Fifty years after Catherine LaCoste became the first (and last) amateur to win the US Women’s Open it looked like 17-year-old amateur Hye-Jin Choi might well do the same at Trump National. In the end it was her compatriot Sung Hyun Park, the leader after 36 holes in this major a year ago, who would become the latest first major winner after a closing 67 gave her a two-shot win over the teenager.
At the turn Choi led by two and she was still tied for the lead after a birdie at the 15th, where she hacked out of some greenside rough and rolled in the putt, but she then found the water at the short 16th to run up a double bogey.
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Up ahead at the 17th Park made her sixth birdie of the day and the rookie made it five Korean wins in the US Open in the last seven years and the seventh in the last 10. Park came to the 72nd hole with a two-shot lead and overshot the final green but a brilliant chip, with water lurking beyond the hole, got the job done.
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All day it was a three-way shoot-out and Shanshan Feng came to the 18th needing an unlikely hole-out eagle to tie Park – in the end she made a real mess of the hole, fluffing a chip and missing a short putt for a 75 and a share of fifth.
Choi on the other hand birdied to take second on her own.
Spain’s Carlota Ciganda was Europe’s brightest star in a share of fifth while Charley Hull had a very respectable week in a tie for 21st.
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