Lydia Ko caps dream fortnight by adding Women’s Open title to Olympic gold

Ko pounced when the door was left open by Nelly Korda, holing a six-footer for birdie on the 18th at a rainy St Andrews

From the Olympics to the Old Course; from one gold medal to the next. As a teenaged phenom a decade ago, the experts assured us all that Lydia Ko would be achieving feats like this, but although we have been made to wait for this stunning fortnight from the ever-smiling Kiwi, it has been well worth it.
What a finale to the AIG Women’s Open this was. The Home of Golf always produces. On the weather front it boasted sunshine and moments when it was feared that Noah would be required. And on the golf front, it was just as frenetic.
World No 1 Nelly Korda looked almost certain to win when two shots clear with five remaining, but the classic swing faltered as she double-bogeyed the 14th and with the last hour to come there were four tied for the lead – all of whom are or have been, world No 1.
Step forward Ko the Kiwi, who with the inner steel of an All Black kicking three points for victory, knew when it was time to apply spike to jugular.
“How is it possible for me to win the AIG Women’s Open?” she said. “I’ve had the most Cinderella story this past few weeks and this is almost too good to be true. Of all the major championships, I think this one I had the least amount of confidence. I haven’t had as much experience playing on links and the results didn’t follow. To be holding this trophy right now. I can’t believe it.”
Just two weeks after she topped the podium at Le Golf National, the 27-year-old largely kept under the radar all week, before she swooped in for the glory. Ko birdied the 14th and then made a great par save on the 15th.
Perhaps the best shot was the hybrid wood to the 17th green. The rain was pelting at the time, and being encouraged by the gusts, but Ko was impervious proving to anyone who still does not know that when it is breezy, you simply have to swing it easy.
What a shot from Lydia Ko 🔥How important could this shot be? 👀 pic.twitter.com/4FlDeYsGbD
The 15-footer for birdie annoyingly stayed above ground, but with Korda crestfallen and disheveled in behind – she was to bogey the Road Hole 17th – and with the two-time champion Jiyai Shin also losing her way on the route to the clubhouse it was Ko versus Lilia Vu, the defending champion from America.
If there was a negative point to these gripping proceedings it was that Vu and and Shin in the final group were so slow. After Ko had converted her six-footer for birdie on the 18th – an incredibly clinical three in the circumstances – some 40 minutes elapsed before Vu was to complete, which is ridiculous when one considers there was only one group in between.
Ko is such an optimistic character, however, that she merley took a few strokes on the practice green and talked to all and sundry, including a woman who was looking after a hawk who was on hand to scare off the seagulls. It was cold and the hanging on was unnecessary, but, in truth, Ko probably knew by then that they were all her prey regardless.
She was in tears when it was confirmed and in the ceremony on the famous home green – where she was presented with the gold medal for becoming the champion female golfer of the year – she spoke of the success being “surreal”.
She was doubtless thinking back to those days as a 17-year-old, when she became the youngest of any gender to top the world rankings and from there collected two major titles, the most recent of which was eight year ago. But, as they tend to in real life, the fairytale stalled and suddenly she was being presented as a salutary tale. Except each journey is different and Ko is now realiising the prophecy and potential.
Ko always promised to retire at the age of 30, but in Paris she suggest that the career plan might be open to change and here in Fife she all but confirmed it is under review.
Vu was actually to three-putt the last and so shared second with Korda, Shin and Ruoying Yin.  With Charley Hull falling away on the weekend – the world No 10 finished 75-75 to tumble into a tie for 20th – the leading Briton was the ever more impressive Lottie Woad.
The 20-year-old from Surrey won the Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship in April and the world’s top-ranked player in the non-paid ranks has followed that up with not only securing the low amateur honours in the Women’s Open, but actually coming in a tie for 10th.
Woad is playing for Great Britain and Ireland in the Curtis Cup – the amateur equivalent of the Solheim Cup – against the US at Sunningdale  in a match that begins on Friday. Woad should raise the attendance significantly.