By: Max Bechtoldt
After making her major championship debut in 2006, Amy Yang finally wins her first, taking the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship by three strokes.
Yang was in discussion for the best player without a major before this win, with five career wins and 12 top five finishes in the biggest events of the year. The only thing missing from the career of the 34-year-old from South Korea was a major.
While Yang’s three-stroke victory was dominant, it wasn’t without some drama down the stretch. Yang had a three putt bogey on 16 and then hit into the water on the par 3 17, leading to a double bogey. On 18, after a perfect tee shot, Yang decided to go for the par 5 in two much to the dismay of her caddie. Her shot went hard left, but got a solid break off a tree, leading to a par.
Outside of round two, Yang was strong on approach, hitting at least 12 greens in those other three rounds. The putter for the most part was pretty strong though, averaging 29 putts per round.
The biggest strength though for Yang was managing trouble. Bogeys happen in majors, the key is to keep them to bogeys and not let them balloon. The 71st hole of the tournament was Yang’s first double bogey, when the tournament was already in hand. Round four was the only one where Yang had more than two bogeys.
With the win, Yang moved inside the top 15 in the Rolex Rankings, moving into the top five of the Rolex Rankings, and earning. an Olympic spot, joining Jin Young Ko and Hyo Joo Kim on the South Korean team.
