SPRINGFIELD, N.J. (AP) — Ruoning Yin made a birdie putt from about 10 feet on the final hole and became the second woman from China to win a major, beating Yuka Saso by one shot in the Women’s PGA Championship on Sunday.
After Saso made birdie ahead of her on the par-5 18th hole at Baltusrol to move into a tie for the lead, Yin found the rough with her tee shot, then hit her third shot into an ideal spot and curled in the right-to-left breaking putt, pumping her fist after it dropped.
The 20-year-old Yin closed with a 4-under 67, finished at 8-under 276 and joined Shanshan Feng as Chinese winners of women’s majors. Feng won this event — then known as the LPGA Championship — in 2012 and is currently the Chinese national team coach.
Rose Zhang, who won in her professional debut three weeks ago, also in New Jersey, made a charge with a final-round 67 and finished in a tie for eighth, three shots back.
Saso, the U.S. Women’s Open champion in 2021, shot 66. The championship had a mid-round delay of nearly two hours because of severe weather.
Xiyu Lin, who either led or shared the lead during most of her back nine, found the water with her drive on the 18th and made bogey to shoot 67 and finish two shots back alongside Carlota Ciganda (64), Anna Nordqvist (65), Megan Khang (67) and Stephanie Meadow (70).
Leona Maguire, who won last week and led after the second and third rounds, shot 74, ending a run of eight straight rounds in the 60s. She finished four shots back.
PGA TOUR
CROMWELL, Conn. (AP) — Keegan Bradley built a big enough lead in front of adoring New England fans that he broke the tournament record at the Travelers Championship despite a shaky closing stretch, closing with a 2-under 68 for a three-shot victory on Sunday.
Bradley, who went 62-63-64 in the first three rounds, finished at 23-under 257 at TPC River Highlands, one shot better than Kenny Perry’s previous record from 2009. He finished three shots ahead of Zac Blair (62) and Brian Harman (64).
Bradley had only made one bogey for the week before dropping three shots in his final six holes. He won for the second time this season and sixth time in his career.
He became the first New Englander to win the title since Connecticut’s J.J. Henry in 2006.
Blair had his best finish on tour. The 32-year-old from Utah has been playing on a major medical exemption after missing almost two full years with a torn labrum.
Scottie Scheffler (65) tied for fourth with Patrick Cantlay (67). Scheffler, the No. 1 player in the world, has finished no worse than 12th in his last 17 starts on the PGA Tour.
Rory McIlroy shot 64 and tied for seventh. Asked about the eight rounds of 62 or lower this week, McIlroy said technology has “passed this course by.”
PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS
ENDICOTT, N.Y. (AP) — Padraig Harrington played his final seven holes in 7-under par, a stunning finish for a 9-under 63 to successfully defend his title in the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open with a one-shot victory on Sunday.
Harrington was going nowhere at the En-Joie Golf Club with a pair of three-putt bogeys and another three-putt par. But he made a bold par save on the 11th that sent the Irishman on his way to his first PGA Tour Champions title this year.
Harrington birdied the next four holes, made eagle on the reachable par-4 16th, followed with a 6-foot birdie on the 17th and then finished with a par to hold off Joe Durant (66). Ernie Els (68) finished third.
Harrington became the first back-to-back winner since the tournament became part of the PGA Tour Champions schedule in 2007. Brad Faxon won back-to-back in 1999 and 2000 when it was the B.C. Open on the PGA Tour.
Next up for Harrington are hopes for another repeat — he defends his title next week in the U.S. Senior Open at SentryWorld in Wisconsin.
EUROPEAN TOUR
MUNICH (AP) — Thriston Lawrence closed with a 3-under 69 to overtake a faltering Joost Luiten and win the BMW International Open by one stroke Sunday for his fourth European tour title.
Lawrence started the final round four strokes back and made up ground on Luiten, who shot 74. Luiten fell back with a bogey on the 17th and could only manage a par at the last.
Lawrence has won all four of his European tour titles in just over a year-and-a-half since his first at the Joburg Open in November 2021.
Poland’s Adrian Meronk (68), who is chasing a Ryder Cup spot, was one of four who tied for third along with Daniel Hillier (71), Rikuya Hoshino (69) and Maximilian Kieffer (68).
The trio another shot behind included Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen (69), who made his European tour debut on a sponsor exemption after recently finishing his college golf career at Oklahoma State.
KORN FERRY TOUR
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Jimmy Stanger birdied the par-5 18th on Sunday for a 6-under 66 and a one-shot victory in the inaugural Compliance Solutions Championship, all but assuring him a spot on the PGA Tour next year.
His first victory since graduating from Virginia in 2017 moved Stanger to No. 5 on the Korn Ferry Tour points list. The leading 30 players earn PGA Tour cards for 2024.
Stanger never shot worse than 67 at the OU Jimmie Austin Golf Course and finished at 22-under 266 to win by one over Rafael Campos of Puerto Rico. Campos had to settle for par on the closing hole to narrowly miss out on a playoff.
Nicholas Lindheim closed with a 64 and finished alone in third.
Aldrich Potgieter of South Africa, who last year won the British Amateur and played the U.S. Open last week in Los Angeles, concluded his professional debut by closing with a 68 to tie for 35th.
OTHER TOURS
Christo Lamprecht of South Africa won the British Amateur with a 3-and-2 victory over Ronan Kleu of Switzerland at Hillside in England. Lamprecht is No. 6 in the world amateur ranking, the highest-ranked player in the 128th edition of the championship. The victory Saturday makes him exempt into the British Open next month, and the Masters and U.S. Open next year. … Seungsu Han closed with an even-par 71 for a six-shot victory over Kyungnam Kang in the Kolon Korea Open. Han and Kang both earned exemptions into the British Open as part of its International Qualifying Series. … Tsai Ching Tseng closed with a 7-under 65 for a one-shot victory over Natasha Andrea Oon and Auston Kim in the Island Resort Championship in Michigan on the Epson Tour. … Hideto Tanihara shot a 6-under 66 and won with a par on the first playoff hole to beat Taiga Nagano in the Japan Players Championship on the Japan Golf Tour. … Stuart Manley won his fourth European Challenge Tour title when he closed with an even-par 71 for a two-shot victory over Lee Slattery and Manuel Elvira in the Blot Open de Bretagne. … Diksha Dagar of India won the Tipsport Czech Ladies Open by closing with a 3-under 69 for a four-shot victory over Trichat Cheenglab of Thailand on the Ladies European Tour. … John Pak closed with a 7-under 63 for a four-shot victory in the Elk Ridge Saskatchewan Open on the PGA Tour Canada circuit. … Jose de Jesus Rodriguez shot a 6-under 65 for a three-shot victory over Evan Knight in the Jalisco Open on the PGA Tour Latinoamerica. … Peter Baker capped off a seven-shot victory in the Irish Legends on the Legends Tour with a 3-under 69. … Former world No. 1 Jiyai Shin closed with a 4-under 68 and won a playoff over Akie Iwai to capture the Earth Mondahmin Cup on the Japan LPGA.
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