Women's British Open: The most spectacular start to a major championship in the history of golf - eagle, albatross - gave Karen Stupples a sensational victory in the Women's British Open here yesterday.
On a course that begins with two par-five holes, Stupples started with a three and a two to go to five under after only two holes, and move from one behind the leaders to three ahead. It provided the springboard for a leap into golfing history as only the third English woman in modern times to win a major championship, behind Laura Davies and Alison Nicholas.
After a five-iron from 205 yards had trickled into the hole, Stupples said she thought: "Crikey, it could be my day." And so it was. Thereafter, whenever a putt needed to be holed, it was and when, with two holes to go and with a four-stroke lead, she needed two good drives, they were delivered. It all added up to a round of 64, eight under par, for a 19-under total of 269 and a five-shot margin over the Australian Rachel Teske.
Heather Bowie was 13-under, Lorena Ochoa 12-under and Davies, on 10-under, was tied with the 19-year-old Finn Minea Blomqvist. Annika Sorenstam, never in the mix, finished on eight-under.
In recent times, Brian Davis began the 2003 US Open with an eagle followed by three birdies, and in the 1992 US Open at Pebble Beach, Andy Dillard began with six straight birdies, but both then faded completely.
Stupples took the view rather than be intimidated by the thought of having to play 16 holes knowing she could now win a major, she could instead "relax and enjoy myself". She added: "It was now up to Rachel to try and catch me."
It was an admirable attitude, and it worked to the extent her finish, with three birdies in the last four holes, was arguably better than her start. At the short 15th she hit what she later described as a "not particularly good" seven-wood, but it avoided the bunker and left her with a 30-footer, which rattled the inside of the cup. The roar travelled back to the 14th green where Teske was not making the birdie that is on offer there.
Whatever, her tee shot to the 15th was well wide of the pin, her 40-footer ran 12 feet past and when she missed she dropped to 14-under, three behind.
Up ahead, Stupples was avoiding another bunker off her tee shot and then hitting a five-iron to nine feet. In it went, another roar. It seemed it was all over. It was at the next.
A perfect drive was followed by a "safe" seven-iron that Stupples knew would not get to the pin, but would also not get her into trouble. "I was only trying to get it close," she said of the 40-footer, "and it snuck in". That gave her a five-stroke lead and the opportunity to play the 72nd hole knowing that she had won.
She hit a perfect drive, safely found the green and a crowd of 5,000 cheered her with gusto.
Nicholas, only 42 but tired of the travel, played her last major yesterday. She won the Open in 1987 and the US Women's Open in 1997. Nicholas has graced the women's game for 20 years. In her partnership with Davies in the Solheim Cup at Lake Nona in 1990, this pair were drawn to play the top two women in golf at the time.
At the appointed hour the first of them, Pat Bradley, turned up on the first tee. The English women had a giggle - they had decided their opponents were "God and God" - and then Bradley's partner approached. Nicholas turned to Davies and said: "Don't look now, but Nancy Lopez is just about to join us." They beat them though, 2 and 1.
Guardian Service
