Amy Yang Clinches First Major Title at Women’s PGA Championship

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Amy Yang Clinches First Major Title at Women’s PGA Championship

SAMMAMISH, Wash. (AP) — Standing in the 18th fairway, Amy Yang confided in her caddie, Jan Meierling, about the intense nerves she had battled throughout the previous 17 holes.

“This has been the longest 18 holes I’ve ever played in my career,” Yang admitted to Meierling.

Triumphant Victory

After numerous close calls in major championships, Yang finally experienced the celebration she had longed for: standing on the 18th green, drenched in Champagne by her fellow competitors as she celebrated her major victory.

“At one point I thought, ‘Will I ever win a major championship before I retire?’” Yang reflected. “And I finally did it, and it’s just amazing.”

Displaying consistent performance over four challenging days at the tree-lined Sahalee, Yang built a substantial lead and overcame a few late errors to secure her first major title on Sunday with a three-shot win in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.

Yang finished with an even-par 72, ending the tournament at 7-under 281. She was nearly perfect for the first 15 holes, reaching 10 under for the tournament and holding a seven-shot lead before encountering minor trouble. However, none of her competitors could mount a serious challenge.

A Historic Achievement

At 34 years old, Yang is the oldest major winner on the LPGA Tour since Angela Stanford won the 2018 Evian Championship at age 40. Anna Nordqvist had also turned 34 when she claimed the Women’s British Open in 2021.

This victory marked Yang’s 75th major start, the most before a player’s first major win since Stanford, who won on her 76th attempt. As Yang spoke to reporters, a group of children waited outside the interview tent, chanting “Amy, Amy,” and hoping for an autograph from the new major champion.

“It’s been incredible all this week. Everyone was rooting for me. I want to go sign some autographs for them,” Yang said.

Yang’s Journey to Victory

Yang’s sixth LPGA win was her first since last year’s CME Group Tour Championship, which was also the most recent victory by a South Korean player. She earned a spot in the Paris Olympics, where she will represent South Korea for the third time.

“The first half of the year she was kind of like in between. Motivation is kind of a roller-coaster ride for her because she’s done a lot of things, but there’s definitely some goals she wants to accomplish, this being one of them,” Meierling said. “These weeks get her reinvigorated.”

Notable Performances

Lilia Vu and Jin Young Ko both shot 71 to tie for second place at 4 under. Vu had three rounds under par but couldn’t overcome a 75 in the first round.

“If you hit like Amy, you can win, too,” Ko remarked.

Earlier in her career, Yang twice held the 54-hole lead in a major only to come up short. At the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open at Pinehurst, Yang was tied with Michelle Wie entering the final round but shot 74 as Wie won. A year later at the same tournament at Lancaster Country Club, Yang had a three-shot lead, but In Gee Chun shot 66 to win by one.

Nine times, Yang finished second, third, or fourth in a major without a title. Until now.

“Golf is really just like a fight against myself. I think I proved to myself that I can compete and I can do this,” she said.

A Steady Performance

Yang was remarkably steady until her final few holes. She made five bogeys over her first 69 holes before three-putting the 16th. Then she pushed her tee shot on the par-3 17th well right, and it bounced into a lake, resulting in a double bogey.

Yang composed herself with a perfect tee shot on the par-5 18th, leading to a two-putt par and the Champagne celebration.

Overcoming Challenges

Yang held a two-shot lead as she stepped to the first tee on a cooler Sunday after three consecutive days of above-average temperatures. The front nine saw breezes blow through the towering trees, causing play to be paused to clear pollen buds off the greens.

Unfazed, Yang led by five at the turn. She birdied the first hole, chipped in for birdie from 23 yards off the green on the fifth, and dropped a 7-foot birdie putt on the eighth — the toughest hole on the course — to move to 9 under.

When she hit into the trees on No. 10 and made bogey, Yang responded with a birdie at the 11th and made her final birdie at the 13th.

Final Group Dynamics

Playing in the final group with Yang, Lauren Hartlage had a chance to tie the lead at 8 under, but her 5-foot birdie attempt on the par-5 sixth hole spun around the cup and stayed out. Hartlage made double bogeys at Nos. 7 and 8, making the turn six shots behind. She tied for fifth at 3 under, marking her best career finish.

Standout Round

There was only one round in the 60s on the final day — Japan’s Mao Saigo shot 67 to finish at 2 under, tied for seventh.