Stephanie Meadow hits her tee shot on the first hole during the final round of the KPMG Women's PGA Championship at Baltusrol Golf Club on Sunday, June 25, 2023 in Springfield, New Jersey. (Photo by Darren Carroll/PGA of America)

Northern Ireland’s Stephanie Meadow finished an agonising two shots behind China’s Ruoning Yin as Leona Maguire faded to 11th with a 74 on a dramatic final day at the KPMG Women’s PGA at Baltusrol.

Two shots behind Yin and clubhouse leader Yuka Saso on five-under with two holes to go, the Antrim star (31) needed two birdies at the two closing par-fives to keep alive her hopes of making her first LPGA win a Major.

She got the first of them, fist-pumping as she drilled in a 15-footer from the fringe at the 17th to move up to tied third with Sweden’s Anna Nordqvist (65), American Meghan Khang (67), Spain’s Carlota Ciganda (64) and China’s Xiyu Lin (67) on six-under.

But Yin bravely rolled in a 10-footer at the 473-yard, par-five 18th for a bogey-free, four-under 67 to post a new target at eight-under.

It left the Jordanstown star needing an eagle three at the last to force a playoff.

Facing a tough 243-yard fairway wood from a downhill lie, she topped her approach and was fortunate to see it skim once on the surface of a pond and bound into the rough.

She needed to hole her third to force extra holes but her brave attempt came up 10 feet short, crowning Yin as China’s second Major winner after 10-time LPGA winner Shanshan Feng claimed this title in 2012.

Meadow would two-putt for par and a closing 70 that left her tied for third ($456,505) on six-under as Maguire made just one birdie in a disappointing three-over 74 to tie for 11th ($181,460) on four-under.

“Yeah, it's been a fantastic week,” she said after her best performance since she tied for third behind Michelle Wie in the 2014 US Women’s Open on her professional debut. “Everything about this tournament is always top-notch, and this year was no exception. Obviously not the outcome that either Leona or I wanted today, but we fought hard, and we did our best.”

As for her approach to the 18th, she will not dwell on it

“Yeah, obviously, that was not my career best shot there on the second,” she said. “I got lucky, and I knew it, and I still tried to make birdie. Sometimes the golf gods are in your favour and sometimes they're not, so they were looking out for me right there, but I'll just wipe that from the memory for now.”

She added: “it was one of those shots where I had to hit it absolutely perfect to get to the front, and I knew that, and I think I tried to swing a little too hard and it was a little bit of a downhill lie. Yeah, it happens. Best players in the world can do it. I just got really lucky.”

Leona Maguire hits her tee shot on the third hole during the final round of the KPMG Women's PGA Championship at Baltusrol Golf Club on Sunday, June 25, 2023 in Springfield, New Jersey. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/PGA of America)

Meadow was proud of her gutsy performance and she had words of encouragement too for close friend Maguire, who played alongside her and Shin in the final group.

Asked why she was still smiling, she beamed: "Well, it's been a long time since I tied for third and the cheque’s not bad. So, yeah, you know, I've had so much support. You know, my husband was watching at our Country Club today with a bunch of people. So I can only imagine the support I had.

"And, you know, I did my best. I laid it all out there. And that's all I can do. And I'm excited to go home for two weeks.”

As for Leona, she said: "I mean, you know, pressure was on, obviously. It's hard. I mean, golf is golf. She's had an incredible two weeks, you know, she won last week. And this is her first round in eight days, probably more than that, where she hasn't quite put it together. And honestly, it wasn't that far off.

"Like she still hit a lot of great shots. She just, you know, missed some putts and three-putted a few times. So, you know, I know her. She'll be right back.

"I wouldn't be surprised if she does great at the US Open as well.”

The Co Cavan star was never comfortable all day and turned in two-over par 37 to find herself tied for sixth, two shots behind Lin on five-under-par with Meadow just one behind the leader, tied for second with Zhang, Carlota Ciganda and Jenny Shin.

The Ballyconnell star was stuck in neutral early on and parred her first five holes before she showed her first sign of nerves at the sixth, hitting a heavy approach left into a greenside bunker.

She barely escaped the sand and had to chip and putt from heavy greenside rough for bogey.

She was through the back of the green at the eighth when play was suspended due to an approaching electrical storm.

But when she returned to the course one hour and 53 minutes later, she couldn’t get up and down for par, then missed an eight-footer for birdie at the 175-yard ninth and a 12-footer at the 10th.

Meadow had birdied the par-five seventh to get within a shot of Shin, but she joined Maguire in bogeying the 11th, lipping out from seven feet after going over the green as the Cavan woman three-putted from long range after she was distracted over her second shot and pulled it 50 feet left.

Maguire followed a birdie at the 13th with a bogey at the 14th to slip three shots behind China’s Ruoning Yin and Xiyu Lin, who led by a shot on seven-under from clubhouse leaders Anna Nordqvist (65) and Carlota Ciganda (64).

Meadow was just two back with three to play, but she couldn’t convert from 12 feet for birdie at the 187-yard 15th.

She wasn’t the only player left with regrets.

Ciganda was seven-under for the day with five holes to play but found water at the par-five 18th en route to her 64.

New superstar Rose Zhang also made a run, making five birdies in her first 11 holes to get to within a shot of the lead before playing the remainder in one over for a 67 and a tie for eighth on five-under.