SAMAMMISH, Wash. — Standing in the 18th fairway, Amy Yang leaned over to caddie Jan Meierling and acknowledged the anxiety and nerves she carried for the previous 17 holes.
“This has been the longest 18 holes I’ve ever played in my career,” Yang told Meierling.
After years of near misses in the majors, Yang finally enjoyed the celebration she’d long sought: standing on the 18th green, doused in Champagne by her peers as a major champion.
“At one point I thought, ‘Will I ever win a major championship before I retire?'” Yang said. “And I finally did it and it’s just amazing.”
Steady over four days at demanding, tree-lined Sahalee, Yang built a huge lead and survived a couple of late mistakes to win her long-awaited major title on Sunday, a 3-shot victory in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
Yang closed with an even-par 72 to finish at 7-under 281. She was nearly flawless for the first 15 holes and reached 10 under for the tournament for a 7-shot lead before running into a little bit of trouble. But none of her pursuers was able to mount a significant charge.
At age 34, Yang is the oldest major winner on the LPGA Tour since Angela Stanford won the 2018 Evian Championship at age 40. Anna Nordqvist had recently turned 34 when she won the Women’s…
