Thai teenager Ariya Jutanugarn yesterday followed up her win at Lalla Aicha Tour School in Morocco with her first professional title at the Lalla Meryem Cup in Agadir.
Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn overhauled Britain’s Charley Hull in the final round to claim the Lalla Meryem Cup in Agadir.
The 17-year-old rookie from Bangkok again displayed her remarkable talent when she came from a stroke behind overnight leader Charley Hull to earn a three-stroke victory with rounds of 69, 67, 67 and 67 for a 14-under-par total at the par-71 Golf de l'Ocean.
This was only her fourth start on the LET since winning the LET's Lalla Aicha Tour School in Marrakech in December, backing up her status of one of the new generation of superstars.
Jutanugarn was fast out of the gates in the final round, immediately moving clear of fellow 17-year-old rookie Hull with a two-shot swing on the first hole.
Hull started with a one-stroke lead at 11-under-par but was forced to salvage a good bogey on the first hole. After a burst of adrenaline, she hit her second through the green into sandy waste.
Having found her ball in a deep hole, Hull called a rules official but no evidence of a burrowing animal was found and she had to play out over the green, chip up and hole a 15-footer for bogey.
Meanwhile, Ariya birdied the first three holes to quickly establish a three stroke advantage and almost holed a seven-footer for birdie on the fourth.
She then birdied the seventh to get to 14-under, four clear of Hull, who then bogeyed the eighth to give Ariya five-shot lead.
The Thai then dropped her first shot of the day at the par-three ninth to hold a four-shot lead over Hull and Allen at the turn.
Jutanugarn pulled five shots clear with a birdie on 10 and then all three players birdied the 11th.
Jutanugarn's momentum stalled when she double bogeyed the par-five 15th, having driven into the bushes left of the fairway and very briefly she held only a one-stroke lead over Allen.
However, she holed a solid 10-foot putt on the 17th to regain a three-stroke lead and at the 18th, safely two-putted for par.
After winning, Ariya said: "I played very good today on the front nine and on the second nine, the par-five, it got really exciting because there was only a one-shot lead.
"I have experience from my last one and that made me a little bit nervous.
"Yesterday my putting was not very good but the front nine made me confident with my putting.
"The 15th hole, I was really scared with my driver because in the practice round I didn't hit my driver well, so when I hit to the left, I thought, a bogey is fine, but I had seven!
"It's all for my dad! I'm going to keep playing on the European Tour and I hope to win some more."
Ariya will now move to the top of the Order of Merit and is expected to move up from 42nd in the world rankings.
FINAL ROUND SCORES
270 _ Ariya Jutanugarn (THA) 69-67-67-67
273 _ Beth Allen (USA) 70-68-67-68, Charley Hull (ENG) 68-70-64-71
274 _ Katie Burnett (USA) 70-70-65-69
276 _ Mikaela Parmlid (SWE) 73-66-69-68
278 _ Marianne Skarpnord (NOR) 66-76-70-66, Sarah Kemp (AUS) 72-68-69-69
279 _ Melissa Reid (ENG) 69-71-70-69, Laura Davies (ENG) 71-68-69-71, Klara Spilkova (CZE) 72-70-71-66, Lee-Anne Pace (ZAF) 70-68-67-74