NORTON — Miranda Wang knew early on exactly what she wanted to do with her life.
“I started playing golf because when I was 8 years old I was watching LPGA tournament on TV,” the LPGA rookie said at TPC Boston on Sunday. “I was like, ‘Oh, that’s I want to do, I want to be on this Tour. I want to win out there.’”
Eighteen years later, that dream became a reality when Wang won the second-annual FM Championship at TPC Boston. She defeated Jeeno Thitikul — the world’s No. 1 women’s golfer — by one stroke.
“Very proud of myself,” Wang said.
Wang had a three-stroke lead going into the final round. She needed par or better on the 18th to secure the championship.
“I hope it’s the first of many,” Wang said. I” hope one day I will win a Major. It’s a wonderful beginning of my LPGA career. It’s my rookie year and this happened, so it’s a wonderful start.”
Wang was able to keep her confidence at an all-time high throughout the tournament despite a rough opening front nine on Day 1. The Beijing native was 1-over par through her first nine holes. She ended up finishing the first round 6-under before climbing the leaderboard over the next three rounds.
Wang kept that same confidence going into the final round, noting she would have believed it if she was told Thursday she’d be the sole leader going into the championship round.
She admitted she felt she had an advantage over some golfers like her good friend Rose Zhang, who played 32 holes on Saturday after rain and thunder shortened the second round.
“I was thinking positively about my situation,” Wang said. “I was trying to keep myself positive.”
More than it being the 26-year-old’s first LPGA Tour win, she also went up against a tough field that included the top-two ranked women’s golfers in the world in Nelly Korda (No. 2) Thitikul (No. 1).
Wang and Thitikul were neck and neck all day, with the tournament coming down to the final hole. Thitikul hit for par on the 18th, meaning Wang needed to make par or better to raise the trophy. The young golfer didn’t know where Thitikul stood in terms of her score as he approached the final hole.
“I was trying to do my work. The tee shot is in the fairway and, par-5, you have to get to the green in three,” she said. “I was really focused on doing my own work. And after I hit it on the green I realized, ‘Oh, I need to two-putt this to win.
“I believed in myself.”
Before she knew it, the 26-year-old was being showered with champagne and began to celebrate with her team.
For Wang, she likes the sound of having “champion” after her name.
“It sounds perfect,” she said.
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