The future which golf had long prophesised arrived in emphatic style at Hoylake yesterday. Jiyai Shin won the Ricoh Women's British Open to make it an Asian-clean sweep of the female majors in 2012.
All smiles: Jiyai Shin lifts the British Open trophy Photo: GETTY IMAGES
In fact, this was seven in succesion for Asia and, appropriately enough, it wasn’t even close. Shin, who followed up her victory in 2008 at Sunningdale, won by a record nine shots, reminding observers of Tiger Woods at the 2000 US Open at Pebble Beach by recording the only score under par.
“It was a long, long, very tough day,” said the Korean. “I thought my skill was not good enough for this links but now I think this course was made for me.”
What a performance this was by Shin, in conditions which were hardly inviting. The contestants completed a 36-hole marathon yesterday after 60mph winds had cancelled Friday’s action. Hoylake was playable but still awfully demanding, as all of the scorecards proved — apart from Shin’s.
She went into the day five clear after a stunning second-round 64 on Saturday – the lowest score of the week by four – and won the £265,000 first prize with rounds of 71 and 73.
Those hauled the 24 year-old to nine-under-par for what was her second victory in seven days. Last Monday she beat American Paula Creamer after a nine-hole play-off at a LPGA event in Virginia.
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