HAVRE DE GRACE, Maryland – Sweden's Anna Nordqvist made her first major championship as a professional a memorable one as she fired a four-under 68 to win the LPGA Championship.

Nordqvist, who turned 22 on Wednesday, finished at 15-under 273, four shots ahead of Australian Lindsey Wright.

After seeing her five-stroke lead shrink to one, Nordqvist drained a 12-foot birdie putt at the 14th, then all but sealed the victory with a 35-footer for birdie at the next.

Wright, who like Nordqvist had to return early Sunday to finish up her weather-delayed third round, fired a final-round 70 for 277.

"I just kept being patient," Nordqvist said. "I think that's really what paid off at the end."

Wright was impressed with her young opponent's composure.

"It was amazing. Under that amount of pressure, not being in that position before and in a major and being a rookie? You can't get any better than that. She really didn't falter today. She didn't show any nerves at all."

South Korea's Ji-Yai Shin was third after a 68 for 278, and compatriot Kyeong Bae (68) was a further shot back on 279.

Nordqvist had made the cut at the Women's British Open the past two years as an amateur.

Nordqvist finished the final four holes of her third round Sunday morning and took a two-shot lead over Wright into the final round.

She wasted no time in building on that advantage, showing no sign of nerves as she became the second rookie in a row to win the LPGA Championship crown after Taiwan's Yani Tseng last year.

Nordqvist birdied the first, and stretched her lead to four strokes with an 18-foot birdie putt at the sixth.

Wright's bogey at seven saw Nordqvist up by five, but the Australian bounced back with birdies at eight, nine and 12 as Nordqvist bogeyed 13.

With her lead reduced to one stroke, Nordqvist responded with her back-to-back birdies. Wright birdied 16, but then bogeyed 17 and Nordqvist calmly dropped a three-foot birdie putt at the last.

"It was almost like a little bit of a match-play event coming down the stretch," Wright said. "I thought she was really holding it together, and I thought, she's not giving this championship away. I have to go for it."

When Nordqvist wrapped up the victory, her coach and a few friends ran onto the green to deliver a champagne shower.

"That was great. I couldn't see anything," Nordqvist said.

Nordqvist, who said earlier this week she modeled her game on that of Swedish superstar Annika Sorenstam, has followed in her compatriot's footsteps by making her first US LPGA victory a major.

Sorenstam earned her first US victory at the 1995 US Women's Open.

"Obviously, it's a great feeling. It's been an incredible week," Nordqvist said. "I had so much fun."