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No. 1: Shin Ji Yai (S. Korea) -- ST PHOTO: ALBERT SIM
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SUNNINGDALE (ENGLAND) - LORENA Ochoa came to the Women's British Open firmly established as the world No 1 and strongly favoured to retain the title she won last year at St Andrew's.
Instead, she was engulfed by the tide of Asians who are threatening a takeover of the women's game.
Ochoa tied for seventh, but the top five were Asians, led by the winner, South Korea's Shin Ji Yai.
Shin shot a final round of six-under 66 for an 18-under 270 to register a three-stroke victory.
Tseng Ya-ni, Taiwan's 19-year-old rookie, was second after carding a 66.
Thirteen of the leading 20 were from South Korea, Japan or Taiwan.
'They're all coming. And it's not stopping either,' said Juli Inkster, who led after an opening round seven-under 65 but tailed off for a share of 14th.
Ochoa, who won four titles in succession including the Kraft Nabisco on the LPGA Tour this year, acknowledged that it is going to take a lot of hard work - even for her - to stem the tide of top players coming out of Asia.
'I think we all knew that there are so many and they are playing so consistently well and working so hard,' the Mexican said.
'Now we can see that the Asian Tour is becoming very strong. The top players are coming to the States and they can also win in the States. Before it was a different story.
'So the rest of us just need to prepare and continue working hard with so many more good players around.'
Asians have now won the last three Majors.
Tseng won the LPGA Championship in early June and no less than Annika Sorenstam predicted this week that she would not be surprised to see Tseng as the world No 1 in a few years.
South Korean Park In Bee won the US Open, although she was one of the few Asian disappointments last week as she failed to make the halfway cut.
The other Asians near the top of the leaderboard were Ji Eun Hee of Korea and Yuri Fudoh of Japan, who tied for third, and Japanese Ai Miyazato in fifth place.
Cristie Kerr was the first non-Asian in sixth place.
The South Koreans had for the first time this year the same number of players in the field, 31, as there were Americans.
Many of them have taken their inspiration from the first of their nationality, Pak Se Ri, who won the Women's British Open in 200. She was also here at Sunningdale. She won two Majors in her rookie year in 1998.
'Pak Se Ri, she is my hero,' Shin said. 'I'm watching her then and watching her now and she's still my hero.'
Shin, meanwhile, may change her future playing plans in the light of this victory.
Her father, the guiding influence in her life since her mother died in a car crash in 2005, wanted her to play primarily in Japan next year.
But she is leaning towards the LPGA Tour in the States now that she has an exemption for winning this title.
'Maybe he will change his mind now,' she said. 'I have not joined as a member but now with this win I can join the LPGA.'
Shin played three US Tour events this year with a best finish of joint sixth in the US Open.
She won three titles on the Korean Women's Tour this year after winning nine times in 2007.
The recently-crowned British Open champion is only 20 and is known back home as the 'queen of final rounds' for her outsized mettle.
Her caddy Dean Herden says her Sunday focus kicks in 'just like Jack Nicklaus' as 'the shutters come down and you can sense it'.
She is a phenomenon aimed for stardom. The same may be said of many of the other Asians.
REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
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