(Reuters) -Allisen Corpuz won the U.S. Women’s Open in Pebble Beach, California on Sunday to claim her first major title, sinking six birdies in a final round of three-under-par 69 to finish three shots clear of the field.
The unflappable American kept her poise in tough conditions at the wind-whipped Pacific Coast course and was the only player to finish all four rounds under par, carding a nine-under 279 total.
England’s Charley Hull (66) and South Korea’s Shin Jiyai (68) tied for second after finishing at six under for the tournament, with Japan’s Nasa Hataoka (76) and American Bailey Tardy (73) sharing fourth place three shots further back.
Corpuz said the week had felt like “a dream come true”.
“Every few holes I just kind of looked out and said, you know, I’m out here at Pebble Beach, there’s not many places that are better than this,” she said at the trophy ceremony.
“Really just tried to stay grounded and keep playing my game.”
Corpuz, who came close at the opening major of the year when she finished tied for fourth at the Chevron Championship, held her nerve on the front nine as three birdies were undermined by a pair of bogeys.
She took control after the turn with three more birdies before dropping a shot on the par-three 17th.
Allowing a slow smile to crawl across her face as she strode down 18, Corpuz kept her emotions in check until the final putt, wiping away happy tears and soaking in the acclaim of the crowd.
It was a moment of redemption after her disappointment at the Chevron, where she had a share of the lead through 54 holes but failed to close it out in a lackluster final round.
“My coach called me this morning and said, ‘No one’s going to give it to you,’” she said.
“And I think I’ve just played a little conservatively in the past and just really went out there and told myself I had the game to do it today.”
She leaves Pebble Beach with the biggest paycheck in women’s championship golf, a record $2 million, playing in only her second year as a pro on the Tour.
England’s Hull got off to a superb start with an eagle on the par-five second and charged up the leaderboard with six birdies offset by two bogeys.
“I’m quite an aggressive person when it comes to life,” said Hull. “I like to go for pins. At the end of the day it’s just a game, and might as well make it fun.”
Japan’s Hataoka came into the round as the overnight leader a shot clear of Corpuz but blew up on the back nine with four bogeys, leaving her with a four-over 76.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Stephen Coates, Peter Rutherford)
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