Women's British Open - Final Round

Yani Tseng made a five-footer for par at the final hole to clinch the RICOH Women's British Open.  It is the fourth career victory for the 21-year-old from Taiwan and her third major championship.  Katherine Hull finished second at -10, one shot behind.  Na Yeon Choi and In-Kyung Kim tied for third at -7.

Tseng started the day up by four shots and despite the great Sunday weather - sunny and wind about 12mph - no one outside of the final group could make a run at her.  Inky got as close as four early on but putting problems kept her out of reach.  Ditto for Cristie Kerr, her second straight day of flat-stick issues.  Once Brittany Lincicome started bogey-double, her chances were gone.  It was match-play between Tseng and Hull virtually all day.  Hull got thing going with an eight-footer for birdie at 2.  A two-shot swing at 3 - Yani found a bunker off the tee and took bogey while Katherine drained a 20-footer - and the lead was suddenly just one.  Immediately that swing was reversed - Tseng dropped a 25-footer while Hull bogeyed.  When Yani landed her third to the par-5 6^th within three feet and made the birdie, her four-shot lead had returned just as quickly as it had vanished.

At 8 both players found the same fairway bunker and had to pitch out to the fairway.  Hull missed for par from 20 feet and Tseng failed from eight but the lead was still four.  At 10 Yani ran her birdie try four feet past and lipped the comebacker on the right side, trimming the lead to three.  Hull had 18 feet for birdie at 11 and curled it in, reaching -9 and drawing within two.  Both made poor birdie attempts at 12 but saved par, Tseng from five feet.  Hull's approach at 13 was roped to three feet - the resulting birdie cut the lead once again to one.  Tseng left her long birdie try at 14 four feet short but converted.  At the par-5 15^th Hull gave Yani an opening when she found the left-front greenside bunker and blasted over the hole to the fringe.  Tseng chipped her third to four feet but lipped out the birdie putt while Katherine two-putted for par.  At 16 Hull was very aggressive with her 30-foot birdie putt, rolling it six feet by.  Tseng missed her birdie from 12 feet and Hull dropped her par putt to stay within one.

With two par-5s to play, anything could happen - right?  After good tee shots at 17, Hull just skirted past the front right bunker and nearly rolled into another.  Tseng pulled her second left but bounced off the embankment to the front fringe.  Yani overcooked her chip, running 15 feet past the hole.  Katherine's putt scooted 12 feet beyond.  Tseng's birdie putt missed left and Hull's burned the left edge.  At 18 neither drove well - Hull into the right rough, Tseng into a bunker left.  Katherine ripped her second and it bounced over the back of the green.  Yani punched out to the fairway and played her third to the right fringe.  Hull landed her chip far too short of the green and it stopped 18 feet from the hole.  Tseng putted her fourth to about five feet.  Katherine missed her birdie putt just left and Yani dropped her par putt for the win.

In winning her third major title, Yani Tseng has three-quarters of the Career Slam in hand and becomes the youngest player in LPGA history to win three majors.  Congratulations!