Vuitton’s Anna Nordqvist (Anna Nordqvist) after the dramatic finale of the AIG Women’s Open, mustered the courage to end a four-year invincible drought and won the third Grand Slam championship.
Nordquist shot 69 at Carnoustie, 12 under par, ahead of compatriot Madeleine Sagestrom, 2018 champion Georgia Hall and American Lizette Sara S.
Sagerstrom bogeyed on the 18th hole and missed a potential play-off match, but the most regrettable thing was Denmark’s Nana Coltz Madsen, the 26-year-old and partner Noel Dequist shared the lead until the final of the 18th round with a double bogey 6.
On the hole where Van der Velde wasted a three-shot lead in the 1999 Open in 1999, Madsen pushed her method into the bunker by the green and took her next shot from an embarrassing lie. The shot was almost out of bounds.
The resulting double bogey put her tied for fifth with Evian Championship champion Lee Min Ji, who had earlier set the club’s goal of 10 under par after a 66 after 10 under par.
Nordqvist’s last victory was also a Grand Slam, the 2017 Evian Championship. He said: “I have been waiting for a while. There are a lot of setbacks, a lot of difficult times, so I think it makes it feel sweeter.
“I can only dream of winning the British Open and I am very happy. My husband Kevin has been by my side every year since I won the last time. We were officially married in Scottsdale in March. Only us and ours Six friends were there and about 21 people got married on Zoom.
“We have postponed the actual wedding until next summer. It takes about 20 minutes to get to the castle from here. I can’t wait to walk down the aisles in Scotland again next year.”
Nordqvist and Madsen shared their lead as they entered the final round and birdied the sixth, eighth and ninth holes. Before Nordqvist took the lead, the six were tied in the early stages.
In a two-shot swing on the 12th hole, Nordquist made her only bogey of the day and Madsen birdied, which gave the latter the first lead, but the 26-year-old found sand on the 15th hole. After swallowing a bogey tee.
Sagstrom’s birdie on the 17th hole briefly tied for a three-pointer at the top, but she bogeyed after the 18th hole tee shot into the bunker, allowing the last pair to struggle at the last minute Hard work.
Madsen hinted that she had already paid the price for the defense on the 18th. She said: “I was nervous all day. I did a very good job trying to still make good shots. On the 18th, I tried hard not to make mistakes. This is me. The only thing that should not be done.
“I am proud of what I have been doing, and I believe it will be realized in the future.”
When Hall followed the Eagles on the sixth hole and birdied and swallowed consecutive bogeys on the seventh hole, her chances of winning the second championship looked small, but she bounced to the birdie on the 11th hole and made a birdie on the 11th hole. Cheer for the second eagle of the day on the second day.
The two-putt birdie on the par-five hole on the 14th hole allowed Hall to surpass Lee’s club lead in the difficult closing stage with a score of 11 and 4 below par.
“Every time you are in a Grand Slam match, it’s good,” Hall said. “I am very happy to have the opportunity to win. It is very special to participate in the competition at Carnoustie. I am very satisfied with the way I play, so I can only ask this.”
Scottish amateur Louise Duncan took the lead after birdying on the first hole, but the 21-year-old University of Stirling student eventually had to tie for 10th with a 72.
“It’s outstanding,” Duncan said of her overall performance. “Very surreal and exciting. I felt a little shocked, as if it hadn’t really happened yet. I’m glad it was not a fluke. I played well for the past four days.”
