Australia’s Stephanie Kyriacou has walked away from the AIG Girls’s Open with a hole-in-one and an help as Japan’s Miyu Yamashita received by two photographs at Royal Porthcawl in Wales on Sunday to clinch an emotional first main title.
Kyriacou, who was the very best of the Australians coming in a tie for eighth, made an ace of her personal throughout the second spherical however performed a serving to hand within the remaining spherical as enjoying companion Mimi Rhodes remarkably ricocheted her ball off Kyriacou’s and into the cup on the par three fifth.
The Australian got here ever so near placing a second one on her card for the weeks together with her tee shot stopping solely inches from the outlet for a sure birdie.
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Rhodes’ shot appeared set to roll previous the outlet earlier than colliding with Kyriacou’s ball and recreating a transfer from a billiards desk, deflecting into the pot.
The Englishwoman seemed not sure about what had occurred as they heard the cheers of the group, however finally raised her arms in celebration and Kyriacou gave her a hug.
On commentary, former Tour skilled Women European Tour skilled Henni Zuel, mentioned: “Unreal! I hope she buys Steph a pleasant current. One thing greater than a drink is deserved there.”
Yamashita wins maiden Main by two photographs | 02:23
After their rounds, each gamers revealed that they have been unaware of what had occurred till they noticed the replay as soon as that they had walked off the golf course.
“Yeah, I hit a very good 8-iron, hit it proper the place I needed it to. Yeah, I wasn’t anticipating it to go in, so I simply picked up my tee, and I heard everybody going loopy,” Rhodes mentioned.
“Yeah, further loud than typical, so I knew one thing had occurred. Then we simply walked as much as the inexperienced and it was within the gap. I had no concept it hit Steph’s ball till I simply noticed the video, in order that’s unbelievable.”
Kyriacou in the meantime is claiming the moniker of the luckiest individual in golf.
“I’m,” she mentioned with a chuckle.
“We truly simply watched the video, and it hit my ball, and it went in. So I’m sort of claiming it, although Mimi might be not going to say that.”
The freakish prevalence is just not unprecedented with Louis Oosthuizen adopting the identical route, by way of JB Holmes’ ball, to make a hole-in-one on the par three sixteenth at The Masters in 2016.
INCREDIBLE! Aussie Kyriacou hole-in-one! | 00:19
Kyriacou completed seven photographs behind Yamashita with a one-under par remaining spherical of 71 to succeed in -4 general.
The 24-year-old from Sydney made a nightmare begin to the ultimate day with a triple bogey seven on the opening gap.
She dropped one other shot on the third, however then fought again with 5 birdies throughout the rest of her spherical to register the second high ten end of her profession at this very event.
“The primary gap was fairly tough. It’s not ultimate while you hit your second ball OB, onto the seaside,” Kyriacou mentioned.
“I caught in there, confirmed some grit, and completed 1-under at present. I’m very completely happy.”
She added: “I feel it could have been fairly straightforward to throw it in and be like, oh, F this or no matter, however I received one thing out of my spherical.
“I received one thing out of my day. I’m actually proud with how I confirmed up for the remainder of the day.”
Kyriacou completed two photographs higher than countrywoman Minjee Lee, whose even par remaining spherical of 72 put her in a share of thirteenth at -2.
“Yeah, I really feel like that’s most likely the worst rating I might have had at present,” Lee mentioned.
“I felt like I used to be going fairly effectively after which simply sort of made a foolish mistake on 14 (which led to a double bogey).
“It was sort of a type of weeks the place I used to be sort of within the center, like I wasn’t actually wonderful at one factor or one other.
“So it was sort of — you understand, I’m not complaining that I’m going to complete thirteenth or 14th, however yeah, I’d have appreciated to be within the high 10.”
Lee’s efforts have been sufficient to safe a major honour, nevertheless.
She clinched the Annika Award for the very best participant throughout the 5 girls’s majors this yr because the Girls’s PGA Championship winner got here tied twenty second or higher at every occasion.
Lee is the primary participant to win the award a number of instances, having achieved so in 2022, because it’s inception in 2014, however she solely rated her main an eight and a half out of ten.
“I feel from the place I used to be initially of the yr and clearly successful KPMG and performed Chevron and had a very good end at Evian and all proper at U.S. Open and all proper right here. So I really feel like I — I’m going to say I’ve achieved fairly effectively,” she mentioned.
“Possibly like an eight and a half.”
Evian Championship winner Grace Kim endured a tricky eight-over par remaining spherical of 80 to complete in a tie for 67th at +12.
Minjee Lee nearly hit by stray ball! | 00:22
On the high of the leaderboard, Yamashita carded a two-under par remaining spherical to carry off a robust problem from England’s Charley Hull on the Welsh hyperlinks course.
She completed -11 for the event, with Hull and Japan’s Minami Katsu ending in a tie for second place after remaining rounds of 69 left them on -9.
Only a day after turning 24, Yamashita grew to become the third Japanese lady to win the British Open after Hinako Shibuno in 2019 and Ayako Okamoto in 1984.
She joyously swigged from a bottle of champagne on the 18th inexperienced earlier than wiping away tears of pleasure after sealing her victory.
“To win such a historic event in entrance of all these wonderful followers is such an unimaginable feeling,” Yamashita mentioned.
“The course is about as much as be very tough but additionally in an excellent situation. The quantity of individuals supporting me at present actually pushed me in direction of the victory and that is for them.”
Yamashita’s earlier greatest efficiency in a serious was a tie for second place finally yr’s Girls’s PGA Championship.
She survived a stern check of her temperament on the final day after resuming with a one-stroke lead over South Korea’s Kim A-lim.
Having posted a bogey-free 65 on Friday, she had carded a two-over par 74 marred by erratic driving off the tee and struggles on the greens within the third spherical.
Yamashita recovered her composure on Sunday as she launched into a relentless march to the trophy.
Previous to this yr, Yamashita’s highest end on the Girls’s British Open was thirteenth in 2022, however she mastered the Porthcawl course in emphatic trend.
“To be a part of such a second in historical past is one thing particular,” she mentioned.
“Being my first win is one thing very particular and to have a good time with everyone seems to be an incredible feeling.”
Yamashita is the fourth Japanese main champion prior to now two years. Previous to 2024, Japan had simply two main champions within the historical past of the LPGA Tour.
Kim examined Yamashita when she drew stage on the high of the leaderboard with a birdie on the second gap.
However Yamashita instantly regained the lead when Kim missed two putts to bogey the subsequent gap.
She moved three photographs away from Kim on the fourth gap with an ice-cool birdie whereas the South Korean bogeyed.
A 3-putt bogey on the seventh left Kim’s title problem in tatters. Hull made her cost with three birdies in 4 holes to tug inside a stroke of Yamashita.
She had been 11 strokes again at the beginning of the third spherical. The biggest 36-hole deficit overcome to win any LPGA main all-time is 10 photographs, however Yamashita snuffed out any likelihood of that report being damaged.
She carded birdies on the eighth and ninth to maneuver three photographs forward. Hull, who completed second at each the British Open and the US Open in 2023, stored combating.
The 29-year-old dropped in an eight-foot birdie putt on the twelfth and guided in one other birdie to large roars on the 14th.
Yamashita’s lead was down to 1 stroke with 5 holes left, however because the stress mounted it was Hull who cracked.
She slumped with bogeys on the sixteenth and seventeenth to present the title to the nerveless Yamashita, who embraced her caddie and punched the air in delight after wrapping up the victory.