Noh captures U.S. Girls' Junior title after long week at fog-bound Poppy Hills.

Yealimi Noh and Alexa Pano endured almost a week of championship golf extended by 16 hours of fog delays before capping it all off with a marathon match play round on Saturday that left a weary Noh hoisting the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship trophy.

“It really hasn’t sunk in yet,” Noh said in a post-round press conference. “It’s been such a long day, too. I just haven’t gotten a chance to fully realize what this—the amount this means, but it really means a lot to me.”

The 16-year-old Concord native edged out a 4-3 win over Pano at Poppy Hills Golf Course in Pebble Beach. In what is considered a record for holes played on the final day of a USGA national championship tournament, Noh played a punishing 49 holes. Pano survived 51 holes.

Equally epic was the battle waged by the pair. Match play can be daunting, with a point gained only by winning a hole. When momentum swings, golfers may be tempted to take or avoid risks at a dangerous moment, and Noh acknowledged she had not fared well in past match play tourneys. Yet down by two holes, Noh sank a 20-foot putt on No. 8 to birdie and take the hole. She then won the next two—back to back par 5s—with birdies.

Noh dominated on the longer holes throughout the week, racking up a 17-under margin (in stroke count) on 30 par 5s. Even as she began to edge ahead in the second 18, however, Pano remained within striking distance. The Florida 13-year-old rallied to win two late holes and close what had grown to a 6-up Noh advantage. But after 12 hours of play, Noh claimed the title.

“It’s been really, really tiring, and I’ve never walked this many holes in one day,” an elated Noh told reporters afterward. “I think we agreed to play more, continue, mainly because we both have another tournament that we have to leave for tomorrow.”

Saturday’s round was supposed to be more manageable. But as fog backed up play throughout the week at Poppy Hills, USGA officials were forced to consider a double-header—the semifinal round, followed by the first 18-hole leg of the finals, with a concluding 18-holes moved to Sunday. Another fog delay Saturday morning didn’t help matters.

But the Girls’ Junior Championship is contested by amateur players ages 18 and under, many toting family members. The golfers brought up the idea of a marathon Saturday. Match play semifinals and a 36-hole match play finals in one go.

Noh, who had only one day off between a win in Kentucky at the Girls’ Junior PGA Championship and the start of the U.S. Girls’ Junior, travels to the Canadian Women’s Amateur, Pano to an event in Massachusetts.

Noh’s reputation as a long hitter served her well throughout the event, particularly as noted on the par 5s.

“I’m really confident in my shots, like the trajectory and the direction, and especially after—on Number 18 on the first round or today on 18—just hitting that shot between the trees and getting on the green really helped me believe in my shots the rest of the par 5s.”

With the win, Noh receives an exemption into the 2019 U.S. Women’s Open. Earlier this year Noh backed out of a golf scholarship commitment to UCLA in order to focus on turning professional.