Ina Kim-Schaad outlasts Hanley Long in longest title match in US Women’s Mid-Amateur history

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PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Ina Kim-Schaad outlasted Hanley Long in the longest championship match in U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur history Thursday, winning with an 18-foot birdie putt on the fifth extra hole on Monterey Peninsula Country Club’s Dunes Course.

The 42-year-old Kim-Schaad, from Jupiter, Florida, also won in 2019. She's the fourth-oldest winner in event history and the first two-time winner since Julia Potter-Bobb in 2016. The tournament is open to players 25 and older with a Handicap Index that doesn't exceed 9.4.

“I’m overwhelmed with emotion, honestly,” Kim-Schaad said. “I truly love this place, and my husband and I got married in Carmel. To do it at such a special place, golf course, with my family here and my husband on the bag, his birthday day week, and for a second time, it’s like there’s not even enough language to put around just all the feels that I’m feeling.”

The 28-year-old Long, from Clarksville, Tennessee, squared it with a par on the par-4 17th when Kim-Schaad’s approach flew the green and she had to play her third shot from a cart path. Both players bogeyed the par-4 18th to send it extra holes. They parred the first four playoff holes, with Long holing an 18-footer on the second extra hole.

“It was an absolute battle out there the entire day,” Long said. “Honestly, I’m just so proud of my grit and determination throughout the entire day, keeping my head up and held high and never giving up.”

Both finalists earned spots in the 2026 U.S. Women’s Open at Riviera Country Club and the 2026 U.S. Women’s Amateur, with Kim-Schaad also getting into the 2027 U.S. Women’s Amateur.

The previous longest match in tournament history was 22 holes in 1989 in Robin Weiss’ victory over Page Marsh Lea.

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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf