Hull’s Major Wait Goes On As She Pushes Yamashita All The Way At Women’s Open

Charley Hull is owed precocious praise for astatine slightest making this interesting. It whitethorn beryllium of small consolation to nan English golfer arsenic her hold for a maiden awesome triumph goes connected but Hull’s surge was nan only point that ever looked for illustration halting Miyu Yamashita’s Porthcawl procession. What an day of stirring play this quickly became connected nan stunning links, which should beryllium rewarded pinch much high-profile events earlier excessively long. To Hull, plentifulness of plaudits for specified a swashbuckling display.

Yamashita yet prevailed, by two, astatine 11 nether par. The Women’s Open was denied a British victor for nan first clip since Georgia Hall lifted nan trophy astatine Royal Lytham & St Anne’s successful 2018. Still, Hull must consciousness she is person than ever to winning 1 of her sport’s biggest prizes. She now has 4 2nd places successful majors.

“Coming into this week I didn’t deliberation I was going to make nan cut,” Hull admitted. “That’s nan truth of it. I wasn’t hitting it very well. I couldn’t hole arsenic good arsenic I wanted to because I was poorly. I evidently collapsed 3 times in nan information astatine nan Evian and past I still wasn’t emotion good until Sunday past week. So I deliberation I did beautiful good and considering my mindset coming into it. I’m beautiful proud of myself.

“At nan extremity of nan day, it’s conscionable a game. That’s what I deliberation astir and I enjoyed it retired there. I conscionable emotion that adrenaline feeling. It’s truthful good, it’s for illustration a monolithic hit.”

Minami Katsu tied Hull’s aggregate but was ne'er a threat to nan winner. Hull sat 11 adrift aft 36 holes of this major. With 3 front-nine birdies successful information four, Hull closed to wrong 1 of nan leaderboard’s summit. What happened adjacent turned nan Women’s Open backmost successful Yamashita’s favour. As she delivered birdies astatine nan 8th and 9th, Hull could only par nan 9th and 10th. The leader’s advantage was three.

Hull displayed emblematic tenacity complete nan closing stretch. She had promised to play for illustration a kid, to onslaught each spread and stayed existent to her word. Her robust into nan par 3 12th was laser-like, mounting up a birdie. The 29-year-old picked up different changeable astatine nan 14th, outstandingly truthful aft uncovering heavy writer from nan tee. Was Yamashita now emotion nan heat? A thrust into nan bunker astatine nan par-five 13th, followed by a tame greenside chip, suggested so. Yamashita steadied herself and jabbed backmost astatine Hull pinch a wonderful, converted par putt from agelong range.

The final, cardinal moments were still to arrive. Hull deed into soil from nan 16th tee. She could hardly beforehand nan shot acold from location earlier overshooting nan putting aboveground pinch her third. Hull bravely rescued a bogey, conscionable arsenic Yamashita slammed location an 8ft par putt 2 holes behind. Yamashita was 2 clear pinch 4 to play. Another Hull dropped changeable astatine nan penultimate spread meant Yamashita doing likewise made nary worldly difference.

Charley Hull lines up a putt connected her measurement to 2nd spot successful nan Women’s Open. Photograph: Nigel French/PA

Yamashita is nan 3rd subordinate from Japan to triumph this tourney but nan 2nd since it was afforded awesome status. Her plaything is truthful unchangeable 1 wonders really she tin ever miss. A putting wobble towards nan extremity of information 3 proved nan objection to Yamashita’s 2025 Women’s Open rule. That she withstood everything Hull threw astatine her connected a gusty day says truthful overmuch for nan caller champion’s mentality. “To triumph specified a historical tourney successful beforehand of each these astonishing fans is specified an unthinkable feeling,” said Yamashita. Victory came nan time aft her 24th birthday.

South Korea’s Kim A-lim and Japan’s Rio Takeda shared 4th astatine 7 under. Lottie Woad’s tourney closed pinch a 71 and four-under full for a top-10 finish. Woad will person learned a batch successful Wales, including what it is for illustration to play nether specified a load of expectation. Victory astatine past weekend’s Scottish Open connected her first master commencement meant she was successful uncharted territory here. She will relish settling into nan United States and nan LPGA Tour complete nan coming weeks.

“I don’t deliberation it affected my play but location was decidedly a batch much attention, a batch much eyes connected me,” Woad said. “I consciousness for illustration I handled it beautiful good wide and was conscionable sticking to my game, conscionable trying to attraction connected nan mentation really and not fto it distract maine excessively much. It was a beautiful bully week overall, it was beautiful solid.”