Lydia Ko said she had enjoyed a “Cinderella” story after ending an eight-year wait for a major title by winning the Women’s British Open at St Andrews on Sunday, just a fortnight after her Olympic gold medal triumph in Paris.
The New Zealander finished in champion style with a superb birdie on the 18th hole of a windswept Old Course to complete a round of three-under-par 69 and claim her third major title with a tournament total of seven under.
“It is surreal,” Ko told Sky Sports. “Winning the gold medal in Paris a few weeks ago was almost too good to be true. Heading into the weekend I thought ‘How is it possible for me to win the Open?’
Photo: AFP
“This is almost too good to be true. Out of all the major championships, this was the one I had the least amount of confidence in.”
Victory gave Ko, 27, her first major since she won the 2016 Chevron Championship.
Ko, who as a 17-year-old became the youngest player to be ranked number one in professional golf, added: “It is the most Cinderella-like story these past two weeks. To be holding this trophy now, it is some achievement.”
“I always said I wanted to win another major championship. Here I am now as a three-time major champion,” she added.
Defending champion Lilia Vu failed to sink a 15-foot birdie putt on the last at the “home of golf,” to force a play-off and then missed from barely 12 inches as Ko, already in the clubhouse, completed a two-shot win.
Taiwan’s Chien Pei-yun finished at No. 71 with an eight-over-par and earned US$13,988.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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