SA's Reto battled nerves to win long-awaited 'dream come true' LPGA Tour title

• South African golfer Paula Reto clinched her maiden LPGA Tour title at the CP Women's Open at Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club.
  
• In her 157th LPGA Tour start, Reto became the fourth South African to win on the LPGA Tour.
• It was a long-awaited victory for the Olympian, and Reto admits she could not be more happy and proud as she stunned an elite field.

Paula Reto has finally tasted victory in her 157th start on the LPGA Tour as the South African clinched the CP Women's Open at Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club on Sunday.

Reto entered the final round one shot behind overnight leader Choi Hye-jin of South Korea and soon led the star-studded field in Canada.

Rio Olympian Reto started off strong with five birdies and seized a three-stroke lead at the final turn, and despite a bogey on the 14th, Reto held her nerve to post a four-under 67 to sit on 19-under for the win.

She secured a one-shot victory and held off challenges from Choi and Tokyo Olympic champion Nelly Korda on 18-under, and two strokes clear of former world number one Lydia Ko.

Reto admits she had to overcome nerves heading into the final stretch but is delighted to enter the winner's circle on the LPGA Tour.

"I'm really, really excited and just proud of myself for being able to stick through the shots and the routines. Sometimes I find that's a really hard to do, especially if you know you have only a few holes left," said Reto.

"But I was really nervous... I started pulling a few shots and I told myself, okay, just stay in the moment and breathe. You go through all those things that you think will help.

"I started putting on the brakes, and that's probably not what you want to do. I haven't really much been in this position, and I was just trying to control myself and be in the moment."

Reto, a nine-year LPGA Tour veteran, became the fourth LPGA Tour winner from South Africa, joining Sally Little (15 wins), Ashleigh Buhai (one win) and Lee-Anne Pace (one win).

Reto also became the second South African to win on the LPGA Tour this year after Buhai's historic Women's Open triumph earlier this month at Muirfield.

In February, Reto sealed her first professional title as she won the Sunshine Ladies Tour's SuperSport Ladies Challenge at Sun City.

Reto became the eighth first-time winner of the 2022 LPGA Tour season and is now 27th on the Tour's Race to CME Globe standings.

The South African also took home a winner's cheque of $352 500 (R5.9 million) and will see her soar in the women's world golf rankings, where she is currently 142nd.

"I'm really so excited. I know I'm going to celebrate and everything will kick in, but I'm really happy and it's been such a long time," said Reto.

"I was like, I hope one day I'll win. But it came true."