South Korea’s Kim In-kyung held her nerve to claim a first major title by winning the Women’s British Open.
Kim took a six-shot lead into the final round at Kingsbarns Golf Links in Scotland, but a course record-equalling 64 from Yorkshire’s Jodi Ewart Shadoff took her to within two shots of the lead.
Kim birdied the first and eighth holes, but her momentum stalled with a three-putt bogey on the ninth hole, and she came home with nine pars to win by two strokes. With rounds of 65, 68, 66 and 71, the 29-year-old from Seoul finished with a total of 18-under-par 270 to claim her fourth Ladies European Tour title and her 10th professional win in total, worth £387,996.
However, Kim, who famously missed a one-foot putt to win the Kraft Nabisco Championship in 2012, was able to par the final five holes for a winning total of 18 under par.
Despite strong winds and occasional driving rain, the scores were low through the week, with the softened greens allowing players to take dead aim at the flags. Ewart Shaddoff’s 64 was matched by both Michelle Wie and Inbee Park during the earlier rounds.
Ewart Shadoff’s runners-up finish secured her place on Europe’s Solheim Cup team to take on the United States in Iowa from 18-20 August. Speaking after the round, she said: She said: “Starting the day I didn’t that I would have a shot at the title, as IK was way ahead. But I came out really strong – holed a great putt on the first hole, which set the tone for the day, and then my putter really caught fire. I had a great stretch in the middle of the round to get me going. I was really able to control my ball flight in the wind all week and I holed a lot of putts.”
Hall, who played in the final group alongside Kim on Sunday, was disappointed with the way she played over the weekend, after put himself in a strong position to win her first major title. She said: “The way I finished off my round on Saturday really killed me my chances of winning it. But I tried my best today. The weather was terrible. There was a lot of rain and wind, and I struggled to cope with that at times. I made a couple of silly mistakes, but coming third is more than I expected coming into the week, so I’m pretty happy with that.”
Fellow Solheim Cup player Charley Hull finished on eight under, while Mel Reid ended on six under, while Laura Davies, playing in her 37th consecutive Open, finished on two under.
England’s Sophie Lamb won the Smyth Salver as the leading amateur, after rounds of 69, 71, 73 and 69 for a total of six-under-par, to share 30th position. The 19-year-old from Clitheroe in Lancashire credited her boyfriend, the noted amateur golfer Marco Penge, who was on her bag for the week.