Mo snatches Open with last ditch eagle

America’s Mo Martin produced two of the finest shots of her life to surge to the top of the leaderboard and snatch the Ricoh Women’s British Open at Royal Birkdale.

Standing on the 18th tee two shots behind the leaders, the diminutive Martin hit a 240-yard drive straight down the middle and then a full 3-wood, which ricocheted off the flagstick but set up a six-foot eagle putt. She duly converted the putt for closing round of 72 and set the clubhouse mark at one under.

Mo Martin hits her second shot on the par-5 18th hole to set up an eagle finish. PHOTO: Getty Images

More than 70 minutes passed before it became evident that her spectacular eagle was enough to give the 31-year-old a one-stroke victory over China’s Shanshan Feng and Norway’s Suzann Pettersen, who both had chances over the closing holes to draw level with Martin but could not make up the difference.

Martin celebrates after hitting the flag with her second shot. PHOTO: Getty Images.

Third round leader, Inbee Park, also battled to the end but a bogey on the final hole saw the Korean close with a 77, two shots behind the surprise winner.

Martin’s victory was worth £277,887 ($456,818) and extended the sequence which has seen American players win all of the year’s first three Majors for the first time since 1999. It also gave the new champion her first victory since claiming the third of her trio of Futures (Symetra) Tour titles at the Eagle Classic in Richmond, Virginia, back in 2011.

Martin had held the lead after two opening rounds of 69 but then dropped back into a share of seventh place after carding a five over 77 in the third round. There were those who thought the World No. 99 had lost her chance to claim the title but Martin was not one of them as she defied the strengthening wind to play the first 17 holes in 69 shots before producing her knock-out blow on the last.

“I think I still need to be pinched,” admitted Martin, before dedicating her first Major victory to her grandfather, Lincoln Martin, who became a major influence in her life when her father died when she was 19 but who passed away earlier this year, aged 102

“He was a very kind, gentle man,” she said. “My Dad didn’t really have a relationship with him. My Grandpa didn’t agree with some of the things he did. But, when my Dad passed away, I knew my Grandpa was someone I really wanted to get to know. So I made a trip to his ranch in California and walked into his office and found all sorts of newspaper articles and pictures of me. I started crying because I didn’t know he was that involved in my life.

“We didn’t have much money growing up but we still have the ranch and this win will help to keep in the family.”

"Somebody pinch me." Martin poses with the trophy and still can't quite believe she's a major champion. PHOTO: Getty Images.

Pettersen, Ahn and Park all played major roles in what was a captivating final day but the last round turned out to be a huge disappointment for English teenager, Charley Hull, who had shot into contention after carding a six under par 66 the previous day . The 18 year-old Solheim Cup player started the final round in a tie for seventh place but carded a six over par 78 to drop back into a share of 12th place alongside defending champion Stacy Lewis, Gwladys Nocera, Azahara Munoz and Anna Nordqvist.

“I played rubbish today, to be honest,” Hull admitted. “I was a bit nervous because the ball was moving and stuff on the greens. But I’ve learned a lot from this round today, again. It’s just a shame I couldn’t birdie the last to finish inside the top-10.”

The leading British player turned out to be 50 year-old veteran, Dame Laura Davies, who was making her 34th appearance in the championship and who finished with a birdie for a one over par 73 to share ninth place with Sun-Ju Ahn and Marina Alex on four over 292. That top-10 finish guaranteed her place in next year’s Ricoh Women’s British Open field at Turnberry.

“I have played well all week,” confirmed the English woman who won the championship at Birkdale in 1986. “The first day was a bit disappointing because I played better than the score. Yesterday, I got off to a horrible start, three over after two, but battled back (to a 72).

“That was probably my best round of the year,” she added. “Today was obviously much tougher, with the wind. It was a lot of long irons. I think on the first two holes I hit a 2-iron for my second shot into the first, a 3-iron second shot into the second and that’s par-4s, not par 5s. Normally, it’s a different game for me.”

Canberra’s Nikki Campbell was the leading Australian player in a tie for 38^th. NSW’s Sarah Kemp had a disappointing 80 to close out her campaign and she finished tied for 58^th.

LEADERBOARD

1. Mo Martin (US)   69-69-77-72–287       £277,887

T2. Shanshan Feng (PRC)   73-71-69-75–288       148,068

T2. Suzann Pettersen (Nor)   72-73-68-75–288      148,068

4. Inbee Park (S.Kor)   72-72-68-77–289  95,394

T5. Jessica Korda (US)   72-72-73-74–291           65,738

ALSO:

T38. Nikki Campbell (ACT)   77-72-73-76–298     £11,613

T58. Sarah Kemp (NSW)   70-79-74-80–303        4,044

* For the full leaderboard, click here