Yamashita wins the Women's British Open for first major title

PORTHCAWL, Wales (AP) — Miyu Yamashita of Japan captured her first major title Sunday when she withstood a charge by Charley Hull by not making a bogey until the outcome of the Women's British Open was no longer in doubt. She closed with a 2-under 70 for a two-shot victory. Yamashita holed two big par putts on the back nine at Royal Porthcawl, the last one when Hull had closed to within one shot of the lead. Her final test was the 401-yard 16th, one of the toughest on the course. Yamashita, who turned 24 on Saturday, drilled her drive down the middle and found the green, nearly holing a 45-foot putt. That gave her a three-shot lead with two holes to play. Her final act was a tap-in for par to finish on 11-under 277, and she raised both arms to celebrate. Yamashita wiped away tears as she headed to the scoring trailer. "To be part of such a moment in history is something very, very special," Yamashita said through an interpreter at the trophy presentation. Hull gave it her best shot. She started the final round three shots behind, made three birdies in a four-hole stretch to get into the mix and then holed a 20-foot birdie on the 14th to get within one shot of the lead. Behind her on the course, Yamashita hit into a bunker off the tee at the par-5 13th, blasted out and still had a long way for her third, missing the green to the left. She chipped weakly to 18 feet and buried the par putt. She also poured in an 8-foot par putt to stay at 12 under, right after Hull got to 11 under. The English star blinked first. Hull didn't get any help from the wind on her tee shot on the 16th, which found a pot bunker and left her no chance of reaching the green. Her third shot bounded off the back of the green, and she had to make a 20-footer to escape with bogey. Hull runner-up again Hull bogeyed the 17th, and her chances were done. She closed with a 69 and finished as a runner-up in a major for the fourth time. Minami Katsu was never seriously in the mix, but her closing birdie gave her a 69 to tie for second. "I felt pretty good about how I fought back over the weekend," said Hull, who was 11 shots behind after two rounds. "I don't feel like I've actually mucked it up by mishitting any shots, which I think everybody can probably agree, you know what I mean? Like I played so solid." A Lim Kim, the 2020 U.S. Women's Open champion, hit wedge to 5 feet for birdie on the second hole to tie Yamashita for the lead. But she made a series of blunders, starting with a three-putt on the third hole, and fell back. She had six bogeys in her round of 73 and tied for fourth with Rio Takeda (71). "I love the challenge because still now a little pain in my heart, but that is good motivation for me," Kim said. "So I'm going to keep working on it." Japan's success Four players from Japan now have won the last nine majors in women's golf, and this was the second year there were two Japanese major champions. Mao Saigo won the first major at the Chevron Championship. Ayaka Furue (Evian Championship) and Yuka Saso (U.S. Women's Open) won majors last year. Yamashita became a first-time winner on the LPGA Tour, extending a streak in which there has not been a multiple winner through 20 tournaments to start the year. There also is likely a change in the world ranking. Nelly Korda closed with a 75, and projections indicate she will fall to No. 2 behind Jeeno Thitikul. Korda had been No. 1 since March 2024. She tied for 36th and now has gone 14 tournaments without a win dating to last November. This would be the second time Thitikul is No. 1 in the women's world ranking. She also was No. 1 for two weeks in the fall of 2022. Yamashita didn't have the best birthday, at least inside the ropes, when she struggled off the tee and on the greens in a round of 74 that left her clinging to a one-shot lead. But she stayed on the range with her father until late into the evening, and she found a fix. Spotlight on Woad Lottie Woad, coming off a victory in the Women's Scottish Open in her professional debut, closed Sunday with a 71 and tied for eighth. In her last four events, Woad has won the Women's Irish Open and missed a playoff by one shot in the Evian Championship, both as an amateur. She has a win and a top 10 in her two starts as a pro. "I don't think it affected my golf, but it was definitely a lot more attention, a lot more eyes on me," Woad said. "I feel like I handled it pretty well overall and was just sticking to my game, just trying to focus on the prep really and not let it distract me too much." ___ AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf