Yang Hee-young, aka Amy Yang, on June 24 hoists her trophy after winning the KPMG Women's PGA Championship, the third major of this season's U.S. LPGA Tour, at Sahalee Country Club in Samammish, Washington. (Yonhap News)

By Yoon Seungjin

Yang Hee-young, aka Amy Yang, has won her first major title in the third major competition of the U.S. Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour season.

Yang on June 24 sealed victory at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship with an even-par 72 in the final round at Sahalee Country Club in Sammamish, Washington, finishing at 7-under 281.

Debuting on the LPGA Tour in 2008, she previously had 21 top-10 finishes in majors before her latest win, including second place at the 2012 and 2015 U.S. Women's Open.

With her first victory on the tour since the CME Group Tour Championship in November last year, Yang has six career wins and boosted her chances of qualifying for the Paris Summer Olympics.

Ranked 25th in the weekly world women's rankings before her win, she is now expected to crack the top 15. Only four players per country can qualify for the Olympics, and Korea has two players in the top 15 including world No. 7 Ko Jin-young and No. 12 Kim Hyo-joo.

The women's Olympic golf qualification will be determined on June 25 by the rankings.

scf2979@korea.kr