Danielle Kang captures 2017 Women's PGA Championship for first pro title

Danielle Kang picked an opportune time to collect her first professional victory.

The 24-year-old Californian was buoyed by a four-hole birdie run on Sunday and won the KPMG Women's PGA Championship, one of the majors on the women's tour, by one shot over Canadian Brooke Henderson in Olympia Fields, Ill.

Kang closed with a 3-under-par 68 for a 72-hole total of 13-under 271 at Olympia Fields Country Club. Henderson, the defending champion, came up just short after a final-round 66 left her at 272.

Kang became just the eighth player in history whose first victory as a professional came in a major.

"Having a major championship in my resume, I don't know what it will do," Kang said. "But I do know that having the U.S. Amateur ... and having a major win, it's amazing."

South Korea's Chella Choi entered the final round as the co-leader with Kang and finished third, three strokes behind, after a closing 71.

Following Choi were South Koreans Mi Hyang Lee, Amy Yang and Sei Young Kim at 275. Another South Korean, Inbee Park, tied for seventh with Lexi Thompson at 277.

Stacy Lewis and Kelly Shon shared ninth place at 278 after a closing 67s.

Ranked No. 43 in the world, Kang was 1 over for the day after missing a short putt on No. 10 for a bogey before she went on her four-hole birdie binge with four consecutive 3s on her card from Nos. 11 through 14.

At No. 17, the two-time U.S. Amateur champion dropped a stroke with a bogey, but she completed the round with a birdie on the par-5 No. 18.

"The three-putt on No. 10 was the turning point for me," Kang said. "I said I'm going to learn from that, and then I made four birdies in a row."

The 19-year-old Henderson was trying to win her second major and almost pulled it off. Her birdie-birdie finish put pressure on Chang.

The birdie on No. 17 was her first since the seventh hole. She dropped in a 20-foot putt.

"To make that putt on 17 was huge," Henderson said.

Then on No. 18, she just missed a 30-foot eagle putt.

"I left it an inch short," Henderson said, adding, "Danielle played great. She won this. I was just trying to get close and maybe force a playoff."