THERE WAS SOME disappointment for Leona Maguire and Stephanie Meadow as they both fell short in their bid to win a first LPGA major at the Women’s PGA Championship.
Play was suspended earlier in the day due to adverse weather conditions but resumed later in the day, as Ruoning Yin of China prevailed to win her first major title.
Maguire was the leader at the end of Round 3 after an impressive 69, but the Cavan native endured a difficult final day as she picked up bogeys on the sixth, eighth, 11th and 14th holes to finish on four-under overall.
Meadow was still in contention coming into the final hole, having birdied the 17th but needed an eagle to force a play-off on the 18th. However, she finished with a par to leave her on six-under for the tournament to finish in a tie for third place.
Yin Sank a 10-foot birdie putt on the final hole on Sunday to win.
The 20-year-old from Shanghai fired a four-under par 67 to finish 72 holes at Baltusrol on eight-under 276 and defeat Japan’s Yuka Saso by one stroke.
Yin took the $1.5 million top prize and became only the second woman from China to win a major title after Feng Shanshan, who captured the 2012 Women’s PGA crown.
Saso, a 22-year-old Filipino-born Japanese star who won the 2021 US Women’s Open, birdied the par-5 18th to match Yin for the lead at 7-under on the rain-soaked layout at Springfield, New Jersey.
Yin answered by landing her approach 10 feet from the hole and rolled in the tension-packed birdie putt for the victory in the year’s second women’s major tournament.
“After the tee shot I saw Yuka make an incredible birdie here, I knew I had to make birdie at this hole to win the championship and I’m glad I did it,” Yin said.
An early afternoon storm halted play for almost two hours but after play resumed, Yin birdied the 13th and 14th to grab a share of the lead, parred the next three holes as rivals faltered, and won at the last after hitting every green in regulation in the final two rounds.
A third-place pack on 278 included Spain’s Carlota Ciganda, Sweden’s Anna Nordqvist, China’s Lin Xiyu, American Megan Khang and Meadow.
Japan’s Ayaka Furue, South Korean Jenny Shin and American Rose Zhang shared eighth on 279.
Yin had joined Feng as the only Chinese women to win an LPGA title when she captured the LA Open in April.
Among those unable to match Yin down the stretch was Lin, who shared the lead when the storm struck.
Shin and Lin were deadlocked atop the leaderboard when play resumed after the storm but seven others were within two strokes.
Lin held the lead alone after Shin made a bogey at the eighth and kept it until Yin birdied the 13th and 14th and Saso made her fourth birdie in six holes at 15 to share the lead on 7-under, although Saso stumbled with a bogey at 16.
Lin found water off the tee at the par-5 18th and closed with a bogey to leave Yin alone in the lead.
Saso responded with a tap-in birdie at 18 to share the lead, setting the stage for Yin’s closing heroics.
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