NAPLES, Fla. — Amy Yang selected a profitable time to seize her first LPGA title on American soil.
Yang birdied her closing two holes for a 6-under 66 to win the CME Group Tour Championship and declare the $2 million prize, tying the most important in ladies’s golf.
The victory was her fifth on the LPGA Tour, the earlier 4 in Asia.
Yang holed out for eagle on the thirteenth fairway to beat an early 3-shot deficit, then let Nasa Hataoka make the errors at essential moments down the stretch.
Yang completed in fashion, making a 10-foot birdie putt. The 34-year-old South Korean dropped her putter and lined her face with each fingers as a half-dozen gamers charged onto the inexperienced and drenched her in a lot foam that she wrapped a towel round her shoulders as she went to signal her contract. card.
Hataoka closed with a 69 and Alison Lee had a 66 to tie for second place. Lee by no means received nearer than 2 strokes on the again 9 at Tiburon Golf Membership. Lee, nonetheless winless on the LPGA Tour, closed her season with three second-place finishes on the LPGA Tour and a victory in Saudi Arabia on the Girls European Tour.
Yang trailed by 3 strokes by means of six holes within the closing spherical when he received again into the combination with three birdies in a four-hole stretch. The important thing shot was holing his method on the par-4 thirteenth, the ball landed close to the flag after which spun again about 6 toes into the cup.
Hataoka responded with a 10-foot birdie putt and so they have been tied by means of the ultimate three holes.
That is when Hataoka, a 24-year-old Japanese man, blinked for the primary time. His birdie putt from the perimeter traveled about 6 toes down the opening and the par putt reached the rim. That ended 35 straight bogey-free holes and left her one shot behind.
On the par-5 seventeenth, Hataoka missed left down a steep ridge, with the pin sliced left. He elevated his chip to eight toes and missed a birdie alternative. Yang, who was additionally behind however low sufficient to make a excessive pitch, practically holed it and had a 3-foot birdie putt that gave her a 2-stroke result in the 18th.
She by no means appeared something however calm, splitting the sleek fairway and never even observing the total flight of her method that prolonged as much as 10 toes under the opening.
Lee made 4 birdies in his final eight holes.
Lilia Vu, a two-time Main champion this 12 months and No. 1 within the ladies’s world rankings, closed with a 65 to complete alone in fourth place and earn a invaluable prize. She gained the LPGA Participant of the Yr award on factors for the primary time.
The 60 gamers who certified for the season finale simply needed to win to turn out to be Race to CME Globe champions.
