Amy Park, a 34-year-old Korean golfer, has broken her country’s worst major drought in over a century by winning the KPMG PGA Championship at Sahalee. Before moving to Florida, where she now resides, Park emigrated to Australia with her parents at the age of 15. She needed only a par score to deny the victory to Lilia Vu, the world’s number two, whom she surpassed by three strokes. Park was joined by American golfer Miyu Yamashita and Korean golfer Jin Young Ko, the world’s number one five years ago, at four under par.
Park ruled the final day with solvency, ruining it only at the end when she bogeyed and double bogeyed on the 16th and 17th holes. However, she maintained a sufficient lead throughout the day, which was built up from the start and culminated on the 13th hole when she reached double digits under par. It was the triumph of patience. The champion celebrated her first major win and had previously accumulated two second-place finishes in the US Open.
The victory in Washington State rewards a golfer who has shone from a young age. At the age of 16, in 2006, she won the ANZ Ladies Masters in Australia and became the youngest winner in the history of the Ladies European Tour. She already has five wins in the LPGA, including the last CME Group, worth two million dollars.
In a tournament where the golfer of the moment, Nelly Korda, did not make the cut, like Carlota Ciganda, Azahara Muñoz from Malaga shot 75 shots on the final day and finished in 70th place.