PEBBLE BEACH, California – Ina Kim-Schaad defeated Hanley Long in the longest championship in U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur history, this Thursday. The victory came thanks to an 18-foot birdie putt on the fifth extra hole at the Dunes Course of the Monterey Peninsula Country Club. Kim-Schaad, 42, from Jupiter, Florida, had already won 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 tournament is open to players aged 25 or older, with a Handicap Index not exceeding 9.4.
Long, 28 years old and from Clarksville, Tennessee, tied the match with a par on the 17th hole, par 4, when Kim-Schaad’s approach went over the green and she had to play her third shot from a cart path. Both players made bogey on the 18th hole, par 4, which took the match to extra holes. They tied the first four playoff holes, 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 and golf course, with my family here and my husband caddying, on his birthday week, and for the second time, it’s like there aren’t enough words to express all the feelings I’m feeling.
Ina Kim-Schaad
Both finalists earned spots in the 2026 U.S. Women’s Open at Riviera Country Club and the 2026 U.S. Women’s Amateur. Kim-Schaad also secured 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.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
