Ruoning Yin rolled in a clutch closing birdie putt on the 72nd hole of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship to capture her first major title and the second major of the season on the LPGA Tour. Yin joins Lilia Vu, who won the first major of the year at The Chevron Championship, as first-time major winners this season. It continues a trend in recent years on the LPGA Tour as 20 of the most recent major champions dating back to 2017 have been first-time major winners. It’s a testament to the growing depth of talent on the LPGA Tour whose the fields seems wide open at each of the major championships, something that will only make the U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links that much more exciting. Here is a look at the storylines emerging ahead of the season’s third major championship that’s set to begin next week.
Pebble Beach Golf Links
Just as Baltusrol Golf Club became a character in the story that was the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, Pebble Beach will no doubt be a star at the U.S. Women’s Open. For the first time, the best female golfers in the world will compete in a major championship at the famed venue, which has had the golf world abuzz since the announcement was made in 2022. The major marks the 14th USGA Championship to be held at Pebble Beach which has previously hosted five U.S. Opens.
Rose Zhang
In a stellar start to her career as a professional, Rose Zhang nearly went 2-for-2 in her first two starts since turning pro. After winning the inaugural Mizuho Americas Open, she made a Sunday run up the leaderboard at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship to finish tied for eighth. Zhang will no doubt be one to watch at the U.S. Women’s Open as the former top-ranked amateur holds the women’s course record at Pebble Beach where she carded a 9-under, 63 in the Carmel Cup in 2022.
Chasing the Slam
The career grand slam is an elusive quest that players are often left chasing for much of their careers. For LPGA Tour veteran Anna Nordqvist, she’ll have a chance at Pebble Beach to get one step closer to completing the slam as a win at the U.S. Women’s Open would give her four of the five legs. The Swede won the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in 2009, the Amundi Evian Championship in 2017, and the AIG Women’s Open in 2021. Nordqvist came close to winning the U.S. Women’s Open at Corevalle, an hour drive north of Pebble Beach, in 2016 when she lost in a playoff to Brittany Lang.
Nelly Korda
The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship saw the much-anticipated return of Nelly Korda to competition after she had been sidelined for a month while dealing with a back injury. Korda returned at Baltusrol Golf Club’s Lower Course only to miss the weekend after opening with rounds of 76-77. How Korda bounces back from the disappointing finish will have fans eagerly waiting to see how the she fares at Pebble Beach where she’ll be looking to capture not just her second major title but also her first win of the season.
Michelle Wie West’s farewell
During the U.S. Women’s Open at Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club in 2022, Michelle Wie West announced that she would be stepping away from regular competition on the LPGA Tour and would play in her final event in the U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach. Wie West won the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open at Pinehurst, a moment that she has described as the proudest achievement of her career and will bid farewell at a championship that she holds a special place in her heart.
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