In this Getty Images photo, Amy Yang of South Korea (C) is doused with champagne by fellow LPGA Tour player Kim Hyo-joo (R) after winning the CME Group Tour Championship at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Florida, on Nov. 19, 2023. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Nov. 20 (Korea Bizwire) — By capturing the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship in Florida on Sunday at age 34, South Korea’s Amy Yang became the oldest winner on the LPGA Tour this year — not that Yang had paid much mind to it.
“I didn’t even think about it,” Yang said with a laugh after holding off Alison Lee of the United States and Nasa Hataoka of Japan by three strokes for her fifth career LPGA win at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples. Yang finished at 27-under 261 after carding a 66 in the final round.
As for the message that her win sends to the tour’s young talent, Yang said: “Age is just a number. Never give up. Just have a dream and work hard.”
And that perseverance paid off handsomely for Yang, who cashed in on a US$2 million winner’s check, which matches the largest prize money in women’s golf. It was her first LPGA title since February 2019, and her first on U.S. soil after winning once in her native South Korea and three times in Thailand.
Yang admitted she didn’t think she would even be around long enough to win her fifth title, because she had been dealing with an elbow injury, brought on by her overzealous pursuit in rock climbing.
In this Getty Images photo, Amy Yang of South Korea reacts after making a birdie on the 18th hole to win the CME Group Tour Championship at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Florida, on Nov. 19, 2023. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
“I thought my career would be over very soon, and I didn’t see myself winning again,” said Yang, who claims she is fully healthy now. “I tried to stay patient and positive about my future, and I am just happy.”
Yang, who won her first professional tournament in Australia as a teen amateur in 2006, said the key to her longevity has been her ability to maintain “good balance.”
“I think I took care of myself well mentally,” she said. “There was a time that even without injury, I wanted to retire and live another life. Earlier, I had some burnout from trying too hard to play well and playing too many tournaments. Things like that will burn you out, and that’s what I went through as well, so I had to do some fun things off the golf course.”
Yang had plenty of fun in the final round at Tiburon. She overcame an early deficit against Hataoka by holing out for an eagle on the par-four 13th. Yang was about 80 yards away from the pin, and she hit her 58-degree wedge a little past the hole. The ball spun some six feet and rolled into the cup.
A golfer long known for her easy smile and gregarious personality, Yang said she battled jitters from the start.
In this Getty Images photo, Amy Yang of South Korea holds a golf ball, along with the champion’s trophy, after winning the CME Group Tour Championship at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Florida, on Nov. 19, 2023. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
“I was feeling really nervous. (Nasa) is such a great player and showed a lot of good performance out there,” Yang said. “I had no idea where this was going. All I could do was just stick to my game and trust it.”
Yang also said she kept giving herself an inner pep talk during the final round, not wanting to come up short of a title again after having some close calls earlier in the year.
“At the beginning of the round, I doubted myself, ‘Can I really do this?’” Yang said. “But I think I stayed strong throughout the round really well, and am just so happy. This is very meaningful.”
(Yonhap)
