Hannah Green wins playoff for third JM Eagle LA Championship title

Walter Wang dropped a bombshell on his own tournament when the JM Eagle CEO announced a $1 million increase to the purse on Saturday. The move surprised everyone, including the LPGA commissioner, who received a call shortly before Wang went into the booth to deliver the news.

The players, for their part, kept the drama coming in L.A. on Sunday.

South Korea's Sei Young Kim led by as many as eight shots on Saturday, yet found herself chasing in the final round of the JM Eagle LA Championship. In what was a dizzying Sunday, three players finished regulation tied at 17 under, including Jin Hee Im, Hannah Green and Kim.

In the end it was Green, who sat six shots back on 11th hole, who clinched the title on the first playoff hole. Green made five birdies in six holes on the back side at El Caballero to shoot 31. She then drained a 15-foot birdie putt on the 18th in overtime to collect her eighth career LPGA victory, with three of them coming in L.A. That's now four titles worldwide for Green, who won the HSBC Women's World Championship in Singapore as well as the Australian Open and Australian WPGA.

"I honestly didn't think I was in the tournament still," said Green, who closed with a 68. "I was just like, oh, well, just go for as many pins as possible and got on a nice stretch there."

It turned out better than expected.

Wang's surprise purse increase bumped the total to $4.75 million, the largest on tour outside the majors and CME Group Tour Championship. Green won $712,500 for her efforts.

Kim lost much of her edge on Saturday afternoon after making four consecutive bogeys on the back nine. The always aggressive player admitted that she needed to listen more to longtime caddie Paul Fusco in the final round.

Fellow South Korean Im had her own drama after being dinged with a slow-play penalty on the 13th hole Saturday, but she came out swinging on Sunday, draining bombs down the stretch, including a long eagle putt on the 16th and a lengthy par putt on the 17th, to put on the pressure with a closing 67.

After Im leaked her tee shot right behind some trees on the first extra hole, she failed to hit the green on her approach. Kim, who had a wedge in her hand, couldn't get close on her second shot.

Neither could match Green's birdie.

"Just little disappointed because I had a good chance for the win," said Kim. Of the previous 13 times Kim had held the lead going into the final round, she'd won nine of them.

South Korea's Ina Yoon took solo fourth while American rookie Melanie Green notched her first top 10.