By: Max Bechtoldt
Amy Yang, the winner of the 2023 CME Group Tour Championship, had a -4 68 Friday at Sahalee Country Club to take the lead in the KPMG Women’s PGA.
The afternoon once again played more difficult, firming up as the day went on, but it didn’t stop Yang. While many said coming into the week that the key to Sahalee was hitting fairways, Yang has been proving that wrong. Yang hit just seven fairways and 10 greens, but was boosted by her putter. She finished the round with only 24 putts, saving herself. Yang, despite missing half of the fairways and almost half of the greens had no bogeys.
Yang is one of the best players in the world who has not yet won a major. The 34-year-old from South Korea has five career wins and 21 top-10 finishes in majors, including two top fives in 2023.
Yang came into the season on the border of the top 15 to make the South Korean Olympic team, but has fallen down to No. 25 with no top 20s on the season and five missed cuts. A win here could vault her back up inside the qualifying cut.
Yang is tied with American Sarah Schmelzel at -6, two strokes ahead of a trio of major champions, Jin Young Ko, Lexi Thompson and Hinako Shibuno.
