Amy Yang got a heartwarming celebration at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship.
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SAMMAMISH, Wash. — Golf can be a lonely sport. Professional golfers can be a lot on their own. But on Sunday afternoon, as the final round of the day made its last trip of the week up the scenic finish line at Sahalee Country Club, more than a dozen LPGA players gathered behind the green in the space between the grandstands, whispering and laughing as they passed. around bottles of water and prosecco. Second runner-up Jin Young Ko was among them; so did former World Champion Lydia Ko, who finished more than an hour earlier. Brooke Henderson stood just behind the group; he and Lydia have been fighting for the past eight years, the last time this great tournament visited this course.
It's rare to see this many players together at any 72nd-hole celebration. But it's also rare for a winner to be as famous as Amy Yang, who has held three titles as she climbed to the final. His second shot on the par-5 flew left, where it collided with one of Sahalee's towering pines and landed on his legs before, mercifully, landing safely in the rough near the green.
Then came the pop.
Lim Kim had released La Marca earlier; the cork flew behind the 18th green and landed on the ledge. He covered his mouth with his hand, laughing at what was happening, then ran to the edge of the green, where he gathered a cork to applaud the theater crowd.
The celebration continued.
This week marks the start of Yang's 75th major tournament. The 34-year-old has been an LPGA professional for half his life and has had close calls at the majors in every; entered this week with 21 top 10s and 12 top fives. Last year, he added T4s to his CV. He was close enough to know he could win – but also close enough to know how difficult it would be. While on tour, he has become very popular with players and caddies, so they lined up behind the green because they believed he deserved it and because they wanted him, as well, and his caddy, Jan Meierling.
Throughout Sunday's finale, doubts lurked at the edges of his mind. He admitted earlier in the week that he began to wonder if he would ever win the marks before he retires. And he had admitted that his main motivation for continuing to compete was to get his name in the tournament's main competition. But that doubt was over when he got the green in three. A chip and two putts later, sprays of champagne invaded the green, one after the other, showering Yang and Meierling. He resisted for a second and then raised his arms up, accepting the moment.
“I finally did it,” he said later. “And it's amazing.”
YANG WASTES NO TIME building on his trail of two shots to start the day. He was nervous as he played No. 1, he said, but channeled those nerves into a near-perfect shot on the par-4, putting in a two-footer for birdie to make it a three-way lead.
It wasn't always going to be that simple. Playing partners Lauren Hartlage and Miyu Yamashita birdied No. 2 and Yang birdied No. 3; suddenly the lead was back to one. The great masters were not far behind; Jin Young Ko and Lilia Vu were holding a tight spot in the top four. A final round clash seemed imminent.
Yang's lead came under further threat at the 3rd 5th when Yamashita holed his putt to 12 feet and hit a windy shot from close to the putt. But Yang then delivered the highlight of the day, hitting a perfect chip dead into the left half of the hole for two birdies. All week he had a very good short game in the field; this was the perfect way to emphasize that.
That was as close as his rivals would get; Yamashita birdied a brutal 8th and Hartlage doubled 7th and 8th while Yang dropped his approach to seven feet and made the putt for birdie. An hour later, Yang had added birdies on 11 and 13 while his nearest rivals continued to fall victim to Sahalee's many hazards; his lead increased to seven. The route was open.
Yang did his best to keep things interesting down the stretch by missing the par three on No. 16 and getting watery on No. 17 en route to a double bogey. But he built such an advantage that even those who could not harm him. The margin of victory did not matter; what mattered was his new title: grand champion.
After the round, Yang was asked how this changes the way he sees his career.
“I thought about this on the golf course today, that golf is like fighting with myself,” he said. “I think I have proven that I can compete and I can do this. Yes, it was a good week of learning.”
He was asked what he likes about golf and he gave an emotional answer.
“Imperfection, this game,” he said. “We are doing everything we can. Some days, golf feels easy and it feels great; some days, it feels like I want to retire soon.”
On Saturday night, when asked what the big win meant, his thoughts went to those who inspired him.
“I mean, I grew up watching a lot of great players in the past, and I saw them all win big tournaments,” he said. “I dreamed of playing here because of them.”
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Asked by a player to inspire him, he cited South Korean legend Seri Park, whose career spanned five majors, including three Women's PGAs.
On Sunday, he was asked how reality matches his dreams.
“I'm trying to process that right now,” he said, pausing. When he stopped, he looked to the left of the man, and smiled.
“I see Seri's name right there, in 1998,” he said.
Now Yang's is there, too, a few lines down. A few years from now, maybe there will be another golfer to add his name who watched Yang's outstanding Sunday at Sahalee. Maybe the golfer who was waiting behind the green with sparkling wine. Perhaps a junior golfer in training, half of the group is still waiting outside the press tent as Yang finishes his remarks. He said this was the best crowd ever.
“It was the best fans. It has been unbelievable this whole week. Everyone was looking at me. I want to sign some autographs for them. I would like to thank them,” he said.
The feeling was the same.
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