Weekend Wrap: Yin Clinches Women's PGA With 18th Hole Birdie
She hits her last 37 greens! Plus, Lamprecht wins The Amateur, McIlroy reflects on the U.S. Open loss and LACC's setup, Clark tours New York, and the wild story of Mickelson's heckler.
Thanks to a push from KPMG, the women’s game is catching up to the men’s side when it comes to producing stats that matter. And the numbers foretold the 2023 Women’s PGA Championship story.
According to KPMG’s Performance Insights, Ruoning Yin has been the LPGA Tour’s season-long leader in strokes gained: approach, usually a huge category at most majors. So when Yin ended her week at Baltusrol with 37 straight greens in regulation, it was her relentlessly consistent iron play that made the difference in a bunched final round where Carlota Ciganda and Rose Zhang made late runs.
Yin arrived at the par-5 18th needing par to force a playoff with Yuka Saso, the 2021 U.S. Women’s Open Champion who had just made an incredible up-and-down from the greenside bunker. Yin gave herself a 15-footer for the win and unlike several other birdie putts in the final day 67, rolled this one in for her first major and second professional win. (Yin captured the DIO Implant L.A. Open earlier this year and is just the second Chinese golfer to win a major.)
The 20-year-old from Shanghai’s rise has been rapid. She won the China National Amateur Championship and eight other amateur titles in 2019. She turned pro in 2020 and won her first three consecutive CLPGA Tour events in 2021 before finishing T4 in the LPGA Q-Series to earn LPGA Tour Membership. After a slow start last year, she did enough to maintain her status for 2023. Starting the year 172nd in the Rolex Rankings, Yin arrived at Baltusrol’s storied Lower Course as the 25th ranked player.
With her Women’s PGA win, Yin now joins the Baltusrol clubhouse honor roll that includes Jack Nicklaus, Phil Mickelson and Mickey Wright, something Yin was reminded of.
“Oh, that will be awesome,” Yin said. “Even I think about that right now, I've got goosebumps. They're all legends. I'm glad that I can be part of it.”
Regarding Baltusrol, the course looked so infinitely better with fewer trees and hazards seemingly more in play. Most notably at the 18th hole where Rose Zhang’s late run was derailed by water in play off the tee. For as improved as the course looked (and played despite wet weather), what happened to the people? The crowds made the lightly attended Chevron look Coachella. (Glastonbury for the UK’s finest subscribers.) The dead vibe made L.A. Country Club’s U.S. Open look like Saturday at the Waste Management.
Also:
South Africa’s Lamprecht Wins The Amateur
South African Christo Lamprecht defeated Ronan Kleu from Switzerland 3&2 to win The 128th Amateur at Hillside.
“It's amazing to get into The Open,” Lamprecht said. “It's probably the biggest kind of milestone I put on myself this year before I turn pro is just to get myself in a major and get that experience. To get into three is pretty amazing. But right now I'm going to go and celebrate as much as I can.”
The 22-year-old became the third South African winner in the last six years after Jovan Rebula in 2018 and Aldrich Potgieter last year. In a wild twist, his caddie and International Arnold Palmer Cup teammate Christiaan Maas was on the bag for Potgieter last year at Royal Lytham & St Annes.
He emerged from a field of 288 players representing 38 countries and earns exemptions into The Open at Royal Liverpool next month, the US Open and a likely invitation to play in the 2024 Masters provided he remains an amateur.
Lamprecht also became the third player to win The Amateur at Hillside after Jay Sigel in 1979 and Bryden Macpherson in 2011.
You can view the final’s live stream at the R&A’s YouTube channel.
Clark’s New York Tour
Wyndham Clark kept his Travelers Championship commitment and made the cut despite being on “a high” after winning the U.S. Open. Mark Cannizzaro caught up with the winner after his -12/T29 finish in Cromwell.
“I was hung over for a few days,’’ Clark said. “I think most people in my position would have not come to this event, but this tournament, the Travelers, gave me my first sponsor’s invite and I felt obligated to come play in it. And, I like this course.’’
The USGA posted a highlight clip of Wyndham Clark’s trophy tour. Without late night shows due to the writer’s strike, he was relegated to the morning shows but nonetheless appeared to be a good sport with all of the inevitable lousy questions.
You can watch his Today Show chat here.
McIlroy: “This one's been a little easier to get over”
