Yuri Yoshida closes with a 68 and wins her first LPGA title as Haeran Ryu's lead slips away in Korea

Yuri Yoshida of Japan won the BMW Ladies Championship on Sunday at Pine Beach Golf Links in Haenam, South Korea, for her first LPGA Tour victory. She shot a 4-under 68 and finished at 17-under 271, one stroke ahead of Haeran Ryu and Hye-Jin Choi.

Ryu took a four-shot lead into the final round and shot 73. Yoshida, 26, made up the ground early. She eagled the par-5 second hole and followed it with three straight birdies, according to the Associated Press and Sky Sports, and soon had a share of the lead.

Ryu made 15 straight pars before her first bogey of the day at the par-4 16th, which put Yoshida back in front by one. Yoshida had bogeyed the 15th, but she birdied the 17th, and so did Ryu. Both bogeyed the 18th, and Yoshida won by a shot.

Choi, who started the day in a tie for second, made four birdies and one bogey for a 69 and finished at 16 under. Hyo Joo Kim and Minsol Kim tied for fourth at 15 under. Grace Kim, Jodi Ewart Shadoff, Nasa Hataoka and Carlota Ciganda tied for sixth at 14 under, per the LPGA's official results.

Yoshida opened the week with a 66 and shared the first-round lead. Ryu had led after the second round and pulled four clear with a 68 on Saturday.

Defending champion Sei Young Kim shot 70 on Sunday and finished tied for 55th at 2 under. The LPGA's Asian swing moves to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, next week for the Maybank Championship.