Wonder Down Under

Amazingly, another amateur had also moved herself into contention. It was Tiffany Joh, a Korean American who plays for UCLA as a Freshman. She qualified for the field as a result of her great play in the event the previous year, where she shot a scintillating 63 in one round to briefly contend for the title. Joh ended her day at 9 under, just two back of Yang, and set up a possible battle between two Korean amateurs for the title. Joh, Yang and Kreutz would play together in the final round.

So the stage was set: could the 16 year old amateur make history and become the first amateur to ever win a women's professional golf event in Australia? Even more, she could become the youngest person, male or female, to ever win an event on a major golf tour (the ANZ Masters was co-sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour), as well as the first amateur to win on that tour in more than 20 years. A lot was riding on the outcome, but a group of Amy's school chums from her high school (which was only a few miles from the course) followed her all weekend, cheering her on at every opportunity, and her dad acted as her caddie, hoping to keep her steady. But the pressure, and the attention the media was paying, were enormous.

Amy got out to a great start with an extremely long drive on the first hole, followed by a wedge to a foot for an easy birdie. She then moved to 13 under by reaching the par 5 third hole in two and two putting for birdie. Her life became easier when Kreutz dropped shots on the first and second holes, and after birdies on three by Catherine Cartwright and Joh, Amy now had a three shot lead over the field. So far so good.

Amy made her first bogey when she failed to get up and down from a bunker on the fifth hole, but made a birdie on 7 to move back to 13 under. Cartwright, meanwhile, holed her approach on the 8th hole for eagle to move into second. Tiffany Joh bogied on 7, but bounced back with a birdie on 8, followed by Yang making her own birdie there.

Amy's lead was three over Cartwright, but things took a turn for the worse when she bogied 9 while her opponents all birdied. She was still in the lead, but then disaster struck. On the tenth hole, her drive barely avoided the water. She punched out, landed in a bunker, and got on the green in three. She then three putted for a crippling double bogey. Combined with a birdie Cartwright made on the 12th hole, Yang lost her lead for the first time in several days. To add insult to injury, Kreutz also holed a 60 foot birdie to move into a tie for 2nd with Amy. Fortunately, Amy bounced back with two woods to just in front of the green on the par 5 12th, followed by a pitch close and a birdie putt. This moved her back into a tie for the lead with Cartwright.

Meanwhile, the Taiwanese amateur Ya Ni Tseng made her own statement. Coming from way back in the field, she shot a final day 64 to move all the way to 12 under. She had a chance to make it even lower, but could not negotiate a birdie on the last hole. Still, there was now a solid score posted that had to be beaten.

On the par 5 15th, Amy blasted another massive drive, but her second landed in a greenside bunker, and she failed to get up and down for birdie. At this point she was at 13 under, with just a one shot lead over four players. But on 16 she hit a brilliant tee shot to three feet, and this time cashed in the birdie to move to 14 under and a two shot cushion with two holes to play.

Meanwhile, Tiffany Joh made her own run at Yang. She made a clutch birdie on 15 to move to 12 under, then followed that with another great birdie on 17 to go to 13 under. Amy was not able to make birdied there. So with one hole to go, Amy Yang now had a one shot lead over Joh and a two shot lead over Cartwright. It looked like history might soon be made.

But there were still more surprises in store. Catherine Cartwright hit a solid approach on 18, then buried her birdie to move to 13 under. But it seemed academic, for Amy hit a perfect drive on 18, long and straight. Joh's drive landed in the rough, and her second came up well short of the green. All Amy had to do was get the ball on the green and the title was probably hers.

But whether it was adrenaline or a massive mistake, Amy hit a horrible approach that bounded into the stands beyond the green. Fortunately she was able to get a free drop from there, but now she was faced with a tricky up and down to save par and win. Joh, meanwhile, hit a fantastic pitch to a couple of feet, virtually insuring herself of par. Amy next hit her chip, but it was not a good one, and she left herself a lengthy par save. It was not to be, and Amy tapped in for bogey, now tied with Cartwright and Joh at 13 under. But then Joh, alas, missed her par save from three feet, so the playoff would be between Cartwright and the 16 year old amateur.

The look on Amy's face said it all. She was very sad that she had missed her chance to put away the championship, but she quickly regained her composure and prepared to win it in the playoff. The two players again played the 18th hole. Cartwright hit first, but her drive found a bunker. Yang then proved she was not shaken up by recent events when she murdered her tee shot long and straight. Cartwright's second shot found the front of the green. Now Amy faced the same shot she had screwed up so badly moments earlier. This time she hit a very solid iron to 20 feet. She had the advantage, but Cartwright was not out of it.

However, Cartwright's putt speed was woefully off, and she put she ball some five feet past the hole. It looked like it would be a tricky par save. But Amy spared Catherine the trouble by drilling her birdie putt into the center of the cup for the birdie and the win. She raised her putter triumphantly, unable to believe what she had done. Her emotionless façade crumbled, and she wept hard in the arms of her father.

It had been a truly memorable week. Amy had extended the success of the teen brigade into uncharted waters with this amazing victory. She planned to take a day off from school to relax, but went back to show everyone the trophy she had won. She was duly cheered by her classmates as the media recorded the moment.

Yang still plans to stay an amateur until she is 18, and her coach believes she still has a lot of work to do before she is ready for the big leagues. But one could not help but be impressed by the potential. Amy looks like nothing so much as a young Se Ri Pak, powerfully built, belting long drives and making clutch plays while maintaining an eerie composure. Time will tell whether she ever reaches the heights of Hall of Famer Pak, but when you consider how far she has come in such a short time, you can't help but think the sky may indeed be the limit for this teenage phenom.