|
After shooting a 6 under par 66 in round 2,
the unlikely leader of the tournament was none other than
Amy Yang. She hung onto that lead in round 3, despite a great
few finishing holes by French pro Ludivine Kreutz. In the
final round, Amy played with Kreutz and another amateur, a
Korean American named Tiffany Joh.
History was on the line. No amateur had ever
won an Australian ladies event, and no one younger than 18
had ever won an event on any of the major golf tours in the
world (Amy was 16 years 6 months old at the time). It was
only her second ever pro event, but she seemed unflappable,
and with just two holes to go, she had a two shot lead over
Joh and seemingly had the event in the bag. A large group
of kids from her high school followed her to cheer her on.
But Joh birdied 17, and professional Catherine
Cartwright birdied 18 to move to within a shot of Yang. Yang
finally hit a bad shot, her approach on 18, which went into
the stands; she bogied, as did Joh, and suddenly Yang found
herself in a playoff against Cartwright for the title.
But Yang righted the ship and played two great
shots on the first playoff hole. She then dunked a 7 meter
birdie putt to win the trophy and become the youngest to ever
do so on the European Tour, as well as the first amateur to
win on that tour since 1984. She broke down in tears of disbelief
on the final green.
Yang's win earned her invitations to play
in the 2006 Evian Ladies Masters and the British Women's Open.
In the latter tournament, she was the low amateur. The Ladies
European Tour (LET) then offered her a 3 year exemption if
she turned professional, providing she was accompanied by
one of her parents until she turns 18. Turning pro had not
been on her agenda until the end of 2007, but after much discussion
with her school, her coach and her family, a way was found
that she could both turn professional and also complete her
schooling. She played the LET events that fall on or around
school holidays, and planned to graduate from Robina High
School at the end of the year.
Her professional success was immediate. Her
first event was the Dubai Ladies Masters in late October.
In a field stocked with top talent, she finished fourth, behind
only Annika Sorenstam, Karrie Webb and multiple winner Helen
Alfredsson. She pocketed more than $40,000 Australian dollars
for her efforts. At her next event, the Mauritius Open, she
finished third.
She continued to play professional events
in 2007, including the US Women's Open, where she finished
tied for 50th, her best Major finish to date. In late 2007,
she tried to qualify for the LPGA at Q-School, but barely
managed to acquire non-exempt status. Chances are she will
focus on playing in Europe for the time being. She planned
on moving her home base to Florida starting in 2008; for her
final tournaments in Australia, she managed two top tens at
the 2008 Australian Ladies Open and the ANZ Ladies Masters.
Amy played sporadically on the LPGA in 2008,
and started well, nearly grabbing a top ten in her first event,
the SBS Open. Months later, she secured a tie for 9th, her
first career top ten, at the Hana Bank Kolon Championship.
It was her first time playing professionally in her homeland.
These finishes were not good enough to get her an exempt card,
however, so she had to return to Q-School in December. She
did brilliantly there, finishing second to easily earn full
playing privileges on the LPGA for 2009.
Amy had much more luck in 2008 playing on
the Ladies European Tour, where she was somewhat of a pioneer,
the only Korean on that tour. Week after week, she made top
tens, often finishing in the top five. She very quickly became
one of the top players on tour.
In the summer, she played brilliantly at the
Swiss Open, only to lose to Suzann Pettersen, who was practically
unstoppable that week. Still, her second place finish was
the best since she had won the ANZ. She didn't have to wait
long to better it: the next week, at the German Open, she
crushed the field, shooting a third round 63 to seize the
lead and eventually win by four shots. Among those in the
field she beat was American Michelle Wie. With that win, Yang
became the top player on the tour's money list. She then proved
she was one of the most generous, donating the entire first
place check to the victims of the Sichuan earthquake in China.
Yang wasn't done. A week after the British
Open, she played at the Scandinavian TPC hosted by Annika.
In Sorenstam's last pro event in her homeland, Yang stole
the show, winning her second title of the year.
Although she would not finish the year atop
the money list, she still had played well enough as the youngest
player on the LET to make everyone sit up and take notice.
All in all, Amy's 2009 season, her first one
where she had full playing privileges on the LPGA, was not
bad, but perhaps did not live up to the potential she has
shown. She only managed two top tens, although one of them
was in a Major, and the other saw her come close to winning.
She easily maintained playing privileges for 2010, however,
finishing 45th on the money list.
In 2010, Yang's career took a quantum leap
upward. She improved in almost every way, and went from being
merely a promising player to a genuine star.
She started the year with a top ten at the
very first event of the LPGA season. But her first big tournament
came a few months later at the Sybase Match Play Championship.
Yang worked her way through the field, reaching the semi-finals.
She ended up losing to American Angela Stanford, the only
non-Korean in the final four, and also lost her consolation
match against world #1 Jiyai Shin. But her 4th place finish
was still her career best. Better was to come.
Yang proceed to finish in the top 15 in the
next three Majors: 14th at the LPGA Championship, then 5th
place at both the US Women's Open and the Women's British
Open. She cooled off after that, but returned with a vengeance
at the year's final event, the Tour Championship in December.
At that event, she led most of the week, but a quadruple bogey
early in the fourth round seemed to spell disaster. Nonetheless,
she rallied, caught leader Maria Hjorth, and dunked a birdie
on the final hole to force Hjorth to par to win. Though Hjorth
did make that putt, Yang's second place finish was her new
best. In all, she made more than 3/4 of a million dollars
in 2010, more than twice her 2009 earnings, and recorded 6
top tens. She finished 14th on the money list, far outdistancing
her previous year's 45th.
Yang had an even better season in 2011 than
she did in 2010. She still was not able to claim her first
win, but notched 7 top tens, the most in her career in a single
year. She was once again great at the Majors, finishing 19th,
12th, 10th and 4th in those most important events. She wound
up 10th on the money list, her first time in the top ten,
and all without that pivotal win.
Her best week in 2011 was at the Walmart tournament
in September. She shot a third round 64 to catch world #1
Ya Ni Tseng for the lead. In the final round, they were neck
and neck, eventually ending up in a playoff which Tseng won.
So, another really close call for Yang, but she had to settle
for the runner up position. She also finished second to Tseng
at the Sunrise LPGA Taiwan tournament in front of Tseng's
hometown fans. Once again, she was paired with the Taiwanese
star in the final group, but this time she didn't play that
well and lost by five shots for yet another runner up result.
Yang did collect a win in 2011, but not on
the LPGA tour. She was one of the non-tour members invited
to play at the KLPGA's final Major, the KB Financial Group
Star Championship. She really asserted herself in round 3,
shooting a blistering 64 to take a four shot lead over top
KLPGA star Ha Neul Kim, who shot a 66 herself. Both players
were pretty much even in the final round, and Yang took the
title, her first win on the KLPGA tour and first victory of
any kind since she left the Ladies European Tour in 2009.
Amy's 2012 season on the LPGA was only a little
weaker than her 2011 one. She made about $844,000 and finished
13th on the money list, just a few spots behind her 2011 result.
She had 5 top tens, including two in Majors. Indeed, as usual,
it was at the Majors where Yang really shone. She finished
tied for 4th at the Nabisco, but her best finish was at the
US Women's Open, where she played well enough to wind up in
the final group on Sunday with eventual champion Na Yeon Choi.
Choi had established too big a lead for Yang to catch her,
but Amy still finished second, four shots ahead of the third
place player, and the only player besides Choi to finish under
par. Any other year, she might have been the Open champion.
Since joining the tour in 2008, Amy tried
hard to get her first LPGA win. She came close several times,
but was never able to get over that hump. At last, in 2013,
Amy Yang found the winner's circle on the LPGA. And it happened
in her home country of Korea, making it even sweeter. Amy
found herself in a pitched battle with several other players
for the title. Late in her round she drove a par four and
putted in for eagle, then followed that with a birdie on her
final hole to move into the lead. She eventually got into
a playoff with fellow Korean star Hee Kyung Seo, but Amy made
birdie on the first playoff hole to put the event away. She
immediately broke down in tears, ecstatic to at last get that
maiden win!
Amy had six top tens in 2013, including a
tie for 5th in Malaysia the week before her Korean win (she
scored her career best round there, a 62). She didn't excel
at the Majors like she usually does, but did have a fifth
place at the LPGA Championship. She had a great scoring average,
her best: 70.75, and finished 18th on the money list.
2014 was a bit of an off year for Amy; she
only finished 25th on the money list and had no wins. Still,
it was a pretty good year all in all. She collected 5 top
tens and played well in several events. She came close to
winning the Founders Cup, ending up tied for 2nd. She had
top tens at two Majors: the Kraft Nabisco (10th) and the US
Women's Open (4th); her length helped her in both of those
events. She also had 5th place finishes at the Meier Classic
and the Fubon Championship in Taiwan.
Amy Yang had her career best season in 2015.
She won her second career event early at the Honda Thailand,
notched ten top tens during the year, and broke $1 million
in earnings for the first time in a single season. The one
thing she wasn't able to do was win a Major, although she
came close. At the US Women's Open, she seized the lead in
the second round and held onto it through most of the back
nine on Sunday. But she made a few nervous mistakes on the
back nine, and KLPGA superstar In Gee Chun seized the opportunity,
making birdie on the tough 15th to take the lead. Chun made
birdie on 16 and 17 as well, and it looked like the win was
hers. But Amy showed a lot of heart, making eagle on the drivable
16th and birdie on 17. When Chun bogied 18, they were all
tied. Amy had a 9 foot par save to force a playoff, but missed.
It was the closest she has come yet to grabbing her elusive
first Major win.
Amy made more history at the KEB Hana Bank
tournament in Korea. Too far back to win, she went on the
most blistering run in the history of the LPGA, birdieing
EVERY SINGLE HOLE on the back nine for a 27 and her second
career 62. In the entire history of the LPGA, no one had ever
done that before. It was still only good enough to get her
a tie for 4th.
Amy also finished 2nd at the Australian Women's
Open and 5th at the Coates Championship. By the end of the
year, her Rolex Ranking was 8th, giving her a great chance
to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics.
2016 was another great year for Amy. She did
not manage to win, but she did qualify for both the Olympics
and the International Crown. She achieved 9 top tens, including
back-to-back runner-up finishes at one point. She also had
a tie for third at the Honda LPGA Thailand and a solo third
at the HSBC Champions.
At the Majors, it was another great year as
well. As usual, she had her best Major run at the US Women's
Open, where she followed 2015's runner-up finish with a tie
for third in 2016. She had a 7th at the KPMG, and 14th place
finishes at the ANA and the Evian; she skipped the British
Women's Open.
She had a great run at Rio in the Olympics.
She entered the final round tied for 5th, and had a serious
shot at a silver or bronze. But despite a final round 68,
she finished tied for 4th, just a shot out of the medals.
At the International Crown, she and In Gee Chun teamed for
wins against China and Australia, but lost against Taiwan.
She also lost her singles match against Haru Nomura, which
might have been the points that prevented Korea from winning
the Crown. As it was, they finished second to the US.
Amy finished the LPGA season with more than
$1.1 million earned, good for 14th on the money list. Her
scoring average of 70.09 was by far the lowest she had ever
achieved.
In November, Amy participated in the ING Championship,
where she played for the LPGA squad. Amy and Mirim Lee lost
to Jin Young Ko and Su Yeon Jang 3 & 2, while she and
Jenny Shin lost to Ji Hyun Kim and Min Sun Kim 2 & 1.
Amy won her singles match against Jeong Eun Lee 6 2 &
1. The LPGA beat the KLPGA 13-11.
Amy had another strong season in 2017. She
started with a bang, winning her second event played in 2017
at the Honda LPGA Thailand. It was her second time winning
that particular event. As usual, she also had a great year
at the Majors, finishing top ten in three of them. She tapered
off at the end of the season, but still managed nearly a million
dollars earned with six top tens. She finished 18th on the
tour money list.
Amy played at the year ending ING Champions,
the team event pitting the LPGA against the KLPGA. She won
one of her two team matches when paired with Mirim Lee, and
also won her singles match against teen superstar Hye Jin
Choi. However, the KLPGA still pulled a surprise upset over
the favored LPGA.
Amy had one of her lesser seasons in 2018.
She still made over $800,000 and finished 24th on the money
list, and she accumulated 8 top tens. But she had an unusually
weak Major run, with a tie for 11th at the KPMG her only decent
result. She did have a few other good finishes, including
ties for third at the Thornberry and Pure Silk Bahamas and
a solo third at the Indy Tech.
Amy played slightly better in 2019. She made
around $940,000 and finished 17th on the money list. She had
her best result early on when she won the Honda LPGA Thailand
for her fourth career win. Amazingly, three of her four wins
have come in Thailand and she has yet to get an LPGA victory
outside of Asia. Her next best finish was a third place in
Korea and a tie for third at the Thornberry Classic.
Amy played for the LPGA team at the OrangeLife
Champions Trophy team event. She paired with Mi Hyang Lee
to square their match against Jung Min Lee and Da Yeon Lee,
and with Danielle Kang to square against Ye Rim Choi and Chae
Yoon Park. She lost her singles match against Min Ji Park
1 up. The KLPGA won 15 - 9.
In 2020, the whole world was rocked by the
Covid-19 pandemic. The LPGA and KLPGA tours canceled and postponed
many tournaments. Amy would play 13 total LPGA events in 2020.
She did not have any top tens, but did have three top twenties.
She made a total of $171,000 for the year, good for 66th on
the money list.
Amy improved somewhat in 2021. She made nearly
$550,000 for the year, which was 37th on the money list. Her
best result came at the event she has won three times, the
Honda Thailand, where she finished t-3rd. She had five other
top tens, including a t-9th at the KPMG and a t-10th at the
Evian.
Amy had a decent but unspectacular season
in 2022. She had three top tens, including a tie for 4th at
her favorite event, the Honda LPGA Classic in Thailand. She
made nearly $440,000 for the year, 58th on the money list,
and maintained her full status for 2023.
Amy had a very good 2023 season with a spectacular
finish. She contended at the year's first Major, the Chevron
Championship, finishing tied for 4th, and also was in the
hunt at the last Major, the British, where she also finished
tied for 4th. But it was the end of the year where she took
off. At the second to last event, the ANNIKA, she shot a second
round 65 and third round 61, her career best, to move into
the hunt, but a weak final round meant she only finished 4th.
But the next week, at the CME Group Tour Championship, she
again was on fire, shooting 63-64 in the middle two rounds
to take a share of the lead into the final round. This time
she played aggressively, and her final round 66 gave her a
27 under total, the tournament record, and a three shot win.
It also gave her a $2 million first place check and her first
ever LPGA win in the States.
Thanks largely to her great win, Amy finished
the year second on the money list with over $3.1 million earned,
one of the highest totals a Korean had ever achieved. She
was also, at 34, the oldest winner on tour in 2023.
To finish the year, Amy caddied for her good
friend Jennifer Song at Q-Series, helping her to earn a tour
card for 2024. She ended the year 16th in the world rankings.
|
