'A Historic First in 60 Years': Yoo Hae-ran Overcomes a 10-Stroke Deficit for a Dramatic Comeback Victory, Claiming Her First Major Title... Yoon Na-ae Finishes with a Personal Best Runner-Up Finish [LPGA]

*This content was translated by AI.

Yoo Hae-ran (25, Daol Financial Group) conquered her first major tournament on the LPGA Tour in her career.

On the 29th (Korean time), Yoo Hae-ran shot a 2-under-par 70 with five birdies and three bogeys in the final fourth round of the KPMG Women's PGA Championship, the season's third major, held at Hazeltine National Golf Club (par 72) in Chaska, Minnesota, USA.

Finishing with a total of 13-under-par 275, Yoo Hae-ran finished two strokes ahead of second-place Yoon Na-ae (23, Solare), who recorded 11-under-par 277, to claim the title. She also secured the winning prize of $1.95 million (approximately 3 billion won).

Yoo Hae-ran, who claimed her fourth career victory one year and one month after her win at the Black Desert Championship last May, lifted the trophy in a major tournament for the first time since her LPGA Tour debut in 2023. This is also the first major title won by a Korean player in two years, following 2024 champion Yang Hee-young (37).

The victory also holds significance in stopping world No. 1 Nelly Koda (USA) from achieving a three-peat in majors. Koda had aimed to sweep all majors this season with wins at the Chevron Championship and the U.S. Women's Open but finished tied for eighth (6-under-par 282) in this tournament, failing to surpass Yoo Hae-ran.

Starting the tournament tied for 70th with a first-round 73, Yoo Hae-ran began 10 strokes behind Yoon Na-ae, who shot a tournament-record 63. However, she mounted a steep comeback, taking the sole lead after the third round ahead of Yoon Na-ae, and ultimately secured the victory. According to the LPGA, this is the first time in 60 years that a player has come from 10 or more strokes behind after the first round of a major to win the tournament.

She recorded a bogey on the 1st hole (par 4), allowing Brooke Henderson (Canada) to share the lead, but bounced back with a birdie on the 3rd hole (par 5) thanks to a perfect iron shot.

However, she read bogeys on the 4th hole (par 3) and 5th hole (par 4) in succession, dropping to second place.

She regained focus late in the front nine. Although she narrowly missed an eagle putt on the 7th hole (par 5), Yoo Hae-ran returned to the lead with a birdie and finished the front nine in sole possession of first place after birding the 9th hole (par 4).

Starting the back nine with a birdie on the 10th hole (par 4), Yoo Hae-ran reduced her lead by one stroke with an excellent putting display on the 12th hole (par 4), maintaining a two-stroke lead.

Yoo Hae-ran continued to par, and as she approached the 18th hole (par 4), her lead over the second-place group had widened to three strokes, allowing her to enter the teeing ground with ease. After successfully making a par putt, she smiled, and fellow Korean players showered her with a champagne celebration, offering enthusiastic congratulations.

After the match, Yoo Hae-ran said, "I told myself not to worry about anything else, just trust my shots, trust my caddie, and trust myself on the course," adding, "

Yoon Na-ae also expressed admiration. "Unnie Hae-ran played an unbelievable game today," she said, "I love playing with Brooke and always want to play with her. She is a great player. I learned a lot today and throughout this week."

The tournament was also meaningful for Yoon Na-ae. After debuting on the LPGA Tour last season and struggling to adapt, managing only one top-10 finish, Yoon Na-ae rebounded this season and achieved her personal best result in this tournament.

Yoon Na-ae shot a 2-under-par round with four birdies, one bogey, and one double bogey. Although she made a double bogey on the 3rd hole (par 5), she steadily reduced her score thereafter and birdied the 18th hole to finish in sole second place.

Yoon Na-ae said, "I was a little disappointed yesterday and today, but I think I did quite well under pressure, and this is part of golf," adding, "I believe this will be a very big lesson in the bigger picture."

The strong performance of Korean players stood out. In addition to Yoo Hae-ran and Yoon Na-ae, Kim Sei-young (33) and Kim A-rim (31) finished tied for eighth with a total of 6-under-par 282, alongside Koda and Jiyai Shin (Thailand), resulting in four Koreans in the top 10.

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*This content was translated by AI.