IRVING, Texas, April 28, 2013 (AFP) - Park claimed the sixth LPGA title of her career and her third this year, a run of success that saw her rise to number one in the world this month -- one week after her major victory at the Kraft Nabisco Championship.
The South Korean played steady golf, posting four birdies without a bogey, her four-under 67 at Las Colinas giving her a 13-under total of 271.
Ciganda, who kept the pressure on Park with her own birdie at 18, finished with a one-under 70 for 272.
"Today coming into the final round, I was two shots back, and I didn't really think about winning so much," Park said. "The front nine I was given a lot of birdie chances out there, and nothing seemed to be going in, so I was a little bit frustrated."
Ciganda, the 2012 Rookie of the Year on the Ladies European Tour, started the day with a two-stroke lead.
After a bogey at the second she settled down, posting birdies at the third, sixth, eighth and 10th to move to 14-under for the tournament -- two strokes in front of Park as they dueled in the final group.
But the young Spaniard's round came unstuck with a bogey at the 14th, followed by a double-bogey at 15 that let Park assume a one-shot lead.
At the par-four 14th, Ciganda drove behind a tree and her attempt to hit over saw her ball clip a branch.
At the 15th her ball bounced into the water on the right.
"I saw the ball bouncing on the green, so I thought that maybe it was there long," Ciganda said of her approach into 15. "But when I was approaching the green, I could see that the wind was hard and the ball was in the water.
"So I mean I just tried to make up on that, and I missed my putt, so then it was a six and that was it. I think that was the key hole because until that time I think I was winning by two and then by one."
At the par-five 18th, Park was in the fairway and Ciganda just off the fairway with a testing shot through the trees to the green.
Park opted to go for the green and finished up just short, while Ciganda fired through the green.
Ciganda's pitch left her a tough birdie putt, but she rattled it in to pull level, leaving Park, who chipped to about four feet, with a birdie putt to win.
The South Korean calmly rolled hers in, giving a little fist pump as the ball dropped.
"I was trying to be very patient and finally the last one dropped."
Norway's Suzann Pettersen carded a final-round 66 to claim third on 274.
South Koreans Park Hee-Young and Ryu So-Yeon shared fourth on 275, Park after a blazing seven-under 64 that included seven birdies with no bogeys and Ryu with a 68.
South Korean I.K. Kim finished alone in sixth after a 68 for 276.
Leading final-round scores on Sunday from the North Texas LPGA Shootout (USA unless noted, par-71):
271 - Inbee Park (KOR) 67-70-67-67
272 - Carlota Ciganda (ESP) 66-70-66-70
274 - Suzann Pettersen (NOR) 70-70-68-66
275 - Park Hee-Young (KOR) 68-70-73-64, Ryu So-Yeon (KOR) 71-68-68-68
276 - I.K. Kim (KOR) 70-71-67-68
277 - Stacy Lewis 72-70-69-66, Feng Shanshan (CHN) 71-67-70-69, Karine Icher (FRA) 71-69-67-70, Choi Na-Yeon (KOR) 70-69-66-72
278 - Paula Creamer 73-69-69-67, Cristie Kerr 70-73-67-68, Dewi Claire Schreefel (NED) 75-70-65-68, Christina Kim 68-72-67-71
279 - Giulia Sergas (ITA) 73-68-72-66, Mo Martin 67-74-70-68, Caroline Masson (GER) 64-71-69-75
280 - Jane Park 72-69-73-66, Julieta Granada (PAR) 70-70-71-69, Lexi Thompson 71-71-68-70, Chella Choi (KOR) 71-69-70-70
281 - Shin Jiyai (KOR) 70-71-73-67, Lizette Salas 71-70-72-68, Angela Stanford 69-70-72-70, Kang Hae-Ji (KOR) 69-72-69-71, Jennifer Johnson 71-69-70-71, Kathleen Ekey 70-67-73-71