ji-Yai Shin finished off a successful season today by winning the ADT Championship in West Palm Beach, Florida.

It marked the second straight and third win of the season for Shin, who claimed the million-dollar first prize. The Korean also won the British Open and Mizuno Classic this year.

“It was a really special year for me,” said Shin, who will become a full-time LPGA member in 2009.

Shin, who battled seven other players in the final round at the two-cut tournament, shot a 2-under-par 70 to win by one shot over Karrie Webb.

Shin put herself in early position to win the event with birdies at the second and third holes. She played both the front and back nine at one-under.

At the par-4 16th hole, Shin reached 2-under with her fourth birdie.

A Hall of Famer, Webb went to the 18th needing an eagle to force a play-off but managed only a birdie to finish at one-under.

“I gave myself a chance,” Webb said. “I just probably needed a couple more putts to go in. I’m just glad I made Ji-Yai think about it on the last hole.”

Paula Creamer, who was hospitalised for a stomach ailment, returned to the course and tied for third at two-over along with Seon Hwa Lee.

“I gave it all I had,” said Creamer, who needed to take some medicine on the 13th hole Sunday in order to finish the round. “I tried as hard as I possibly could. I wasn’t going to quit.”

If Creamer would have won, she would have become the first American to finish atop the money list since Betsy King in 1993. Instead, world number one Lorena Ochoa won the money crown.

Creamer was admitted to Bethesda Memorial Hospital in Boynton Beach on Saturday night after feeling abdominal pain for three days. After undergoing a CT scan, she was diagnosed with inflammation.