Georgia Hall on Sunday became the fourth Englishwoman major champion when she carded a closing five-under-par 67 to clinch victory at the Women’s British Open in Lancashire, England.
She stamped her authority with three birdies in a four-hole stretch to beat Thailand’s Pornanong Phatlum by two strokes at Royal Lytham & St Annes.
Cheered on by a large gallery, Hall finished at 17-under 271, becoming the second English player to win the championship after Karen Stupples in 2004.
Photo: AFP
“I told myself just to stay calm the whole way and not think about anything. I thought I’d cry,” the 22-year-old Hall said.
Hall joined Laura Davies (four), Alison Nicholas and Stupples as women’s major winners from England.
She became the first English player of either sex to win a major at Royal Lytham since Tony Jacklin won the 1969 British Open.
The final round quickly turned into a head-to-head duel between Hall and overnight lead Phatlum, after South Korean Ryu So-yeon triple-bogeyed the third hole.
Hall tied for the lead with a 10-foot birdie at the 13th hole, before she and Phatlum both birdied the par-five 15th to remain locked together.
Hall added another birdie at the par-four 16th to take sole possession of the lead, before going three shots ahead when Phatlum double-bogeyed the 17th after driving into a fairway bunker.
The large lead allowed Hall to enjoy the rousing reception that she received on her victory march up to the final hole, where a three-putt bogey was academic.
Phatlum hit a series of loose drives down the stretch, but a 70 earned her second place on 15 under, with Ryu (70) another two shots back in third.
BRIDGESTONE
Reuters, AKRON, Ohio
A week before defending his PGA Championship title, Justin Thomas on Sunday demonstrated that his game is in excellent shape as he blew away the field for a four-stroke victory at the World Golf Championships (WGC) Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, Ohio.
Thomas started the final round with a three-shot cushion and was never seriously challenged. His one-under-par 69 more than enough to clinch his ninth PGA Tour title — his first in a WGC event.
He finished at 15-under 265 at Firestone, while fellow American Kyle Stanley carded 68 for second place on 11 under.
World No. 1 Dustin Johnson shot 64 and for third on 10-under par.
Thomas, 25, held steady on a day when the players who started closest to the lead all fell apart.
The championship moves to Memphis next year, ending a long run at Firestone.
“I’m glad I finally played well around here, just in time for it to leave,” Thomas said.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan on Saturday won the men’s doubles bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, after they were bested by the hosts in their semi-final. The Taiwanese shuttlers lost to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, who advanced to yesterday’s final against Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudin. The Chinese pair outplayed Lee and Yang in straight games. Although the Taiwanese got off to a slow start in the first game, they eventually tied it 14-14, before Liang and Wang went on to blow past them to win 21-17. In the second game, Lee and