Allisen Corpuz is hugged by her parents after winning the U.S. Women’s Open golf tournament at the Pebble Beach Golf Links, Sunday, July 9, 2023, in Pebble Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Allisen Corpuz became the first American in 20 years to make the U.S. Women’s Open her first LPGA title, closing with a 3-under 69 on Sunday and handling her historic moment at Pebble Beach as if she had been there before.
Corpuz, a 25-year-old from Hawaii, pulled away with a big par putt and back-to-back birdies on the back nine to enjoy the most scenic walk in golf up the 18th fairway, the Pacific Ocean on her left and her place secured as the first U.S. Women’s Open champion at Pebble Beach.
She won by three shots over Charley Hull (66) and Jiyai Shin (68) and claimed the $2 million prize, the richest ever for an LPGA major champion.
Corpuz was so calm and cool on the grandest stage in women’s golf, regardless of the shot or the circumstances, until reality began to set in down the 18th. When she tapped in for par, she covered her smile with her hand and wiped tears away with her Aloha-print towel.
Corpuz, who finished at 9-under 279, was the only player to break par all four days.
Hilary Lunke in 2003 at Pumpkin Ridge was the last American to get her first win at the U.S. Women’s Open.
Corpuz never gave anyone much of a chance. Nasa Hataoka lost her one-shot lead on the opening hole when Corpuz hit her approach to 5 feet for birdie, and the 24-year-old from Japan dropped too many shots down the home stretch.
Hull, who started the final round seven shots behind, closed to within two shots early on the back nine and stayed in the game with a 30-foot birdie putt on the 16th. Shin made a birdie on the 18th to join Hull as a runner-up.
PGA TOUR
SILVIS, Ill. (AP) — Sepp Straka won the John Deere Classic on Sunday with a final-round 9-under 62 that could have been much better, making double bogey on the final hole but taking the title by two shots when Brendon Todd and Alex Smalley were unable to catch him.
The 30-year-old Austrian who played in college at Georgia won for the second time on the PGA Tour, moved to No. 27 in the world and increased his chances of representing Europe in the Ryder Cup this fall in Rome. He shot 73 on Thursday but followed with rounds of 63, 65 and 62.
Straka, who teed off an hour ahead of the final group, started birdie-eagle and made four more birdies on the front nine to turn in 7-under 28 at TPC Deere Run, then ran off four birdies in a row on the back nine to reach 11 under for the day and 23 under for the tournament.
He needed to pay his final four holes in 1 under to shoot 59 but made three straight pars and then dunked his approach on the par-4 18th into the pond left of the green.
Todd and Smalley had plenty of chances to match him, and Todd got within one stroke with a birdie on the par-4 14th, but he played his final four holes in 1 over. Smalley closed with four straight pars to match Todd at 19 under.
Ludvig Aberg closed with a 63 to tie for fourth, the Swede’s best finish in four starts as a professional after an outstanding college career at Texas Tech. He was 18 under alongside Adam Schenk (68).
LIV GOLF
HEMEL HEMPSTEAD, England (AP) — British Open champion Cameron Smith held on to win his first golf tournament of the year on Sunday, closing with a 3-under 68 to win LIV Golf-London by one shot over Patrick Reed and Marc Leishman.
The victory came less than two weeks before Smith defends his British Open title at Royal Liverpool. It was his first win since the LIV Golf-Chicago event last September.
Smith led Reed by six shots at the turn when the American made six birdies on the back nine at Centurion Club and closed with a 65. Reed failed to birdie the par 5s on Sunday.
Smith was two shots ahead playing the par-5 18th and made bogey. Reed made par, while Leishman birdied the final hole for a 66 to share second place with Reed.
In the team competition, Dustin Johnson’s 4 Aces rallied to win by one shot over Ripper, the team led by Smith. The 4 Aces had Reed, Johnson (67) and Pat Perez (66).
EUROPEAN TOUR
FARSO, Denmark (AP) — Denmark’s Rasmus Hojgaard closed with a 6-under 64 to overcome a six-shot deficit and then beat Nacho Elvira in a six-hole playoff to become the first home winner of the Made in HimmerLand on Sunday.
Elvira had a one-shot lead playing the 18th, but his bogey gave him a 70 and put him into a playoff against Hojgaard. All the extra holes were on the 18th, and they traded pars five times.
Elvira hit his second shot out-of-bounds on the sixth extra hole to effectively gift a fourth European tour title to Hojgaard, who had holed from 9 feet for par on the previous hole to keep his hopes alive.
The 22-year-old Hojgaard birdied the daunting 18th to reach 13-under 267. Richie Ramsay of Scotland bogeyed the 18th for a 69 to finish third, one shot out of the playoff.
OTHER TOURS
Matteo Manassero closed with a 5-under 67 for a three-shot victory in the Italian Challenge Open, his second Challenge Tour win this year. It moves him to No. 2 in the Race to Mallorca, putting him closer to a return to the European tour. … Adilson Da Silva of Brazil won his second Legends Tour event when he closed with a 3-under 67 for a two-shot victory over James Kingston in the Swiss Senior Open. … Sakura Koiwai secured a three-shot victory with a 1-under 71 in the MinebeaMitsumi Ladies Hokkaido Shimbun Cup on the Japan LPGA. Lala Anai and Erika Kikuchi tied for second.
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