South Korea’s Inbee Park claimed her seventh major on Sunday when she carded seven birdies and an eagle in a record-equaling final round of 65 to win the Women’s British Open.
A 12-under-par 276 total gave the 27-year-old world No. 1 a three-shot triumph and a second major of the season to set alongside her third successive LPGA Championship in June. Park has also won two US Opens and the 2013 Kraft Nabisco Championship. The only missing major from the list is the Evian Championship, but she did win the title the year before it became one of the big five in 2013.
“I have dreamed of this,” Park said after becoming the seventh woman golfer to win four different majors in her career. “It’s just amazing and it hasn’t really sunk in.”
Photo: AFP
“Winning majors always gives you a confidence boost and that’s what made the difference today,” she said. “I had been in the position before and I knew I could do it.”
Twenty-year-old South Korean Ko Jin-young was three shots behind in second place after a 71, with world No. 2 Lydia Ko (69) and Ryu So-yeon (68) tied for third on eight-under-par.
Taiwan’s Teresa Lu, who was in a share for the lead heading into the final day, finished sixth after shooting her worst round of the tournament, a 74 to finish on 282.
Lu’s first two holes of the day were her undoing, a double-bogey first up, followed by a bogey on the second.
Park was still three behind Ko Jin-young with five to play. However, she eagled the 14th, birdied the 16th and finally unnerved her young compatriot.
Ko Jin-young, a joint overnight leader, holed massive putts for an eagle at the seventh and birdies at the eighth and 10th to take control, but made her first error when she three-putted for bogey at the 13th, which coincided with Park’s eagle at the 14th. Her title hopes finally ended when she dumped her second shot into the burn guarding the green at the 16th. She ended up with a double-bogey six.
It was a sad end following a brave effort. She was playing in her first major and had never experienced the tormenting wind and rain that accompanied every round of the championship.
Park was full of praise for her young compatriot.
“She is a very talented player and held up very well under the pressure. She played fantastic golf all week,” Park said. “The weather made it so hard, but to overcome all the hard tasks and become champion is great. I putted so well today. Everything seemed to go in and nothing seemed to worry me.”
At 18, Lydia Ko was right in the hunt to become the youngest-ever major winner until she came to grief at the par four 12th.
The New Zealander took two in a greenside bunker — she had to hit out backward with her second attempt to escape — and ran up a double-bogey six.
Other Taiwanese in the field were Yani Tseng (287), who tied for 13th, Candie Kung (293) in a share of 36th, Cheng Ssu-Chia (300) in a tie for 66th and Hsu Wei-ling Hsu (301), who was among a group in 69th.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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