Talley, a junior at the University of Alabama, entered the final round with a one-stroke lead. She started on the back nine, and played the first nine at even-par, making pars on all nine holes. When her birdie putt on the par-4 18th lipped out and Duke's Leona Maguire took the lead at 1-under, Talley would answer right back with a birdie on the par-4 first.
Talley, from Princeton, KY, would par No. 2, before making birdie on the par-5 third, once again countering Maguire's birdie, and moving to 2-under. Clutch putting on the par-3 fourth, the par-3 sixth, and the par-4 eighth preserved Talley's 2-under, and she would walk to her final hole with a one-stroke lead.
On the par-4 ninth, Talley's tee shot would find the fairway bunker. She would hit seven-iron from the sand 148 yards from the hole, and would land it on the green, within eight feet of the hole.
As she lined up her birdie putt, the horns sounded and play was suspended for 52 minutes for lightning in the area. After the delay, Talley would sink the putt, to close the first, and one of only two, bogey-free rounds of the championships at 3-under 69.
The victory is Talley's second of her collegiate career, and first since her freshman year at the PING/ASU Invitational in April 2013. She becomes the fifth player in history to win a U.S. Amateur and an NCAA Championships individual crown. Talley was also a part of the 2014 U.S. Curtis Cup win, and was the low amateur at the 2014 British Open.
As a team, Alabama finished 14th at 74-over.
