After four challenging rounds of golf at Pebble Beach Golf Links, Allisen Corpuz won it all Sunday evening at the U.S. Women’s Open.
The 25-year-old from Hawaii is a graduate of the University of Southern California. She said the victory felt very unreal.
“This is a dream come true, and it was something I had dreamed of,” Corpuz said. “But at the same time… just never expected (it) to happen. So I'm just trying to take it in and enjoy the moment.”
In the fourth round, Corpuz had six birdies and three bogeys. She finished the day nine under par.
Corpuz takes home $2 million in winnings - the largest first-place purse in U.S. Women’s Open history. She also became the first U.S.-born player to win the tournament since 2016.
Mina Harigae, who grew up in Monterey and graduated from Pebble Beach’s Stevenson School in 2008, struggled in the final round of the tournament. Harigae had placed second in last year’s U.S. Women’s Open but finished the tournament on her home course in 33rd place at eight over par.
She made two birdies and four bogeys through the 17th hole. But it was on the 18th hole where things got sandy. Harigae hit her first shot onto the beach out of reach from the green. She chose to reshoot from the tee and earned a double bogey on the last hole.
Despite the tough finish, Harigae tried to remain positive.
“I'm just more disappointed,” Harigae said. “But you know what? I still got to play four rounds in front of the home crowd at Pebble.”
Unlike play on Saturday, the wind was minimal out on the course. According to the USGA’s course forecast, winds mostly stayed under 10 miles per hour.