Almost 20 Years After Her First Tour Win, Amy Yang Is 18 Holes Away From Achieving A Life-Long Dream - And Potentially Setting Down The Path To Retirement

Amy Yang leads the KPMG Women's PGA Championship by two strokes heading into the final round at Sahalee Country Club in Washington as the Korean aims to land her maiden Major and a check for $1.56 million. 

Yang has produced three sub-par rounds so far this week and will begin Sunday's action on seven-under, narrowly ahead of Japan's Miyu Yamashita and American Lauren Hartlage - both of whom are also striving for their first Major prize.

It is the 34-year-old's lifelong dream to have her name engraved into a Major championship trophy and is - quite simply - the key reason she is continuing to play professional golf.

Yang has suffered with poor form and a troubling back injury in recent times, while the five-time LPGA Tour champion has also previously revealed issues involving burnout.

In the press conference after her CME Group Tour Championship victory last November, Yang said: "At one point I thought my season would be over very soon. Throughout my career I went through so many ups and downs, and especially recent injury. I thought -- and I told my coach, Tony, too, might not be able to play any longer.

"But, you know, I'm so glad that I went through, and it's because of my team members, coach, Tony, Paul and Jan next to me. They helped me go through the tough times and I'm just so happy with them."

Over the course of an 18-year professional career, the Orlando, Florida resident has achieved three Ladies European Tour wins, two LPGA Tour of Korea triumphs, and a pair of runner-up results - both at the US Women's Open - as well as 10 separate top-five finishes in her 75 Major starts.

Months after her most-recent LPGA Tour success, Yang finds herself with arguably her best chance to break that winless streak in the tournament category that means the most.

On the broadcast covering the action at Sahalee Country Club this week, it had regularly been mentioned that the main reason Yang was still playing pro golf almost two decades on from her breakthrough at the ANZ Ladies Masters in 2006 was to try and land one of the five biggest prizes out there.

After confirming that was indeed true, Yang shared what it would mean if she was able to finally put her hands on a Major trophy.

She said: "I grew up watching so many great players [like Seri Pak] in the past, and I saw them winning all the major championships.

"I dreamed about playing out here because of them. I work hard for this. It'll mean a lot, but we still got 18 more holes out there and that's a lot of golf left for major championship. So just going to try to focus on each shot and just be patient, yeah."

Since winning the CME Group Tour Championship last year, Yang has struggled for consistent form in 2024, having managed a best result of T22 in the season opener and missing the cut in five of her 11 starts.

But Yang, fuelled by her ultimate aspiration, is just trying to make the most of her second chance after that career-threatening injury in 2022.

Asked if she expected this kind of golfing renaissance after what had happened to her, Yang said: "No, no. Not during that injury and not just right after the injury as well.

"But also beginning of this season I wasn't really playing well either, so I doubted a little bit. But I try to just stay positive and keep working."

Yang also said that despite feeling plenty of emotion on Saturday, she will continue to trust her instincts and commit to every shot no matter what happens.

Discussing the nerves she has felt and will continue to feel, Yang said: "[there is] nothing I can do [other] than just embrace it, embrace the feeling and just enjoy being out there."

Yang tees off alongside Yamashita and Hartlage in the final group on Sunday at 10:27am PDT (1:27pm ET/6:27pm BST).