Lydia Ko described her recent victory at the Women's British Open as a 'Cinderella' story, after securing her first major title in eight years by winning at St. Andrews on Sunday. This triumph came just two weeks after her Olympic gold medal win in Paris. The New Zealander sealed her victory with a remarkable birdie on the 18th hole of the windswept Old Course, finishing with a three-under-par 69 and a tournament total of seven under, earning her third major title.
'It is surreal,' Ko told Sky Sports. 'Winning the gold medal in Paris a few weeks ago was almost too good to be true. As I headed into the weekend, I wondered how it was possible for me to win the Open.' She added, '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.'
Ko's victory marked her first major since the 2016 Chevron Championship. At 27, she reflected on her journey, saying, 'It is the most Cinderella-like story these past two weeks. To be holding this trophy now, it is some achievement.' She continued, 'I thought to myself because of the last few weeks it is not going to happen. So don't overreact and play the shot in front of you. My two goals were to par the 11th and birdie the 18th, I achieved both. This is such a special place.' Ko concluded, 'I always said I wanted to win another major championship. Here I am now as a three-time major champion.'
Defending champion Lilia Vu missed a crucial 15-foot birdie putt on the last hole at the 'Home of Golf', failing to force a play-off and then missed from barely 12 inches as Ko secured a two-shot win. World number one Nelly Korda led by two strokes on the 14th tee but took seven shots on the par-five 14th, ending her bid for victory when she found the infamous Road Hole bunker on the 17th, which she bogeyed. Korda finished in joint-second place alongside Vu, Yin Ruoning, and Shin Ji-yai on five under.
England's Charley Hull, who led after the first round, faced a frustrating final day and finished tied for 20th on one over par. Meanwhile, compatriot Lottie Woad won the Smyth Salver, awarded to the tournament's leading amateur, after a closing birdie gave her a total of one-under par.
