Ochoa holds off Pettersen to defend LPGA crown

MORELIA (Mexico) (AFP) - Lorena Ochoa fired a five-under par 68 on Sunday to hold off Norway's Suzanne Pettersen and win her second straight Corona Championship LPGA title. Ochoa, who also won the tournament in her homeland in 2006, nabbed back-to-back birdies at 15 and 16 to break out of a tie with Pettersen. She won with a 25-under total of 267. Ochoa had to make do without regular caddie Dave Booker around the Tres Marias Country Club course after he was injured playing football on Saturday. She called on childhood coach Rafael Alarcon and with him on the bag Ochoa collected her 26th career title and second this season. "I hope Dave gets well soon. We don't know for how long he's going to be out. But Rafa was very important today," Ochoa said. "He knows my game very well and we will make a decision for the future later on this week. "Rafa has been giving me advice since I was little, so we didn't do anything different out there, just enjoy it." Ochoa also notched her third career LPGA victory in Mexico, where she has played 11 of the 13 tournaments sanctioned by the US women's tour. South Korea's Na Yeon Choi finished third after a 70 for 274. American Wendy Ward was a further stroke back after a 70 for 275. Ochoa won last year's tournament by 11 strokes but had to battle this time, despite finishing with the same total score. "In a golf tournament, where one (shot) is enough to win, there is no difference," she said. "This is a complicated year. There are many players who want to win. You can see that every week. "This year, it will be very hard to win by 10. That is why I keep practicing, trying to improve - to remain on top of them." Pettersen started the day one stroke adrift and tied the lead with a birdie at the third hole. Ochoa edged ahead with a birdie on the fourth, but Pettersen responded with a birdie at five. Ochoa took a two-stroke lead with birdies at six and eight, but they were tied again after Ochoa bogeyed 11 and Pettersen birdied 12. Ochoa finally took the lead for good with birdies at 15 and 16, leaving Pettersen still in search of her first LPGA win since 2007. "I had a one-stroke lead over her after the 15th, she missed her putt and I knew that, with a birdie, I was going to take a two-stroke lead with two holes left to play, so I made the decision to go for it," Ochoa said. "I had a good putt, a little bit soft, but it fell. ... That was beautiful."

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