Yang Hee-young Tied 3rd... "Regretful, Double Bogey on Hole 16"

Meyer Classic 4R 3-Under Par Fails to Secure 5th Career Win
Maguire Comes from Behind to Win, Jutanugarn Strong in 2nd
Kim Hyoju 5th, Choi Hyejin 8th, Lee Miyang 17th

Veteran Yang Hee-young failed to win on the U.S. mainland.

On the 18th (local time), Yang Hee-young finished the 4th round of the LPGA Tour Meijer Classic (total prize money $2.5 million) at Blythefield Country Club (par 72, 6,581 yards) in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA, with a 3-under-par round but dropped to a tie for 3rd place (18-under-par 270). Her fifth career win, which would have been her first since winning the Honda Thailand in February 2019, slipped away after 4 years and 4 months. This is her best performance of the season, surpassing her tie for 4th place at the Chevron Championship major in April.

Yang Hee-young is waiting for her turn to putt with a disappointed expression on the green of the 3rd hole in the 4th round of the Meijer Classic. [Grand Rapids (USA)=AFP·Yonhap News]

Before this tournament, Yang Hee-young had won three times in Thailand and once in Korea. She debuted on the LPGA Tour in 2008 and achieved her first victory at the 2013 KEB Hana Bank Championship. She then topped the podium at the Honda Thailand in 2015, 2017, and 2019. Missing out on this tournament win means she will have to wait longer to become the 16th Korean player to record five or more wins on the LPGA Tour.

Yang started the final round with a one-stroke lead, recording one eagle, three birdies, and one double bogey. She struggled to make birdies early on but finally reduced one stroke at the 6th hole (par 4). Birdies at the 10th hole and an eagle at the 14th hole (both par 5s) propelled her back into a tie for the lead. However, a critical double bogey at the 16th hole (par 4) dealt a heavy blow. Her tee shot landed in the left rough, the second shot hit a tree and fell into tall grass, and her third shot again landed in the rough, resulting in a '4-on 2-putt' to finish the hole.

Leona Maguire (Ireland) surged with an 8-under-par round to claim victory by two strokes (21-under-par 267). This is her second career win, coming 1 year and 4 months after her Drive On Championship victory in February last year. The winner's prize money was $375,000 (approximately 480 million KRW). Ariya Jutanugarn (Thailand) finished strong with a 6-under-par round to take 2nd place (19-under-par 269). Lin Xiyu (China) tied for 3rd, and Ashley Buhai (South Africa), last week's ShopRite Classic winner, finished tied for 13th (13-under-par 275).

Korea's Kim Hyo-joo improved by 3 strokes to finish 5th (16-under-par 272). Choi Hye-jin carded seven birdies and two bogeys for a 5-under-par round, finishing tied for 8th (14-under-par 274). Lee Mi-hyang tied for 17th (12-under-par 276), while Yoo Hae-ran and An Na-rin ended tied for 20th (11-under-par 277). The LPGA Tour's second major of the season, the KPMG Women's PGA Championship (total prize money $9 million), will be held starting June 22.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.