Hall wins first major at Women's Open

Pornanong Phatlum's late slip-up opened the door for Georgia Hall to clinch the Women's British Open.

Published : Aug 06, 2018 00:38 IST

Georgia Hall claimed her first major title by edging Pornanong Phatlum to win the Women's British Open at Royal Lytham on Sunday.

Phatlum had led Hall by a single shot overnight and the pair jostled throughout an absorbing final day's play.

However, a double bogey from Phatlum on the 17th sent Hall three clear, giving her plenty of breathing space to complete a famous victory, finishing on 17-under for the tournament.

The 22-year-old is the first British golfer to win a women's major since Scotland's Catriona Matthew won this event in 2009, and England's first since Karen Stupples did likewise five years earlier.

Hall immediately pulled level with Phatlum with a birdie on the first on Sunday but was two down on her opponent by the time they had completed hole fives.

However, Phatlum bogeyed the eighth - just her second blemish of the week - to allow Hall back within one shot, before a run of three birdies in four holes for Hall left the Thai stunned.

From one up at the 12th, Phatlum found herself one down by the time of her penultimate tee shot - a hole that would effectively kill her chances stone dead.

A three-putt on the 17th green gave Hall a healthy cushion heading to the final hole, which could have been even greater had the Englishwoman's birdie putt not pulled up agonisingly short.

Phatlum's collapse meant Hall's bogey on the last mattered little, as she matched her best round of the week with a 67 to wrap up the win.

So Yeon Ryu finished third but could have been a contender for the title had it not been for her early failings.

The South Korean managed seven birdies on her final round but a triple bogey on the third and further dropped shots at holes four and 10 limited her threat, ultimately finishing four shots off the lead.

World number one Ariya Jutanugarn finished a further four shots back in a tie for fourth, alongside Sei Young Kim and Mamiko Higa.

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