Join now and get your first month for just $1.<\/a><\/p>\nRhodes\u2019 shot appeared set to roll past the hole before colliding with Kyriacou\u2019s ball and recreating a move from a billiards table, deflecting into the pot.<\/p>\n
The Englishwoman looked unsure about what had happened as they heard the cheers of the crowd, but eventually raised her arms in celebration and Kyriacou gave her a hug.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
On commentary, former Tour professional Ladies European Tour professional Henni Zuel, said: \u201cUnreal! I hope she buys Steph a nice present. Something more than a drink is deserved there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Yamashita wins maiden Major by two shots | 02:23<\/p>\n
After their rounds, both players revealed that they were unaware of what had happened until they saw the replay once they had walked off the golf course.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, I hit a really good 8-iron, hit it right where I wanted it to. Yeah, I wasn\u2019t expecting it to go in, so I just picked up my tee, and I heard everyone going crazy,\u201d Rhodes said. <\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, extra loud than usual, so I knew something had happened. Then we just walked up to the green and it was in the hole. I had no idea it hit Steph\u2019s ball until I just saw the video, so that\u2019s unbelievable.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kyriacou meanwhile is claiming the moniker of the luckiest person in golf.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am,\u201d she said with a chuckle. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe actually just watched the video, and it hit my ball, and it went in. So I\u2019m kind of claiming it, even though Mimi is probably not going to say that.\u201d<\/p>\n
The freakish occurrence is not unprecedented with Louis Oosthuizen adopting the same route, via JB Holmes\u2019 ball, to make a hole-in-one on the par three 16th at The Masters in 2016.<\/p>\n
INCREDIBLE! Aussie Kyriacou hole-in-one! | 00:19<\/p>\n
Kyriacou finished seven shots behind Yamashita with a one-under par final round of 71 to reach -4 overall.<\/p>\n
The 24-year-old from Sydney made a nightmare start to the final day with a triple bogey seven at the opening hole.<\/p>\n
She dropped another shot at the third, but then fought back with five birdies across the remainder of her round to register the second top ten finish of her career at this very tournament.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first hole was quite rough. It\u2019s not ideal when you hit your second ball OB, onto the beach,\u201d Kyriacou said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI stuck in there, showed some grit, and finished 1-under today. I\u2019m very happy.\u201d<\/p>\n
BRIDGEND, WALES – AUGUST 03: Stephanie Kyriacou of Australia tees off on the first hole during the final round of the AIG Women’s Open 2025 at Royal Porthcawl Golf Club on August 03, 2025 in Bridgend, Wales. (Photo by Luke Walker\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
She added: \u201cI think it would have been quite easy to throw it in and be like, oh, F this or whatever, but I got something out of my round. <\/p>\n
\u201cI got something out of my day. I\u2019m really proud with how I showed up for the rest of the day.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kyriacou finished two shots better than countrywoman Minjee Lee, whose even par final round of 72 put her in a share of 13th at -2.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, I feel like that\u2019s probably the worst score I could have had today,\u201d Lee said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI felt like I was going pretty well and then just kind of made a silly mistake on 14 (which led to a double bogey). <\/p>\n
BRIDGEND, WALES – AUGUST 03: Minjee Lee of Australia tees off on the third hole during the final round of the AIG Women’s Open 2025 at Royal Porthcawl Golf Club on August 03, 2025 in Bridgend, Wales. (Photo by Warren Little\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was kind of one of those weeks where I was kind of in the middle, like I wasn\u2019t really amazing at one thing or another. <\/p>\n
\u201cSo it was kind of — you know, I\u2019m not complaining that I\u2019m going to finish 13th or 14th, but yeah, I would have liked to be in the top 10.\u201d<\/p>\n
Evian Championship winner Grace Kim endured a tough eight-over par final round of 80 to finish in a tie for 67th at +12.<\/p>\n
Minjee Lee almost hit by stray ball! | 00:22<\/p>\n
At the top of the leaderboard, Yamashita carded a two-under par final round to hold off a strong challenge from England\u2019s Charley Hull on the Welsh links course.<\/p>\n
She finished -11 for the tournament, with Hull and Japan\u2019s Minami Katsu ending in a tie for second place after final rounds of 69 left them on -9.<\/p>\n
Just a day after turning 24, Yamashita became the third Japanese woman to win the British Open after Hinako Shibuno in 2019 and Ayako Okamoto in 1984.<\/p>\n
She joyously swigged from a bottle of champagne on the 18th green before wiping away tears of joy after sealing her victory.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo win such a historic tournament in front of all these amazing fans is such an incredible feeling,\u201d Yamashita said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe course is set up to be very difficult but also in a brilliant condition. The amount of people supporting me today really pushed me towards the victory and this is for them.\u201d <\/p>\n
Miyu Yamashita of Japan poses with her trophy after winning the Women’s British Open golf championship, at Royal Porthcawl Golf Club in Porthcawl, Wales, Sunday, Aug. 3, 2025. (AP Photo\/Kin Cheung)Source: AP<\/p>\n
Yamashita\u2019s previous best performance in a major was a tie for second place at last year\u2019s Women\u2019s PGA Championship.<\/p>\n
She survived a stern test of her temperament on the last day after resuming with a one-stroke lead over South Korea\u2019s Kim A-lim.<\/p>\n
Having posted a bogey-free 65 on Friday, she had carded a two-over par 74 marred by erratic driving off the tee and struggles on the greens in the third round.<\/p>\n
Yamashita recovered her composure on Sunday as she embarked on a relentless march to the trophy.<\/p>\n
Prior to this year, Yamashita\u2019s highest finish at the Women\u2019s British Open was 13th in 2022, but she mastered the Porthcawl course in emphatic fashion.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo be part of such a moment in history is something special,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing my first win is something very special and to celebrate with everyone is an amazing feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n
BRIDGEND, WALES – AUGUST 03: Miyu Yamashita of Japan poses for a photo with the trophy following the final round of the AIG Women’s Open 2025 at Royal Porthcawl Golf Club on August 03, 2025 in Bridgend, Wales. (Photo by Warren Little\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
Yamashita is the fourth Japanese major champion in the past two years. Prior to 2024, Japan had just two major champions in the history of the LPGA Tour.<\/p>\n
Kim tested Yamashita when she drew level at the top of the leaderboard with a birdie on the second hole.<\/p>\n
But Yamashita immediately regained the lead when Kim missed two putts to bogey the next hole.<\/p>\n
She moved three shots clear of Kim on the fourth hole with an ice-cool birdie while the South Korean bogeyed.<\/p>\n
A three-putt bogey on the seventh left Kim\u2019s title challenge in tatters. Hull made her charge with three birdies in four holes to pull within a stroke of Yamashita.<\/p>\n
She had been 11 strokes back at the start of the third round. The largest 36-hole deficit overcome to win any LPGA major all-time is 10 shots, but Yamashita snuffed out any chance of that record being broken.<\/p>\n
Japan’s Miyu Yamashita reacts after winning the Women’s British Open Golf Championship, at Royal Porthcawl in south Wales on August 3, 2025. (Photo by Glyn KIRK \/ AFP) \/ RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USESource: AFP<\/p>\n
She carded birdies on the eighth and ninth to move three shots ahead. Hull, who finished second at both the British Open and the US Open in 2023, kept fighting.<\/p>\n
The 29-year-old dropped in an eight-foot birdie putt at the 12th and guided in another birdie to huge roars on the 14th.<\/p>\n
Yamashita\u2019s lead was down to one stroke with five holes left, but as the pressure mounted it was Hull who cracked.<\/p>\n
She slumped with bogeys on the 16th and 17th to gift the title to the nerveless Yamashita, who embraced her caddie and punched the air in delight after wrapping up the victory.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Australia\u2019s Stephanie Kyriacou has walked away from the AIG Women\u2019s Open with a hole-in-one and an assist as…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":41668,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[566],"tags":[2620,2095,1724,64,63,689,36635,36638,36634,36648,9239,36646,1208,2057,16271,676,36640,36641,2105,5511,755,5500,9262,36653,36639,36637,36636,36647,941,36650,36645,36649,36642,36651,33379,673,36643,2041,2067,3583,677,36652,35449,9255,5813,85,29742,36644,670,2508,36633,2614,12812,9236],"class_list":["post-41667","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golf","tag-agence-france-presse","tag-america","tag-asia","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australia-and-new-zealand","tag-ayako-okamoto","tag-billiards-table","tag-brilliant-condition","tag-british-open-golf-championship","tag-eastern-asia","tag-emphatic-fashion","tag-england","tag-europe","tag-final-day","tag-final-round","tag-final-round-leaderboard","tag-final-rounds","tag-getty-images-inc","tag-glyn-kirk","tag-golf","tag-golf-championship","tag-golf-course","tag-helping-hand","tag-ice-cool-birdie","tag-incredible-assist","tag-incredible-feeling","tag-incredible-hole-in-one","tag-japan","tag-japanese-woman","tag-kim-a-lim","tag-links-course","tag-louis-oosthuizen","tag-luke-walker","tag-mimi-rhodes","tag-new-south-wales","tag-nightmare-start","tag-north-america","tag-northern-america","tag-northern-europe","tag-oceania","tag-opening-hole","tag-round-hole-in-one","tag-shots-clear","tag-south-korea","tag-sports","tag-stephanie-kyriacou","tag-stern-test","tag-sydney","tag-tee-shot","tag-three-putt-bogey","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-wales","tag-warren-little"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41667","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41667"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41667\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41668"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41667"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41667"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41667"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}