by Jason Bruno
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Allisen Corpuz made it look easy. The 25-year-old native of Hawaii won the 78th U.S. Women’s Open shooting a final-round, 3-under-par 69 (9-under 279 total) by three strokes over Charley Hull (66) and Jiyai Shin (68) at famed Pebble Beach Golf Links.
For a player that was winless on the LPGA Tour, she picked a historic occasion to break the ice – the first U.S. Women’s Open held at Pebble Beach. “Every few holes I kind of looked out and said: ‘I’m here at Pebble Beach. There are not many places that are better than this,’” Corpuz said.
Corpuz turned what looked like a nailbiter with Nasa Hataoka at the turn into a runaway, finishing with a 3-under 69 on Sunday for a three-shot victory over Charley Hull (66) and Jiyai Shin (68). They were tied at the turn until Corpuz made birdie on the tenth. The key moment was at the par-3 twelfth when Corpuz came up short in the bunker and had 15 feet left for par. Corpuz made the putt, while Hataoka 3 putted from the collar – making bogey, and suddenly and the lead was at two.
Corpuz lengthened her lead to four with pinpoint approaches wedges on the par-5 14th and the 15th, both birdies all but sealed the deal for Corpuz.
Corpuz was the only player to break par all four days. “Just knowing the history … Tiger just absolutely annihilated this place. Yeah, it’s really special,” Corpuz said. “Twenty, 30 years from now, I think just the fact that it’s a U.S. Open means a lot to me. But knowing that it’s at Pebble makes it even sweeter.”
She claimed $2 million for the win, the richest ever for an LPGA major champion.
Former President Barack Obama was among the first to offer congrats on social media. Both went to Punahou School in Honolulu. “Unreal,” Corpuz said. “This week has felt like a dream come true.”
Hull, who started the final round seven shots behind, closed to within two shots early on the back nine and stayed in contention with a 30-foot birdie putt on the 16th, but it wasn’t enough. Allisen Corpuz was just too solid down the stretch. “My mind is racing,” said Corpuz, who became the first woman to win a major at Pebble Beach. “Like I said yesterday, this is really a dream come true. It was something I had dreamed of, but at the same time kind of just never really expected it to happen.”
