Heather Bowie won her first LPGA Tour title Sunday, parring the third hole of a playoff with Gloria Park in the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic. Park made things easy for Bowie, hitting a low hook out of the rough and into a creek on the par-5 18th hole. After hitting clutch putts on the first two extra holes to extend the playoff, Park triple-bogeyed the last hole.
Bowie, who earned $180,000 and a three-year LPGA Tour exemption, closed with a 4-under 67 to match Park at 10-under 274.
Fighting back tears, the winner hugged and kissed her caddie after hitting a short putt to clinch the victory in her 138th start on the tour.
Park finished with a 66 to force the playoff, birdieing the 17th hole in regulation to pull into a four-way tie.
Bowie has always been seen as a promising star who never lived up to that promise, a two-time NCAA champion at Texas who forgot how to win in the pressure cooker of pro golf.
She faltered down the stretch in regulation with a costly bogey at the 17th to drop into the four-way tie, then plugged away while Sung Ah Yim and Hee-Won Han posted late bogeys to fall out of the logjam.
Han, who started the day with a two-shot advantage, led by four shots with eight holes to play before collapsing. She had three bogeys and a double bogey in the final eight holes.
She fell from the four-way tie with a three-putt bogey at 17, with Yim bogeying the closing hole. She charged a long putt that ran 6 feet past the hole, the missed the comebacker.
Both Bowie and Park parred the first playoff hole, Park saving par by rolling in a long putt to send the players to the next tee.
On the second playoff hole _ the same 17th she had bogeyed less than an hour earlier _ Bowie hit a wedge that checked up just inches from the cup. She tapped in for birdie, but Park then matched her with a 20-footer.
Park found the rough with her drive on the third playoff hole, lashed her second shot into the creek, took a drop and hit her fourth onto a white towel well right of the green. She took a free drop, chipped over the green, chipped back on and two-putted her 8.
Bowie hit her first two shots into the fairway, then hit safely onto the green and two-putted from 22 feet.
Paula Creamer shot the tournament's low round, a 64, to tie Jeong Jang (72) at 8-under 276. Defending champion Meg Mallon (72), Leta Lindley (71) and Pat Hurst (69) followed at 7 under.
Amateur Morgan Pressel finished with a 70 and was at 282. Brittany Lang, making her pro debut, shot a 75 to end up at 284.
Heather Bowie won her first LPGA Tour title Sunday, parring the third hole of a playoff with Gloria Park in the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic. Park made things easy for Bowie, hitting a low hook out of the rough and into a creek on the par-5 18th hole. After hitting clutch putts on the first two extra holes to extend the playoff, Park triple-bogeyed the last hole.