Miyu Yamashita wins AIG Women's Open at Porthcawl

The Herald Scotland

3 days ago

Charley Hull, one of the poster girls for women's golf in the UK, had raised hopes of earning a celebratory Downing Street reception that was lavished on the triumphant footballing Lionesses last week with a spirited weekend push.
Sir Keir Starmer could put the bubbly, sausage rolls, vol-au-vents and quiche back in the fridge, though, as Yamashita staved off the chasing pack to become the fourth Japanese women's major winner in the last couple of years and the second this season.
The girls from the Land of the Rising Sun are on, well, the rise.
Six years after the wonderful win of the 'Smiling Cinderella', Hinako Shibuno in this championship, Yamashita had a ball too.
The popping of champagne corks and subsequent dousing she received from her compatriots on the 18th green was richly deserved.
Yamashita closed with a two-under 70 for an 11-under aggregate and a two-shot win over Hull and another Japanese talent, Minami Katsu.
Hull, who was stretchered off the course at the last major, the Evian Championship, with a virus, performed admirably. It was her fourth runners-ups finish in a major championship. She keeps chapping on the door.
Yamashita had her 24th birthday on Saturday and her messy 74 during the third round probably led to the postponement of any cake as her halfway lead evaporated.
She spent much of the evening at the driving range and got herself back on the straight and narrow for the final day.
Yamashita dropped just one shot in a pressure-packed closing round while her par-saves on 13 and 14 were huge in the final analysis.
'This has been a goal of mine, something I've worked towards my whole life, a dream you could say,' she said. 'It's been the result of hard work every single day, making changes, making improvements, and to be able to do it now and call myself a champion is a very special thing.'
Hull, 11 shots off the lead after 36-holes, put in a swashbuckling effort but back-to-back bogeys at 16 and 17 killed off any hope as Yamashita stayed strong at the summit.
'Coming into this week I didn't think I was going to make the cut,' Hull said of the lingering effects of her illness. 'That's the truth of it. I wasn't hitting it very well. I couldn't prepare as well as I wanted to because I was poorly.
"I obviously collapsed three times at the Evian and then I still wasn't feeling well until Sunday last week. So, I think I did pretty well and considering my mindset coming into it. I'm pretty proud of myself.
It was a lively day on the south Wales coast and the early starters were confronted by some fairly desperate conditions.
Paula Martin Sampedro, a brilliant winner of the Women's Amateur Championship at Nairn back in June, was out in some of the worst of it but the Spanish amateur weathered the storm and signed off with a fine four-under 68.
Her card included five birdies in a row from the 11th as the elements began to improve and she eventually finished in a share of eighth and took home the Smyth Salver as the leading player from the unpaid ranks.
Sampedro finished alongside Lottie Woad, who was the top amateur a year ago at St Andrews and has made a barnstorming start to life as a pro. Keep an eye on Sampedro's progress.
'I couldn't imagine a better ending of my AIG Women's Open with a birdie on the last,' Sampedro beamed. 'Truly a dream come true.'
It was a special day too for England's Mimi Rhodes, who made an extraordinary hole-in-one on the fifth en route to a share of 19th.
Her playing partner, Steph Kyriacou, who had an ace of her own on the eighth in round two, knocked her tee-shot to within inches of the hole before Rhodes stepped up.
With a little, snooker-style kiss the would've earned a gentle ripple of applause at the Crucible, her ball went in off Kyriacou's stationary one.
'I wasn't expecting it to go in, so I just picked up my tee and I heard everyone going crazy so I knew something had happened,' said Rhodes. 'Then we just walked up to the green and it was in the hole. Unbelievable.'
Yamashita probably felt something similar as she savoured her silver lining.