Tianjin, China: Ji Yuai captured her first professional title in dominant fashion with the Dalian native carding a final-round 72 for a five stroke, wire-to-wire victory at the Tianjin Women’s Open.

Over 54 holes at Tianjin Panshan Golf Club, the 19-year-old finished on eight-under 208. The victory at the first full China LPGA Tour event of the year was worth RMB60,000.

“I had a wire-to-wire victory, therefore I am not excited or emotional now. Everything seems to be as expected,” said Ji, a second-year pro.

“It was a stress-free round. I made a couple of mistakes late in the round but it wasn’t related to my mental game. I just tried to be aggressive with a big lead. I thought that it was a good opportunity to test myself under the gun. You don’t get many chances.”

Wang Zixuan (69) was the runner-up, the Beijing teenager finishing as low amateur, one stroke ahead of pro Liu Wenbo (73). Amateur Ren Yijia (70) was fourth on 215, one stroke ahead of Cai Danlin (71) who finished on even-par.

Ji, who started the day with a five-stroke lead, made birdie on the first hole to get to nine-under and then cruised to her first title in a round that included two more birdies and three bogeys, all coming from three-putts.

She said: “The win was my first goal of the year. I made it. Next, I need to move my world ranking into the top-400 and be exempt from the first stage of LPGA Q-School.

“I want one more win before I go to the US. Hopefully I can be one better in Beijing (next month). I learned a lot from the Beijing Women’s Challenge last year where I lost in a play-off.

“After everything settled, I reflected on why I lost with a big lead. I decided I couldn’t play conservatively in the mix next time.”

Wang grabbed her second runner-up finish against pro fields with a round that included five birdies, including three over the first four holes, and two bogeys.

“I am not happy with today. My driver was not good for the whole round. My tee shot went into the rough on the first hole, but I made a birdie there. The real problem was my iron play. I hit longer than before with an iron, but I don’t know the accurate number. With a short iron in hand I couldn’t hit to the spot that I wanted,” said the 16-year-old, who was also runner-up at the Orient Women’s China Open in December.

“I was watching the leaderboard at the 16th hole and found out that some amateurs were tied. I was hungry for that award, and happy to make a birdie from 25 feet. But I need a stronger mental game. I will work on my tee shots. Hopefully I can come out next time and be in the mix again.”