MAUI, Hawaii- Morgan Pressel birdied the 72nd hole to win the 1.5 million-dollar Kapalua LPGA Classic here on Sunday.

Pressel's final flourish capped a three-under-par 69 for an eight-under total of 280.

Norway's Suzann Pettersen was second on 281, also posting a final round 69. Laura Diaz closed with a 70 for third place on 282.

She claimed her first victory of 2008 and the second of her career, to go with the Kraft Nabisco Championship she captured last year.

"You know, it's a great place to win. I always enjoy my time here," Pressel said. "I wish I could spend more time. I'm looking forward to coming back in February for some vacation time."

Angela Stanford (70) and Sun Young Yoo (72) tied for fourth on 284.

Stacy Lewis, who closed with a course-record 66, shared sixth with Sweden's Carin Koch (74) on 285.

Pressel pulled into a tie with Pettersen with a seven-foot birdie at 16.

Pettersen was already in the clubhouse and could only watch as Pressel played her final two holes.

Pressel got up-and-down from a bunker to on the par-three 17th, setting the stage for her winning effort at the par-five 18th.

"Well, I was nervous. I was nervous out there," an emotional Pressel said.

"I knew what I had to do. I knew that those couple of putts, when I missed on 14 and 15 could have been important. "But then I knew that that birdie on 16 was just what I needed at the right time.

"On 18, I didn't want to go extra holes, and I've hit it tight there every day.

"I had what I thought was a perfect little pitch shot there and I just - it was almost sitting too perfectly up in the rough and I got a little under it, didn't quite get there. From there, you just really hope to two-putt.

"If it goes in, great, and it went dead center I didn't really know what to do. You know, just get a little lucky sometimes and then get the right bounces."

Pettersen said she wasn't surprised Pressel succeeded.

"You expect her to make it. You expect good players to make putts," she said. "I had my chances out there, let a few players into the game. It has been a good week.

"I've been playing well, but I've got another two weeks to go here," added Pettersen, who won five titles last year but has yet to win this season.