Rock Ocean side, Calif. – – around the same time that Honolulu local Michelle Wie West bid farewell to the ladies’ down, one more Honolulu item, Allisen Corpuz, moved forward at Rock Ocean side to win the U.S. Ladies’ Open – – the very first played at the amazing course – – for her most memorable LPGA title.
Corpuz, a 25-year-old golfer, was the only one of the 156 competitors in the field to shoot under par on all four days of the tournament. She also won the $2 million prize on Sunday, making it the most money ever won by an LPGA major champion. She shot a dominant 69 in the final round to finish at 9 under par, three shots ahead of the field.
Corpuz said after raising the trophy, “My mind is racing.” It was something I had imagined, but I had also kind of never really expected it to come to pass.
Since taking up the sport in Hawaii as a way to spend weekends with her father and brother, Corpuz has come a long way. She fell in love not only with the game but also the idea of getting better and hitting the ball further and further at the driving range near her.
“Truly, I sucked and I needed to improve,” Corpuz said. ” I believe that is exactly my identity personally.”
As she improved, Corpuz proceeded to break Wie West’s record as the most youthful player to fit the bill for the U.S. Ladies’ Beginner Public Connections competition. A couple of years after the fact, in 2014, she watched from home as Wie West won the U.S. Ladies’ Open at another noteworthy first-time setting, Pinehurst.
Corpuz and Wie West are the only two Hawaii major champions.
“She’s been a tremendous good example, yet I’ve never truly contrasted myself with her,” Corpuz said. ” As previously stated, I had no idea I would get this far.”
Sunday, in any case, was verification that Corpuz’s process merited a fitting outcome, that practically everything she’d place in was mixing into a noteworthy second for her, regardless of whether she never anticipated it.
Jay Monahan, Corpuz’s caddie, told ESPN, “It was smart golf.” One thing she excels at is that. I really don’t have to do much to help it. She just does a good job of playing the course the way she needs to.”
Corpuz started the final round one shot behind Japan’s Nasa Hataoka. Corpuz steadied the ship on the back nine, fending off hard charges from Hataoka and England’s Charley Hull, who shot a final-round low 66, after producing two bogeys and three birdies on the front nine and making the turn tied with Hataoka at 7 under.
When Corpuz birdied the tenth opening to take a 1-stroke lead, she didn’t think back, including birdies 14 and 15 to solidify the outcome that made her the primary American to get her most memorable success at a U.S. Ladies’ Open since Hilary Lunke in 2003.
Similar as her balanced disposition that never faltered the entire week, Corpuz’s down was sound all through. She shot 43 of 56 fairways, never straying from them, and she gained 2.77 strokes on approaches, which was second best in the field.
She made four putts of 10 feet or more on Sunday, which was double the number of putts she had made all week from that distance. Her putting was especially strong on Sunday. Since she arrived at USC in 2016, that aspect of her game has significantly improved. She was a first-team All-American and led the Trojan women’s team with a stroke average of 71.57.
In a phone call on Sunday, her USC coach, Justin Silverstein, told ESPN, “She’s a generationally great iron player and ball striker.” This week has been a ton of what we found in school. When done correctly, it resembles a video game.
She became a professional golfer in 2021, the same year she competed for the United States in the Curtis Cup. In 2023, despite the fact that she had not yet won a major or an LPGA tournament, her performance had been improving. At the year’s initial two majors, Corpuz completed tied for fifteenth and tied for fourth. All things considered, it was inevitable before everything met up.
Silverstein said at the beginning of the week, “It’s no surprise at this golf course that she’s excelling,” regarding his thoughts. She has the strength to win major championships.”
Silverstein stated prior to the start of the week that he believed that Corpuz would have a perfect golf course and setting at Pebble Beach. Her accurate ball striking would be emphasized by the small greens, and the fairways were just wide enough for her to stay within the boundaries if she hit 85% of fairways this season.
The poa annua grass on the greens is a natural putting surface to Corpuz, who played on comparable grasses both growing up and in school. In fact, as Silverstein pointed out, Corpuz still plays and practices a lot at Pebble-like golf courses in Southern California.
Corpuz’s prosperity goes past her ballstriking. She has also worked extensively with mental performance coach Bill Nelson, who works with LPGA players. Silverstein made the point that Nelson and Corpuz have worked on visualization, breathing techniques, and even controlling her walk from shot to shot so that she stays calm and composed.
Corpuz stated, “I spoke with [Nelson] a little bit this morning just to try to calm down a little.” For me I get somewhat speedy, so I simply attempted to dial everything back and partake in the occasion.”
On Sunday, Corpuz maintained her steady composure and pace as she approached the final hole with the outcome no longer in question. She began walking down the 18th fairway toward the raucous cheers and trophy that were waiting for her, allowing herself to smile after hitting her final fairway of the week with another accurate drive. Finally, it was time to take in the moment.
Topics #Allisen Corpuz wins #American #ballstriking #Corpuz #LPGA major champion #LPGA players #Stone Ocean
