Not too long ago, it wasn’t even news that a Korean was leading a women’s Major with 18 holes to go. In fact, in the 21st century, at times saying or writing something like this has been almost a given.
From the first Major of the year 2000, the then-called Nabisco Championship, to the past US Open, a total of 108 Majors have been held, of which about a third have ended in Korean victory. Exactly, 33.
Moreover, since the year 2000, only on five occasions South Korea went a season without a win: 2000, 2003, 2007, 2010 and 2021. This means that in the last 24 years, in 19 at least there was a South Korean victory in Majors. It was the empire.
And we say it was because the dynamics seem to have changed in recent years. In fact, South Korea is currently experiencing the worst streak of this century in the Majors. It has now gone nine in a row without winning, something never seen since we started paying with euros. The previous worst streak of South Korean golf was between the US Open in 1998 and the British Open in 2001. Both were won by Se Ri Pak and the drought between the two was twelve Majors.
South Korea is the great empire of women’s golf in the 21st century and now its pride is wounded and in the hands of Amy Yang (-7), ready to end her country’s bad streak and, incidentally, close her particular wound. She is 34 years old and is the active player with the most top 10 in her career in Majors without having been able to conquer one yet. Exactly, she has 21 and they include two second places, a third and twelve top 5. The first time she finished among the top ten was in 2009 and since then she has done it more than once every four Majors she has played. If anyone deserves a Major, it’s her.
Yang signed this Saturday a great round of golf of 71 strokes, sealed on the 17th with an extraordinary birdie putt of about eleven meters. She made three birdies and two bogeys and, above all, she avoided the problems that the Sahalee Country Club offers. That last birdie on the 17th has enormous value, as it allowed her to erase the bad taste of the bogey on the 16th. This is Yang’s key this week. She is failing less than anyone else. Only three bogeys in 54 holes. Almost a feat on this course.
She has a two-stroke lead over Lauren Hartlage (-5), one of the five players who managed to go under 70 strokes in the third round, and Miyu Yamashita (-5), the only golfer along with Yang who has handed in three rounds under par this week. In addition, three strokes behind is Sarah Schmelzel (-4), who seems to be once again the Major is going to be long, and four over Lexi Thompson, Caroline Inglis, Jin Young Ko, Hinako Shibuno and Lilia Vu, all with -3. Logic indicates that the cut-off line of candidates for victory should be closed here. Of all of them, Vu is the most dangerous. In fact, she already did it at last year’s Chevron Championship. She came from behind and overtook everyone with the best round of the day. Amy Yang was among the players who went ahead of her that Sunday.
Azahara Muñoz (+12) has lived a real nightmare in the final stretch of her third round. She started at hole 10 and by the time she passed 18 she was holding on with a valuable even par, with a bogey and a birdie. However, her last seven holes were very tough. She signed an eight over par, with four bogeys and two double bogeys, and lost many positions in the ranking. However, anything that is playing under par on Sunday will allow her to recover a good part of the way lost in those last two fateful hours.
