Na Yeon Choi wins LPGA season finale

• Na Yeon Choi shot a final-round 70 to claim the CME Group Titleholders
• Choi also won the U.S. Women's Open this year
• The $500,000 first-place check pushed her season earnings to a career-best $1.9 million

NAPLES, Fla. — Yani Tseng lost her grip on the Rolex Player of the Year award this season. She'll have her hands full holding on to the No. 1 spot in the world golf rankings next season.

South Korea's Na Yeon Choi, who won the U.S. Women's Open this season, capped the LPGA tour's season with a solid two-shot win over South Korea's So Yeon Ryu on Sunday in the CME Group Titleholders. With a final-round 2-under-par 70 on the Eagle Course at TwinEagles Golf Club, Choi held off Ryu, American Brittany Lincicome (70) by three shots and World Golf Hall of Famer member and Australian Karrie Webb (69) by four.

What was once unfathomable considering her large lead in the world rankings, Tseng, who was player of the year in 2010-11, now has many players to contend with to retain her top spot -- and they come from all parts of the world as the growing depth pool was one of the themes commemorated this week by the tour.

Among the expanding legion is Choi, 25, who is ranked No. 4 and now has seven LPGA titles and 12 wins worldwide. Choi began the day with a one-shot lead but lost it with a double-bogey 6 on the third hole. She regained a share of the lead with an eagle on the fifth hole as she knocked a 3-wood from 240 yards to 9 feet. Ryu, who gained a share of the lead with a birdie on the 13th, three-putted the following hole. On the 16th, Choi made a birdie from 5 feet to push her lead to two. A gutsy 5-footer for par on the 17th kept her lead at two, and she wrapped up the win with a routine par on the final hole.

Choi said the double-bogey on the third hole was the key to the round.

"It made me more comfortable," Choi said. "I know that sounds funny that a double-bogey helped me, but I'm more aggressive if I'm tied for the lead or chasing. I was very nervous last night because leading the tournament adds more pressure."

And Choi won't feel pressure next year chasing Tseng. She said becoming No. 1 should be her goal but it won't drive her.

"If I play well every tournament or improve my game every year, I think I can be closer. But I don't want to think about world rankings or money list or that kind of thing," Choi said. "I think my job is to just go out there and have fun and play golf and make lower scores."

Inbee Park of South Korea, ranked No. 3 in the world, is another player who will push Tseng. With a final-round 70, Park secured the Vare Trophy for lowest scoring average by edging Stacy Lewis, 70.21 to 70.31. Park also won the money title with $2.26 million, again beating runner-up Lewis.

"Earlier in the season, I wasn't hitting the ball great, but I just wasn't putting well," said Park, who ran off a stretch of 10 consecutive top-10s, which included two victories. "Then I started putting well.

"The Vare Trophy is the tougher to win. This week felt like it was longer than the whole season. I couldn't relax the last few tournaments because I was thinking about it. It's a great trophy to win and now I can relax.

"This is the best year I've ever had."

Lewis said the same thing. Lewis, who finished in a tie for 29th, won four times this season and became the first American to be Player of the Year since Beth Daniel in 1994. Among other Tseng chasers are Ryu, the 2011 U.S Women's Open champion who quietly moved to No. 9 in the world with a win in Toledo and 14 other top-10s; Norway's Suzann Pettersen, who won two of the last four tournaments this year and is ranked No. 5; and ShanShan Feng, who won the LPGA Championship to become the first man or woman from China to win a major championship. Japan's Ai Miyazato won twice this year and is ranked No. 8. And American Cristie Kerr, who won last week in the Lorena Ochoa Invitational and is a former No. 1, is No. 11 and said this week that no one should count her out of any race.

But Tseng, who won three of the first five tournaments this season but was winless since, certainly isn't going to be easy to pass. She knows she struggled this year, mainly with her mental approach, but is intent on keeping the top spot and adding to her victory total.

"It's getting tougher and tougher to win out here because there are so many good players," said Tseng, who finished in a tie for 26th. "I'm still No. 1, though. I'll start the year No. 1 and hopefully I can become Yani again and start winning.

"We'll see."