Daily Sports Digests

 

Lydia Ko's ‘Cinderella Story’ Culminates in Women’s Open Triumph Following Olympic Gold in Paris

 

Lydia Ko has achieved what she describes as a “Cinderella-like story” by winning the Women’s Open at St. Andrews on Sunday, mere weeks after securing Olympic gold in Paris.

The 27-year-old New Zealander fired a three-under 69 in her final round, capped by a birdie on the last hole, to finish at seven-under for the tournament. This victory marks her third major title and comes with a $1.425 million prize.

Ko finished two strokes ahead of a four-way tie for second place, which included world No. 1 Nelly Korda, Yin Ruoning, defending champion Lilia Vu, and Shin Ji-yai.

“It’s pretty surreal,” Ko said during the trophy presentation. “Winning the gold medal in Paris a few weeks ago felt almost too good to be true. Heading into the weekend, I questioned how it was possible for me to win The Open. These past few weeks have felt like a fairy tale, and this win is almost unbelievable.

“I had the least confidence heading into this major because of my limited experience with links courses, and my results hadn’t been great. But holding this trophy right now is just incredible.”

Starting the final round three shots behind South Korea’s Shin, who led after 54 holes, Ko’s charge began with a birdie on the fourth hole. American Korda, who had been playing exceptionally well this season, briefly took the lead after a series of birdies. However, a double-bogey on the par-five 15th hole caused her to drop back, tying Ko and Shin at the top.

A birdie by Vu on the 14th hole created a four-way tie with only four holes remaining. Ko finished her round first, setting a clubhouse lead of seven-under with her birdie on the final hole. As the final group completed their rounds, Korda and Shin both bogeyed the 17th, and Vu’s chance to force a playoff was dashed by a three-putt on the 18th, sealing the victory for Ko.

This dramatic win, coming after being two shots behind before the 16th hole, wraps up a remarkable few weeks for Ko. She recently completed her medal collection, adding gold to her previous silver and bronze from the Summer Games.

Reflecting on her journey, Ko spoke about her career highs and lows during a press conference.

“I’ve experienced many ups and downs from 2015 to 2024,” she said. “When things are going well, it’s hard to remember the tough times, and when they’re not, it feels like you’ll never get out of the slump. I’m grateful to be a major champion once, let alone three times.

“My husband asked me last year if I would trade winning another major for keeping our dog, Kai. I said I wanted to keep Kai because he’s the new love of my life. Winning a major is incredibly significant, but having both is even better. It’s pretty cool.”

Code: PARIS2024