Gunn Yang of San Diego State captured the 114th United States Amateur Championship, never trailing in the final en route to a 2-and-1 victory over Corey Conners of Canada on the Highlands Course at Atlanta Athletic Club in Johns Creek, Ga.
The native of South Korea joined Gene Littler, a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, as the only Aztecs to claim the title, with Littler winning in 1953 at Oklahoma City Golf and Country Club.
“I was just trying to build up my confidence (this summer),” said Yang, who underwent back surgery in 2013 and lost his scholarship. “I never thought that I could get the U.S. Amateur right away, I mean, one year after the surgery. This is just a dream come true.”
The 20-year-old Yang, a redshirt sophomore, held a 1-up lead after the 18-hole morning round and stretched his margin to 2 up with an 18-foot birdie putt on the 32nd hole before closing things out three holes later with a tap-in par after his 20-footer for birdie lipped out.
Yang, who was No. 776 in the World Amateur Rankings before the tournament, became the lowest-ranked player in history to win the title, beating five players ranked in the top 100.
