Park in major breakthrough at US Women’s Open

Sung Hyun Park poses with the champion trophy after winning the final round of the US Women’s Open golf tournament at Trump National Golf Club-New Jersey on Sunday. (USA TODAY Sports)

BEDMINSTER, N.J.: Sung Hyun Park won the US Women’s Open on Sunday for her first LPGA Tour victory.
The 23-year-old from South Korea shot her second straight 5-under 67 and won a day-long battle with front-running Shanshan Feng and teenage amateur Hye-Jin Choi at Trump National Golf Club.
Park, who birdied the 15th to move into a tie for the lead and the 17th to open a two-shot edge after Choi made a double bogey on the previous hole, finished at 11-under 277 for a two-stroke win over Choi.
President Donald Trump attended the biggest event in women’s golf for the third straight day. There was a peaceful protest after he arrived at his box near the 15th green shortly after 3 p.m.
It ended up being a quiet week of politics. The golf was excellent.
Park needed a fine chip from over the green on the par-5 18th hole to save par, and she got a thumps-up from Trump as she walked to sign her scorecard.
Choi finished with a 71.
Top-ranked So Yeon Ryu (70) and fellow South Korean Mi Jung Hur (68) tied for third at 7 under. Feng, from China, had a 75 to drop into a tie for fifth at 6 under with Spain’s Carlota Ciganda(70) and South Korea’s Jeongeun6 Lee (71).
Choi was the story for most of the final round. The 17-year-old had a two-shot lead with nine holes to play and needed a birdie at 15 to regain a piece with Park.
The 139-yard, par-3 16th over water ended her hopes. Her tee shot landed in the water to the right of the hole.
She ended with a double bogey and basically lost her chance of becoming the second amateur to win the Open.
She birdied the final hole.
Catherine Lacoste remains the only amateur to win the Open, doing it in 1967.
Feng, who was the leader after the first three rounds and carried a one-shot edge into the final 18 holes, triple bogeyed the final hole.
The win was redemption for Park, who is the leading rookie on the LPGA Tour this year. She had the 36-hole lead in the Open last year and shot final rounds of 74-74 to finish two shots out of a playoff with eventual champion Brittany Lang and Anna Nordqvist.
Park saved her best for the last two rounds this year and won. It was not her first professional win, she won seven times on the KLPGA Tour in 2016 and three times the year before.