Ina Kim-Schaad Crowned Champion After Epic Battle at the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Ina Kim-Schaad showed her mettle by overcoming Hanley Long in the longest final match in the history of the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur, taking the victory with an 18-foot birdie putt on the fifth playoff hole at the Dunes course of the Monterey Peninsula Country Club. Kim-Schaad, 42, from Jupiter, Florida, had already won the tournament in 2019. She is the fourth oldest player to win 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, from Clarksville, Tennessee, tied the match 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. They parred the first four playoff holes, with Long sinking an 18-foot putt on the second extra hole.I am honestly overwhelmed with emotion. I truly love this place, and my husband and I got married in Carmel. To achieve this in such a special place, a golf course, with my family here and my husband as my caddie, on his birthday week, and for the second time, it’s like there aren’t enough words to express all the feelings I have.
Ina Kim-Schaad
Both finalists secured their spots in the 2026 U.S. Women’s Open at Riviera Country Club and the 2026 U.S. Women’s Amateur, while Kim-Schaad also qualified for the 2027 U.S. Women’s Amateur. The longest previous match in the history of the tournament 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
