Sun Young Yoo birdied the first playoff hole to win the first women’s golf major championship of 2012 after I.K. Kim missed a one-foot putt for the win on the final hole of regulation.

Yoo was steady down the stretch in the Kraft Nabisco Championship on Sunday but it was only fellow South Korean Kim’s heartbreaking miss that made her playoff triumph possible.

Both women carded final-round 69s to finish 72 holes tied on nine-under 279 at the Mission Hills course in California, one shot ahead of world No.1 Yani Tseng who battled to a 73.

Kim could have sealed a victory at 10-under with her tap-in for par at the par-five 18th, but it circled the rim of the cup then popped out. It was her only bogey in a round that included three birdies.

They returned for the playoff to 18, where Yoo’s birdie proved enough over a demoralised Kim.

Defending champion Stacy Lewis (66), Koreans Amy Yang (69) and Hee Kyung Seo (71) and Sweden’s Karin Sjodin were tied fourth on 281.

Former champion Karrie Webb was the leading Australian, tied 15th on 284 after a closing 70 while Katherine Hill (74) was a shot further back and Lindsey Wright’s promising start was wiped away with back to back 76s as she tied 43rd.