Amy Yang picked a lucrative time for her first LPGA title on American soil.
Yang birdied her last two holes for a 6-under 66 to win the CME Group Tour Championship and claim the USD 2 million prize, matching the largest in women’s golf.
The victory was her fifth on the LPGA Tour, the previous four coming in Asia.
Yang holed out for eagle on the 13th fairway to overcome an early three-shot deficit, and then she let Nasa Hataoka make the mistakes in crucial moments down the stretch. All 60 players who qualified for the season finale only had to win to become the Race to CME Globe champion.
Yang finished in style, making a 10-foot birdie putt. The 34-year-old from South Korea dropped her putter and cupped both hands over her face as a half-dozen players charged onto the green and soaked her with so much bubbly, she wrapped a towel on her shoulders as she went to sign her card.
Hataoka closed with a 69 and Alison Lee had a 66 to tie for second. Lee was never closer than two shots along the back nine at Tiburon Golf Club. Lee, still winless on the LPGA Tour, closed out her season with three runner-up finishes on the LPGA and a victory in Saudi Arabia on the Ladies European Tour.
Yang trailed by three shots through six holes of the final round when she charged back into the mix with three birdies over a four-hole stretch.
