New Zealand’s Lydia Ko celebrated a remarkable double triumph on Sunday, clinching the Women’s Open Championship at St. Andrews just two weeks after her Olympic gold medal victory in Paris.
Ko finished her final round in spectacular fashion with a birdie on the iconic 18th hole of the windswept Old Course. Her three-under-par 69 secured her third major title with an overall score of seven-under-par.
“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?’ 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.”
The victory marks Ko’s first major title since the 2016 Chevron Championship. Reflecting on her achievement, the 27-year-old said, “It is the most Cinderella-like story these past two weeks. To be holding this trophy now, it is some achievement.”
Ko, who became the youngest player to be ranked world number one at age 17, added, “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.”
“All my achievements are special, even the silver and bronze at the Olympics. I always said I wanted to win another major championship. Here I am now as a three-time major champion,” she said.
Meanwhile, in the men’s tournament, Keegan Bradley emerged victorious at the BMW Championship, adding another highlight to an exciting weekend of golf.
Reference(s):
Golf: Ko wins Women's Open, Bradley triumphs at BMW Championship
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