Tseng takes first women's Major of season

Yani Tseng has won the first women's golf Major of the year, winning the Kraft Nabisco Championship as overnight leader Karen Stupples faded over the final round in California.

England's Stupples, the 2004 Women's British Open champion, had taken a one-shot lead into the final round at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage after rounds of 69, 69 and 68 had left her at 10-under-par.

A birdie at the par-four second hole got Stupples off to the best of starts with a second career Major beckoning but then the par-72 Dinah Shore Championship course came back to bite the Englishwoman.

Three double bogeys and two bogeys followed with just one birdie going against the tide as Stupples compiled a closing, six-over-par 78 to finish at four under for the tournament in a tie for fifth place.

Her demise left Taiwan-born Tseng and Suzann Pettersen of Norway to duel it out for the title after both had started a shot behind the leader following rounds of 67 on Saturday.

Tseng struck the first blow when she chipped in for eagle at the par-five second as both Stupples and Pettersen birdied and she added two more birdies while the Norwegian bogeyed the par-four sixth.

Both birdied the par-five 11th and Tseng gave Pettersen hope when she bogeyed the par-four 12th to close the gap to four strokes.

As Tseng parred her way home, Pettersen closed the gap further with a birdie at the 16th but when she pulled her approach shot at the 18th hole wide of the green it left her needing to chip in for eagle to have a hope of forcing a play-off.

Pettersen's effort came close but stayed out of the hole and Tseng was left with two putts for victory, sending her lag putt to within inches before tapping in and then making the traditional victory greenside plunge into Poppy's Pond.

Korea's Song-hee Kim took third place at nine under following a 70, while world number one Lorena Ochoa of Mexico was one over for the day to finish in fourth at six under.

Stupples shared fifth place at four under in illustrious company with Jiyai Shin, Cristie Kerr and Karrie Webb, while Swedish duo Anna Nordqvist and Sophie Gustafson were part of a tie for 10th place at two-under.

Reigning Women's British Open Champion Catriona Matthew of Scotland was one over for her final round and one under for the week to claim a tie for 15th while 2009 Kraft Nabisco champion Brittany Lincicome of the United States finished in a share of 21st at one-over-par.