Shin Ji-yai, at just 20 years old, became the third South Korean to win the women’s British Open with a flawless final round of 66 on Sunday.
A winner of 17 titles on the South Korean LPGA Tour, including one as an amateur in 2005, Shin finished on 18-under and won the US$314,000 first prize by three shots from Taiwan’s Yani Tseng, who also shot six-under.
“I was really nervous last night and couldn’t sleep,” Shin said. “But it is great to win a major title.”
PHOTO: AFP
Four years ago, Shin’s mother was killed in a car crash and her younger brother and sister were both seriously injured and she helped nurse them back to health. Now she dedicates each win to her mother’s memory.
Pak Se-ri was the first South Korean to win the title, also at Sunningdale, in 2001, while Jang Jeong was the champion at Royal Birkdale three years ago. Grace Park (2004 Kraft Nabisco Championship), Birdie Kim (2005 US Women’s Open) and Inbee Park, winner of the US Women’s Open last month, are the other South Koreans to claim women’s majors.
Shin started the final round one shot behind Japan’s Yuri Fudoh, but was one ahead by the time she birdied the first, fifth and ninth to reached the turn in 33. She continued her march to glory with a four at the long 10th and then holed a monster putt for birdie at the 13th. She moved three clear with another birdie at the long 14th.
Tseng, winner of her first major at the LPGA Championship in June, birdied the last for a 66 to finish on 15-under and South Korea’s Ji Eun-hee (67) and Fudoh (71) were tied for third on 14-under. Japan’s Ai Miyazato made it an Asian clean sweep of the top five with a 70 for 13-under. Defending champion Lorena Ochoa closed with a 69 for 11-under to finish tied seventh.
“But I’m not too frustrated,” said the world No. 1. “I tried my best and I’m very impressed by how the low scores have been this week. It was a great win for Ji-yai.”
An emotional Annika Sorenstam finished her major career by majestically holing a 12-foot birdie putt at the last for a final round 68 and she tied for 24th on six-under. Sweden’s former world No. 1, who announced that she will step away from tournament play at the end of the year, had four birdies and an eagle at the 14th — she holed a 20-foot putt — in her 57th and last major. The putt at the last raised memories of Jack Nicklaus’ birdie finish to his last major at the 2005 Open at St Andrews.
“To finish with a birdie was great,” said Sorenstam, who includes the 2003 women’s British Open among her 10 majors. “I kept it together pretty well today, but I was emotional on the first tee and coming up the final few holes. I was pleased to play well and to break 70 for the first time this week. I just wish the birdie putt at the last had been for the championship.”
As she walked up the final fairway, she was caught in a torrential downpour.
“But I didn’t care about the rain,” she said. “I saw a sign on the scoreboard saying ‘Annika, you will be missed’ and then I was greeted with all the applause. It’s been 15 great years of golf and I just really enjoyed the moment. It was also nice to share it with my caddie [Terry McNamara]. We’ve been together for nine years and we are great friends, so I wanted him to enjoy it too.”
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was
RALLY: It was only the second time the Taiwanese has partnered with Kudermetova, and the match seemed tight until they won seven points in a row to take the last set 10-2 Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching and Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova on Sunday won the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix women’s doubles final in Stuttgart, Germany. The pair defeated Norway’s Ulrikke Eikeri and Estonia’s Ingrid Neel 4-6, 6-3, 10-2 in a tightly contested match at the WTA 500 tournament. Chan and Kudermetova fell 4-6 in the first set after having their serve broken three times, although they played increasingly well. They fought back in the second set and managed to break their opponents’ serve in the eighth game to triumph 6-3. In the tiebreaker, Chan and Kudermetova took a 3-0 lead before their opponents clawed back two points, but