Sport

Pak comes from the pack to take title

Thirteen may be unlucky for some, but not for Koreans, who have never heard of such a thing

By DAVID DAVIES
Mon Aug 06 2001 - 01:00

Thirteen may be unlucky for some, but not for Koreans, who have never heard of such a thing. Thus unencumbered, Se Ri Pak, from Daejeon, playing her 13th major championship, won the Weetabix Women's British Open by two strokes from her countrywoman, Mi H yun Kim.

Pak won £155,000; Kim took away £100,000 and the four in joint third position - Catriona Matthew, Janice Moodie, Laura Diaz and Iben Tinning - all took home £51,812.

The expected Scots challenge from overnight leader Matthew and compatriot Moodie melted away with rounds of 73 and 72 respectively, while Pak's six under 66, was the lowest by four shots of anyone in the top 12 before the start of play.

And world top two Karrie Webb and Annika Sorenstam had no influence on the championship, finishing 15th and joint 32nd respectively, despite the fact Webb was going for three majors in succession and Sorenstam for two in a season.

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England's Laura Davies was disappointed, too. After three rounds she felt her aggregate of six under was "a joke" given how well she had played. But her high hopes yesterday lasted precisely two shots. Her second to the first hole looked to be heading for the pin when it hit a rake left lying on the course to leave her with an almost unplayable shot. Typically, Davies went for a bold stroke, failed, hit the ball twice and took a bogey six. She then three-putted the second for a par, and bogeyed on the fourth and "my heart was gone".

Pak, who collected her third major, had a stroke of luck at the 16th. A drive heading for the deep woods bounced back on to the fairway. She then capitalised on her fortune with birdies at the 17th and 18th for a thoroughly deserved win.

Women's British Open

(British unless stated, par 72)

277 - Se Ri Pak (Kor) 71 70 70 66

279 - Mi Hyun Kim (Kor) 72 65 71 71

280 - L Diaz (US) 74 70 69 67, I Tinning (Den)

71 69 72 68, J Moodie 67 70 71 72, C Matthew 70 65 72 73

281 - K Parker (US) 72 71 71 67, M Arruti (Spa) 71 73 70 67, Kathryn Marshall 75 71 68 67, Kelli Kuehne (US) 71 70 71 69, Kasumi Fujii (Jpn) 71 71 69 70

282 - Raquel Carriedo (Spa) 73 70 70 69, Tracy Hanson (US) 72 69 70 71, Rosie Jones (USA) 70 69 71 72

283 - Brandie Burton (US) 72 71 73 67, Pearl Sinn (Kor)

74 70 72 67, Jill McGill (US) 70 70 72 71, Karrie Webb (Aus) 74 67 68 74

284 - Becky Morgan 73 68 71 72, Trish Johnson 70 67 72 75

Australia's Noel Ratcliffe came from three shots behind with as many holes to go to claim his second European Seniors Tour title of the season at the De Vere Hotels Seniors Classic over the Priestman course at Slayley Hall in Northumberland.

Ratcliffe (56), who earlier this season won the Beko Classic in Turkey, was three shots in arrears when he stepped onto the 16th tee but then proceeded to produce a spectacular eagle-par-eagle finish that earned him a 67 and a one-hole victory over America's Jerry Bruner and New Zealand's Simon Owen, both on 11-under-par 205.

Bruner, 52, had earlier raced to the turn in a four-under-par 32, and seemed almost certain to register his first ever European Seniors Tour victory.

Ireland's Joe McDermott (60), won the separate 500 Hardys Wines Super Seniors prize, awarded to the leading finisher in his 60s, when he closed with a two-over-par 74 for a two-under-par aggregate of 214.