DONGGUAN, China, March 28 (Xinhua) -- Ren Yijia secured her maiden professional victory and fifth CLPG Tour title on Saturday, as the Dalian teenager edged Canadian amateur Shauna Liu on the first playoff hole to win the GolfJoy Women's Open in Guangdong province.

In her second start since turning pro, the 16-year-old Ren closed with a three-under 69 to finish deadlocked with 17-year-old Liu (66) on 11-under 205 for 54 holes, the first full-field tournament of the CLPG Tour season played on the Olazabal Course at Mission Hills Golf Club Dongguan.

With the rain starting just before the playoff, Ren quickly ended it when she put her approach to within eight feet of the pin on the 403-yard 18th hole. With Liu missing her 20-foot putt from the back of the green, Ren converted her birdie putt to take the win and the RMB 144,000 (20,800 U.S. dollar) purse.

"On the final hole of regulation, I knew I had to make birdie to win. I didn't get it, but I told myself it was okay. At least I could still go to a playoff," said Ren, who missed the cut earlier this month at the Blue Bay LPGA in Hainan.

"My first win on the China LPGA Tour [as an amateur at the Beijing Women's Challenge in May 2024] came in a playoff, and now my first victory as a professional also came in a playoff. Sometimes the world works in such wonderful ways. Still, I was nervous during the playoff."

Thailand's Onkanok Soisuwan, the first-round leader, finished equal third after a 69, tied with China's Sui Xiang (68) at five strokes back. Amateur Peng Yanxuan, who was tied for the lead with Ren going into the final round, could not build on her second-round 63 and closed with a two-over 74 to finish equal fifth with rookie pros Xu Ying (70) and Zhou Shiyuan (66) at six strokes off the pace.

After building up a three-shot lead through 11 holes with four birdies and a bogey, Ren had to work to ensure a playoff as Liu, playing in the group ahead of her, caught fire with five birdies in seven holes starting from the ninth hole. As Liu made her last birdie of the day at the par-five 15th to go a stroke ahead, Liu answered with a birdie of her own at the same hole to draw even with the Canadian. Both players would par the last three holes of regulation.

"I wasn't watching the leaderboard when I was 11-under. But when I fell to 10-under, I felt a little bit nervous, but not too much. In the playoff, my approach shot (from 175 yards out with a five-iron) into the green was fantastic, leaving me an eight-foot birdie putt, and I made it," said Ren.

"My chipping was excellent this week. I have to say that was the key to my win. I managed to chip it really close many times and then made the putts. I'm really happy to receive my first check. The money will be deposited into my account, so I'll decide how to use it - not my mom."

Ren also receives a Spica 3 Plus portable golf simulator from GolfJoy - a company she said she shared a "special connection" with.

"I started my golf journey on one of its golf video simulators," she said. "Through Golfjoy's qualifying tournament, I played in my first national junior event. Not long ago, I became one of its sponsored players, and now I've won a Golfjoy tournament."

Liu, the Canadian Junior Girls title holder, impressed in her CLPG Tour debut as she was in and around the top of the leaderboard throughout the tournament, closing with six birdies in her bogey-free round. The Toronto teenager has committed to play college golf at UCLA next year.

"Overall, I think I played pretty decent [this week]. There were some things I could have done better and some putts I probably could have dropped, but that's just golf," said Liu, who will play in the Chevron Championship next month, the first major of the LPGA Tour season.

"At the playoff hole, we both had pretty decent birdie chances. I was a little bit further away, and she made hers, and I didn't," she added.

Defending champion Wang Zixuan closed with a 70 for her best round of the week but never challenged in her title defense, finishing eight strokes back. ■