Pano wins ISPS Handa in playoff on birthday

LPGA Tour rookie Alexa Pano celebrated her 19th birthday in style on Sunday, winning a three-person playoff to capture the ISPS Handa World Invitational in Antrim, Northern Ireland.

Pano carded a 6-under-par 66 in the fourth round to pull even with England's Gabriella Cowley (70) and Germany's Esther Henseleit (69) at 8-under 281 on the Galgorm Castle Golf Club.

Returning to the 18th hole to start the playoffs, Pano and Cowley each made a birdie and Henseleit ended up with a par – eliminating the German from the proceedings.

Cowley misfired on a short putt on the second playoff hole in her bid for her first career LPGA Tour victory. Pano carded a birdie on the third playoff hole at No 18 to seize her first career LPGA Tour win and pocket $225 000.

"I've been saying I really want to win this event because it was on my birthday," Pano said. "My best friend can attest, it's been for like two months now that I've been saying that. It feels so surreal that it has happened."

Pano became the third LPGA Tour rookie to record a win this season. Grace Kim captured the LOTTE Championship and Rose Zhang won the Mizuho America's Open.

Pano moved up the leaderboard on the strength of nine birdies against just three bogeys on Sunday.

Henseleit had six and three, respectively, and Cowley – the third-round leader – recorded an eagle on No 18 to highlight her fourth round. Cowley also had two birdies and two bogeys during her round.

Ryann O'Toole (70) finished in fourth place at 7-under, followed by Germany's Olivia Cowan (68) at 6-under.

"You know, for the most part I'm happy with the tournament. Going into it if someone said, hey, you would be (top four), I would take it," O'Toole said.

"The back nine really (angered me), so I think I got to swallow that for a little bit. I had two three-putts on the back side, which is not like me. Just felt like I gave shots up.

"It is what it is. You live and learn and move on to the next week."