Conquering gusty conditions at Lake Merced on Sunday of the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic, 36-hole and 54-hole leader Haru Nomura of Japan carded a 1-over 73 to seal the deal and claim her second career victory. She has become just the second Japanese player ever in LPGA Tour history to garner two victories in one year since Ai Miyazato in 2012.

Nomura wins at 9-under par, four shots clear of her closest rival, South African Lee-Anne Pace, who shot a final-round 74. With the triumph, the sixth-year LPGA member pockets US$300,000 and a pair of Stephen Silver diamond pendant earrings worth US$25,000. Pace won a runner-up prize of US$182,127.

Having claimed her first career victory this February at the ISPS Handa Australian Open, Nomura joins Ha Na Jang and Lydia Ko as the third multiple winner this season.

American Gerina Piller (74) and Korean Na Yeon Choi (75) finished in a share of third at 284. First-round leader and course low-round record (63) holder So Yeon Ryu finished with a 3-over 75 and sit solo fifth at 2-under par 286.

Two-time defending champion Lydia Ko carded a 75 as well and moved into equal sixth with U.S. number one Lexi Thompson (71), Korea’s Jenny Shin (72), Mi Jung Hur (74), and Canada’s Brooke Henderson (76) at 1-under par 287. Only ten players finished under par for the week.

The attendance number this year totals more than fifty thousands.

Lee Min (李旻) (74) and Cheng Ssu-Chia (程思嘉) (75) wrapped up the week winning the low Taiwanese honor at 7-over 295 and T40. Official Jewelry Stephen Silver decided to offer them each a diamond and white gold bracelet worth US$15,000.

“It’s super windy today. There was a really loud bang when I was hitting my tee shot on the tenth. That ball disappeared into the trees left of the fairway and got me a one-stroke penalty,” said Cheng, who had the one double-bogey on the 10th, and two birdies and three bogeys. “After that I converted a few important putts going in to save my day, so I felt okay.” Cheng made three clutch plays on the greens from 11th to 13th in a row. She saved par with a successful 20-footer on the 11th and drained a downhill 45-foot birdie putt on the next. She then held her ground to hole a potentially tricky one to save par again on 13.

“I mean, on this sneaky course, anything could happen. I’m happy how I got to execute my shots pretty well and minimize mistakes,” said Cheng. She finished T49 in the inception year in 2014 and failed to make the final rounds last year.

Lee used a 36-38 combination to climb up to her best tournament finish. “The wind was blowing extremely hard on the back nine, but I just keep telling myself, be patient. I was fortunate to pull off a pair of very long putts from 40 feet away on 15 and 16.” Lee made two birdies and four bogeys on Sunday.

Paired with fellow Taiwanese Hsu Wei-Lin (徐薇凌), Lee was on a high comfort level on the course under probably one of the toughest playing conditions this year. “We know each other well. We’ve been chit-chatting about the old days when we were playing amateur golf. We even made a bet on the last hole,” said Lee.

Hsu wasn’t quite finding the hitting quality she hoped for, making four bogeys in the closing effort. “I didn’t play to the consistency I want. A few sloppy missing here and there. I will need to work on my swinging motion a bit and simply practice more. There are still many events to go this year. And you’ve got to keep having high hopes on yourself,” said Hsu. “A nice surprise is my bunker shot this week. I really like how it has improved.”

Hsu’s final-round 76 is highlighted by a par on the par-3 15th, where she was the closest to scoring a birdie on Sunday as she hit a 5-wood tee shot in right at the flag before ricocheting eighteen feet past the hole. She wrapped up at 9-over 297 and T58.

Veteran Taiwanese Candie Kung (龔怡萍) scrambled with the gusts on her inward nine dropping eight shots from a 2-under when she made the turn, to ultimately a 6-over 78, settling in a tie for 50th at 8-over 296.

This is the third year the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic has returned to the Bay Area. It is the first tournament of Taiwanese roots held on the United States soil and also the first co-sanction partnership between the LPGA and the LPGA of Taiwan.

As the three-year contract now comes to an end, Swinging Skirts Golf Foundation chairman Johnson Wang will have to meet with LPGA executive officials to discuss about the future of the partnership. The announcement will be called in late May.

“The level of support we have received from the fans from day one has been fantastic. I’ve seen lots of tweets and posts about their visit to the Lake Merced Golf Club. I hope they can thoroughly enjoy the experience and what we’ve strived to put together this year,” said Wang. “Because of all your supports, it gives us the confidence and motivation to take the challenge to continue to bring this event to a higher status in the golf history.”

“It’s an art, a craftsmanship,” Wang emphasized. “Out united vision before the launch of the tournament has been to make it an art piece rather than just a regular event on the map. From the event dining to meet-and-greet wines, we’ve been taking the strictest attention to details in every aspect in order to elevate the whole experience and presence of the brand. We hope to build a paradigm to define the standard and services to be provided for a premier golf event.”