Lydia Ko has demonstrated her golfing Midas touch once more, lifting the Women’s British Open title at St Andrews just a fortnight after striking gold at the Olympics in another landmark day for New Zealand sport. The Kiwi maestro reckoned it felt like a surreal “Cinderella-like” tale as she headed an extraordinary leaderboard at the home of golf on Sunday, with the first six places all occupied by the players who have ascended to the world No.1 spot during their careers.
But not even the current holder of that accolade, Nelly Korda, could match the cool quality under pressure of the serene 27-year-old Ko, who captured her third major with a superb, curling seven-foot birdie at the storied final hole of the Old Course that left her pursuers too much to do. Ko’s three-under 69 gave her a third major crown – and a first in eight years – as she finished on seven under, two shots clear of a group of four – Korda (72), defending champ Lilia Vu (73), China’s Ruoning Yin (70) and two-time champion Jiyai Shin (74).
Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn, another world No.1 and former Open winner, was sixth after also shooting a final-round 70. “It’s pretty surreal. Winning the gold medal in Paris was almost too good to be true,” Ko shrugge. “I’ve had the most Cinderella-like story these past couple of weeks and it’s almost too good to be true.
“Of all the major championships, this one I’ve had the least amount of confidence, because I’ve had the least amount of experience on links… So to be holding this trophy right now, I can’t believe it.” Victory finally slipped away from Korda when she found the Road Hole bunker, going on to bogey that infamous penultimate hole.
Pure emotion from our Champion ❤️ pic.twitter.com/fFkR5OYaVZ
— AIG Women’s Open (@AIGWomensOpen) August 25, 2024
Asked where a victory at the game’s spiritual home ranked in her stellar career, Ko couldn’t help but smile as she responded to much laughter round the 18th green: “It’s kinda like saying, ‘do you like your mother better or your father better? … They are all special in their own way.'”
She was brought to tears this time, prevailing after a magnificent tussle down the stretch in a final round which featured cold, windy and rainy conditions before ending in sunshine and with one of the sport’s classiest acts prevailing. “It’s pretty surreal. Winning the gold medal in Paris was almost too good to be true and I thought, ‘how is it going to be possible to win the Women’s Open?’,” smiled Ko, who added the Open crown to the 2015 Evian and 2016 Chevron Championships she won as a teen phenomenon.
“I was saying to myself, ‘it’s not going to happen – don’t over-react’.”
But it did happen, just another feather in the cap of the player who has also been inducted into the LPGA’s Hall of Fame this past fortnight thanks to her Paris gold which completed her set of Olympic medals. Hopes of another special final-round performance from Australia’s Steph Kyriacou, who had just missed out on the Evian crown in France, never materialized as she endured a tough final day, shooting a seven-over 79 that left tied for 60th at seven over.
Former Olympic youth champion Grace Kim overtook her fellow 23-year-old Sydneysider to finish as leading Australian, with her one-under 71 leaving her at four over, tied for 37th.
