EWART SHADOFF MAKES VALIANT FINAL-ROUND RALLY
No lead is enough until the final putt drops. But In-Kyung Kim’s six-stroke lead after 54 holes had to seem pretty daunting to the players following her.
Jodi Ewart Shadoff? She made cutting the gap look easy.
Ewart Shadoff, a native of England who now makes her home in Florida, made quite a run on Sunday, carding a bogey-free 64 to tie the Kingsbarns course record and make sure that Kim did not completely run away with the victory.
“I didn’t think starting the day that I would have a shot,” said Ewart Shadoff, who hopes to ride this momentum into the Solheim Cup in two weeks. “IK was way ahead, and I just started out really strong. Holed a great putt on the first hole, which I think set the tone for the day for par. And then just my putting was really on fire.”
A member of the LPGA Tour since 2010, Ewart Shadoff is still looking for that elusive first victory. But she sees this week’s success as just the push she needs to make that breakthrough.
“It’s huge,” said Ewart Shadoff. “I knew coming down the stretch that I was somewhere in the vicinity of a win, and I just need to put myself into that position more often. That’s what I’ve been doing, and hopefully, you know, in the next few weeks, I’ll finally get a win.”
QUICK HITS
In-Kyung Kim is the season’s first three-time winner, and this is Kim’s first career multiple-win season on the LPGA Tour
Kim is the third person in the last four years to make the Ricoh Women’s British Open her first major victory, joining Mo Martin (2014) and Ariya Jutanugarn (2016)
Jodi Ewart Shadoff’s final-round 64 ties the Kingsbarns women’s course record, set by Michelle Wie on Thursday and Inbee Park on Saturday; it also ties her career low at a major, joining the third round of the 2016 Evian Championship
Jane Park became the sixth player in LPGA history to record three eagles in one round, joining Alice Ritzman (1979 Colgate European Classic), Nina Reis (2006 Safeway Classic presented by Pepsi), Laura Diaz (2008 Ricoh Women’s British Open), Sophie Gustafson (2008 Corona Championship) and Eunjung Yi (2009 LPGA Corning Classic)
QUOTABLE
“Missing a putt is not the worst thing that could happen in life, and that’s how I look at it.” - In-Kyung Kim, when asked about the putt she missed at the 2012 ANA Inspiration
“If he doesn’t, there’s going to be a problem.” - Jodi Ewart Shadoff, when asked if her sportscaster husband Adam would include her highlights in tonight’s news
“I think it’s something everyone dreams of when they first start to play golf. It’s been a great experience for me to see where my game compares to the best in the world.” - low amateur Sophie Lamb, on her experience this wee