It only took the largest playoff in LPGA major championship history, but it was ultimately 2024 Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year Mao Saigo who became a Rolex First-Time Winner on Sunday evening at The Chevron Championship.

Saigo played in the final group at the year’s first major tournament alongside Lindy Duncan and Haeran Ryu after holding the second 54-hole lead/co-lead of her LPGA Tour career overnight. It was an up-and-down day from pretty much every player in contention coming down the stretch at The Club at Carlton Woods, and Saigo eventually found herself in a five-way playoff at the end of regulation even though she posted a 2-over 74, extra holes that saw her face the likes of major champions Ariya Jutanugarn, Hyo Joo Kim and Ruoning Yin, as well as LPGA Tour veteran Lindy Duncan after all five athletes finished the week at 7-under.

While Duncan and Kim elected to lay up on their second shots on the first playoff hole, Saigo, Jutanugarn and Yin went for the green in two on the par-5 18th. Saigo’s and Jutanugarn’s approaches both finished long, and each needed to take relief from the grandstands. Yin hit her second shot on the green 15 feet away from the hole.

Duncan’s ball almost found the water short of the green on her third shot, and Kim’s third landed right next to Yin’s, leaving both Duncan and Kim needing to pull off something special if they were going to continue on in extra holes.

After taking free TIO relief, Saigo chipped it tight, and Jutanugarn then hit her third to six feet, leaving both players with putts for birdie. Duncan failed to hole her fourth shot from the edge of the water hazard, so she was all but eliminated from the conversation considering the other players had birdie and eagle opportunities. Yin then ran her eagle putt well by, leaving the People’s Republic of China native with a knee-knocker six-footer for birdie.

After getting a read from Yin, Kim missed her birdie putt, and it was then that all of the focus turned to Jutanugarn, Saigo and Yin. With an immense amount of pressure on the two major champions, Yin and Jutanugarn both missed their birdie putts, leaving the door wide open for Saigo, who calmly rolled in her three footer for birdie to claim her first career major victory.

“It was my dream to earn this major,” Saigo said. “It is my first time to win this tournament, and I was able to realize my dream and I’m very happy about this.”

Saigo is the third player from Japan to win a major championship over the last two seasons, joining Yuka Saso, who claimed the 2024 U.S. Women’s Open at Lancaster Country Club last June, and Ayaka Furue, who collected her first major title at The Amundi Evian Championship in France. Since 2019, five major championships have been won by Japanese athletes, and while Saigo isn’t exactly sure what has set her countrywoman apart when it comes to the biggest tournaments in women’s golf, she is happy to now count herself among that list of players.

“My predecessors have also earned majors, and I really thought I needed to catch up with them as much as possible,” Saigo said. “But instead of applying too much pressure on myself, I wanted to respect each process and move forward steadily. It’s true that my predecessors have paved the way for me, but I also wanted to be myself and play this golf tournament.”

Duncan, Jutanugarn, Kim and Yin all tied for second at The Chevron Championship, a result they likely would have happily taken had they been offered it at the start of the week in The Woodlands, Texas. Having arguably the most experience in this type of major-championship situation, Jutanugarn was maybe the most disappointed not to have found the LPGA Tour winner’s circle for the first time since 2021 on Sunday at The Club at Carlton Woods.

But she is taking a lot of solace in the fact that she gave herself a good shot at picking up a third major victory after starting the day three strokes down to the leaders at 6-under overall. “The front nine was very solid especially with the eagle, but back nine just couple mistakes on par 5s that I made two bogeys,” Jutanugarn said. “But I did really well for the rest of the tournament overall, and I’m very happy. Just beyond my expectation.”

Three players finished in a tie for sixth at 5-under for the tournament, including 2024 U.S. Solheim Cup Team member Sarah Schmelzel, 2023 Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year Haeran Ryu and 2019 Chevron Championship winner Jin Young Ko. Four athletes tied for ninth at 4-under, and defending champion Nelly Korda finished in a tie for 14th at 2-under overall after starting with a 5-over 77 in the first round.