World No. 1 Yani Tseng, a week after Rory McIlroy turned the U.S. Open into a rout, did the same in the LPGA Championship, the second major of the season on the LPGA tour. Beginning Sunday's final round with a five-stroke lead, Tseng made birdies on five of her first eight holes, took a 10-shot lead to the turn and waltzed home to a 10-stroke victory over Morgan Pressel at soggy Locust Hill Country Club.
With a 6-under-par 66, Tseng finished at 19-under 269 — which included 27 birdies — and tied the record for lowest score in relation to par ever shot in a major championship, by and man or woman.
Tseng has won four of the last 13 majors played on the LPGA tour. At 22, she is the youngest player — male or female — to win four major championships since Young Tom Morris won his fourth and final major in 1872 at age 21. For perspective, Tiger Woods was 24 when he won his fourth. Former world No. 1 Lorena Ochoa won just two majors. And Patty Berg's record of 15 majors on the LPGA tour no longer seems so distant.
It was Tseng's sixth win worldwide this season, her 16th career win worldwide and her eighth career victory on the LPGA tour.
"It's pretty good," Tseng said with a smile as she listened to a list of her historical achievements this week. "But I just try to focus on every tournament. I don't think about (history) too much.
"I will still go and try to win the next major."
That would be the U.S. Women's Open in two weeks at The Broadmoor in Colorado. A win there and she would become the youngest player — man or woman — to win a career Grand Slam.
As for Sunday, her main foe was herself.
"I kept telling myself that I'm going to break a record. I was so far ahead I had to have a goal to look at," said Tseng, who won the LPGA Championship during her rookie-of-the-year season in 2008, and won the Kraft Nabisco Championship and Ricoh Women's British Open last year. "I was patient all day. I had a bogey on the first hole, but I told myself it's only the first hole and I can get more birdies. On the 18th hole, I almost cried because it was so emotional with all the fans."
An over-eager photographer snapped a picture in Tseng's backswing on the first tee, which led to a poor drive and a bogey. Only a three-putt bogey on the 13th bothered Tseng the rest of the day, and the two blemishes were more than offset by her eight birdies. For the week, she hit 68% of fairways, 79% of greens in regulation and needed 111 putts.
"Yani is a phenomenal player," said Suzann Pettersen, who finished in a tie for third with Paula Creamer and defending champion Cristie Kerr, who also shot 19 under last year in the LPGA Championship to win by a record 12 shots. "She pushes the edges like Annika (Sorenstam) used to, and Lorena (Ochoa) used to. Now Yani is getting an edge on us."
Tseng's idol, mentor and former owner of her house, Hall of Famer and 10-time major champion Sorenstam, was impressed as she watched the tournament in her Florida home.
"The sky is really the limit for her as she has tremendous physical abilities and the willingness to put in a lot of work to get better," Sorenstam said in a text message to USA TODAY. "I admire her ambition and the fact that she has really improved her English. She realizes that she's got a chance to be the face of the LPGA for years and she'll need to communicate well with the media, sponsors, and fans to capitalize on that."
"When we get together off the course to discuss her goals she asks a lot of good questions. I can tell she is genuinely interested in improving in all areas. She wants to do the right things that will enable her to be a star for a long time."
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