"Amy Yang Emerges Victorious on Her 75th Attempt at Women's PGA Championship, Sets Record for Longest 18-Hole Victory"
At Sahalee Country Club, alarm bells rang when Yang struggled on the final holes, bogeying and double bogeying, but a closing par secured a three-stroke win over compatriot Ko Jin-young and American Lilia Vu at seven-under par overall.
"This is unbelievable," Yang, who shot an even-par 72 in the final round, told reporters. "I was so nervous at the start of the day, even the night before."
Yang, despite five LPGA Tour wins, had been close to a major victory for 18 years. In 74 majors, she had finished in the top 10 21 times and was a runner-up at the US Women’s Open in 2012 and 2015.
It seemed Yang's best opportunity had passed, but the world No. 25 mastered a star-studded field and a challenging course to become the LPGA Tour's oldest major winner since Angela Stanford took the 2018 Evian Championship at 40-years-old.
Stanford is the only player to have waited longer for a major win than Yang, waiting on her 76th attempt.
"At one point I thought, 'Will I ever win a major before I retire?'" Yang said. "I finally did it, and it's just amazing."
The win earned Yang $1.56 million in prize money and secured her a spot at the Paris Olympics next month, her second Games appearance after finishing tied-fourth in Rio in 2016.
"That was one of my biggest goals for this year," Yang said. "Missing cuts in the past few tournaments and seeing my world ranking drop made me unsure if this win would be enough to make the team, but I did, so I'm very grateful for that."
Korda struggles
World No. 1 Nelly Korda had a tough weekend, shooting the worst round of her career to miss the cut for a third tournament straight.
Korda, chasing her seventh win of the season, made a strong start with an opening three-under 69, just one stroke behind early leader and compatriot Lexi Thompson.
However, Korda struggled during Friday's second round, carding eight bogeys, a double bogey, and an overall nine-over 81, her highest score in an eight-year pro career. This missed cut followed previous misses at the Meijer LPGA Classic and last month's US Women’s Open, which included a septuple-bogey.
"I have no words for how I'm playing right now," Korda, who won the Chevron Championship in April, told reporters. "I'm just going to go home and try to reset... A lot went my way at the beginning of the year, and I'm giving it back."
The major tournament calendar continues with The Evian Championship in France on July 11, and concludes with the Women’s British Open at St. Andrews in Scotland on August 22.
