Ruoning Yin Birdies Final Hole to Win KPMG Women's PGA Championship
SPRINGFIELD, N.J. (AP) — Ruoning Yin made a birdie putt from about 10 feet on the final hole and became the second woman from China to win a major, beating Yuka Saso by one shot in the Women's PGA Championship on Sunday.
After Saso made birdie ahead of her on the par-5 18th hole at Baltusrol to move into a tie for the lead, Yin found the rough with her tee shot, then hit her third shot into an ideal spot and curled in the right-to-left breaking putt, pumping her fist after it dropped.
The 20-year-old Yin closed with a 4-under 67, finished at 8-under 276 and joined Shanshan Feng, who won this event—then known as the LPGA Championship—in 2012 as Chinese winners of women's majors. Feng is currently the Chinese national team coach.
Rose Zhang, who won in her professional debut three weeks ago, also in New Jersey, made a charge with a final-round 67 and finished in a tie for eighth, three shots back.
Saso, the U.S. Women's Open champion in 2021, shot 66. The championship had a mid-round delay of nearly two hours because of severe weather.
Xiyu Lin, who either led or shared the lead during most of her back nine, found the water with her drive on the 18th and made bogey to shoot 67 and finish two shots back alongside Carlota Ciganda (64), Anna Nordqvist (65), Megan Khang (67) and Stephanie Meadow (70).
Leona Maguire, who won last week and led after the second and third rounds, shot 74, ending a run of eight straight rounds in the 60s. She finished four shots back.