Ina Kim-Schaad Wins U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship in Epic Duel
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Ina Kim-Schaad showed her mettle by defeating Hanley Long in the longest championship match in U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur history, securing the victory with an impressive 18-foot birdie putt on the fifth extra hole at the Monterey Peninsula Country Club’s Dunes Course. Kim-Schaad, 42, from Jupiter, Florida, had already won the tournament in 2019. She is the fourth oldest winner in the history of the event and the first two-time champion since Julia Potter-Bobb in 2016. The championship is open to players aged 25 or older with a Handicap Index not exceeding 9.4.Long, 28 years old and originally from Clarksville, Tennessee, tied the game with a par on the 17th hole, par 4, after Kim-Schaad’s approach overshot the green and she had to play her third shot from a cart path. Both players bogeyed the 18th hole, par 4, which took the match to extra holes. In the first four playoff holes they made par, with Long sinking an 18-foot putt on the second extra hole.I am overwhelmed with emotion, honestly. I really love this place, and my husband and I got married in Carmel. Doing it in such a special place, a golf course, with my family here and my husband as a caddie, on his birthday week, and for the second time, it’s like there aren’t enough words to describe all the feelings I have.
Ina Kim-Schaad
It was an absolute battle all day. Honestly, I am so proud of my courage and determination throughout the day, keeping my head up and never giving up.
Hanley Long
Both finalists earned a spot in the 2026 U.S. Women’s Open at Riviera Country Club and the 2026 U.S. Women’s Amateur, with Kim-Schaad also securing her participation in the 2027 U.S. Women’s Amateur.
The previous longest match in the tournament’s history was 22 holes, in 1989, in Robin Weiss’s victory over Page Marsh Lea.
