LYTHAM ST. ANNES, England — Named in honour of a famous Masters victory, Georgia Hall has her hands on one of the big trophies in women’s golf at the age of 22.

The Englishwoman reeled in long-time leader Pornanong Phatlum in a gripping final-round duel at Royal Lytham to win the Women’s British Open for her first major title on Sunday.

Hull tapped in for a bogey _ her first of the day _ at the last hole to clinch a two-shot victory over Pornanong. Hall then hugged her playing partner from Thailand before being lifted off her feet by her caddie, father Wayne.

It was fitting that Wayne, a former two-handicapper himself, was on the bag to experience the biggest moment of his daughter’s career.

Georgia was born during the 1996 Masters won by English golfer Nick Faldo at Augusta, Georgia. She was named in honour of that victory, which came after Faldo overcame a six-stroke deficit to Greg Norman in the final round.

Twenty-two years later, Hall is the pride of English golf just like Faldo was. And the way Hall kept her composure and kept producing the shots of her life down the stretch, there might be more major titles to come.

Her round of 5-under 67, which included six birdies, saw her finish on 17-under 271.

“I was loving it deep down, hitting the shots under pressure,” said Hall, who barely showed any emotions all round. “To get six birdies in the final round of a major is not bad.”

Hall, who receives a check of $490,000, became the first English major winner since Karen Stupples won this event in 2004, and the fourth overall along with Laura Davies and Alison Nicholas.

She followed Stupples and Catriona Matthew _ in 2009 at Lytham _ as the only British winners of the Women’s British Open since it achieved major status in 2001.

Brooke Henderson (74) of Smiths Falls, Ont., tied for 11th at 6 under par. She had three birdies and three bogeys offset each other, but a double bogey on the par-4 17th hole put her at 2 over for the round.

Roared on under blue skies by the large gallery desperate for a home winner, the 39th-ranked Hall started the day a shot behind Pornanong, who led after the second and third rounds.

From the moment Pornanong curled in a long left-to-right putt at the second hole to answer Hall’s 15-foot birdie at the first, it had the makings of a duel in the Lytham sun.

And a two-player race for the year’s fourth major was definitely established when both picked up a shot at No. 4 and Pornanong followed Hall in birdying No. 6. That regained a two-shot lead for Pornanong, who had also birdied the par-3 fifth hole.

Hall was always chasing but was given hope when Pornanong bogeyed No. 8 to reduce her lead to one shot. Then, when Hall rolled in a 10-foot birdie putt at No. 13, they were tied for the first time since the first hole.

Hall took the outright lead for the first time in the tournament after a 20-foot putt for birdie at the 16th hole and went down the last with a three-shot lead after Pornanong, ranked No. 97 and also seeking her first major and LPGA title, missed a two-foot putt to make double-bogey at No. 17.

Hall played safe in three-putting from distance in front of Royal Lytham’s storied clubhouse and celebrated her first win on the LPGA Tour. She had never won on the Ladies European Tour, either.

“It is too good to be true,” Hall said. “It was my goal when I was nine to win the British Open. I am so happy.

“I just had to stay calm and patient. It was very close up to the last two holes and I holed all the putts today.”

Ryu So-yeon of South Korea was third on 13 under after a final-round 70.

LYTHAM ST. ANNES, England — Canadian Brooke Henderson fired her second 69 of the tournament at the Ricoh Women’s British Open. The Smiths Falls, Ont., talent recorded only one bogey alongside four birdies to head into the final round T7, five shots behind leader Pornanong Phatlum.

Pornanong Phatlum made the Royal Lytham course sing for her again as she held on to her overnight one-shot lead of the Women’s British Open after the third round on Saturday.

Pornanong has been singing Thai songs in her head to calm herself on a links course she admits to struggling on. Though any struggling hasn’t been apparent, yet.

She birdied the third, sixth, eighth, and 11th holes, and dropped her first shot of the major on the par-3 12th, a bogey. It added up to a solid 3-under-par 69 and the prospect of a first win on the LPGA Tour, let alone a first major title.

“Singing in my head makes me come down more, not get too nervous,” Pornanong said.

She was at 13 under overall, one stroke ahead of playing partner Georgina Hall of England, whose scrambling through an erratic round kept her in contention also for a first major title. She birdied three of the last four holes to join Pornanong in the final group on Sunday.

Ryu So-yeon was third at 11 under, one shot behind Hall after climbing the leaderboard with a run of six birdies from the fifth to the 12th.

The South Korean, who has three top-10 British Open finishes, said: “Winning this tournament has always been my goal for the year. I’m in a pretty good position.”

Two-time major champion Park Sung-hyun (69) was a further shot back with Mamiko Higa (71) and Minjee Lee (71).

Higa is aiming to become the first female Japanese golfer to win a major title since 1977.

The leaders are also chasing history.

Pornanong is trying to become the second Thai female to win a major championship after Ariya Jutanugarn in 2016. Hall would be the first Englishwomen to win the Open in 14 years.

While Pornanong will be singing to herself in the final round, Hall will be counting on experience. She was in the final group in the Open last year, and finished in a tie for third.

“It was great to get so much support, I haven’t really had that before because I play in America quite a bit,” Hall said. “There were so many people behind me that I feel that was the reason I had good shots.”

LYTHAM ST. ANNES, England – Brooke Henderson, who managed a hole on 9th hole, a par 3, finished the day with a round of 70 and she finds herself tied in eighth place 5-under at the Women’s British Open.

Pornanong Phatlum of Thailand is standing out for more than just her pink golf ball.

The 97th-ranked player has yet to drop a shot in two straight rounds of 5-under 67 that will give her a one-stroke lead heading into the weekend at the year’s fourth major.

While first-round leader Minjee Lee and Mamiko Higa encountered problems down the stretch at a rainy Royal Lytham to give up two-shot leads on Friday, Pornanong played a steady hand and put her pink ball in all the right places _ explicitly, out of the many bunkers that define the course.

The 28-year-old Thai missed a 10-foot putt for birdie in front of the clubhouse on the 18th green but that didn’t get her down. She was 10 under par overall.

“I’ve had a game plan,” Pornanong said. “I try to plan every shot, every hole.”

It’s given her a great chance of winning a first major title, and claiming a first victory on the LPGA Tour. Her last win was on the Asian Tour in January 2015 and she has only one top-10 finish all year.

Pornanong’s only top-10 at a major was a tie for seventh at the U.S. Women’s Open in 2014.

She has already put some distance between many of the big names in women’s golf.

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., aced the par-3 ninth hole on her way to a 70, which put her in a six-way tie for eighth place on 5 under. Brittany Marchand (73) of Orangeville, Ont., is projected to miss the cut line.

Top-ranked Ariya Jutanugarn was seven shots back after rounds of 71 and 70, No. 6 Shanshan Feng (71-71) was one stroke further back, and No. 2 Inbee Park (76-74) missed the cut.

Only six players were inside five shots of Pornanong. They have pedigree, though.

In a three-way share of second place on 9 under is Lee, who was clear at 12 under before she double-bogeyed No. 16 and dropped another shot at No. 17 to post a 70.

Lee, the Australian at a career-high ranking of No. 8, was runner-up on the Gullane links in the Ladies Scottish Open last week.

Home favourite Georgia Hall (68) was in the tie for second place along with Higa, who was leading by two strokes on 11 under when she lost her ball in a gorse bush at No. 17 and wound up with a double-bogey 6.

Third-ranked Park Sung-hyun, who won the Women’s PGA Championship last month, is lurking in sixth place on 7 under after rounds of 67 and 70. Seventh-ranked Ryu So-yeon, a two-time major champion, is on 6 under after two rounds of 69.

LYTHAM ST ANNES, England – For Brooke Henderson, learning to navigate the Ricoh Women’s British Open has been a learning process. In her three prior starts, she had yet to crack the top 40. The statistic comes as a surprise to anyone who regularly follows the major champion and six-time LPGA Tour winner. But the Canadian took a huge leap forward in her progress on Thursday, when she posted a 3-under par, 69 at Royal Lytham & St Annes. It is her first sub-70 round at the Women’s British Open.

“Every time you’re over here you learn more and the experiences that you really need,” Henderson said. “It’s very different than what I grew up playing on.”

Henderson grew up playing in Smiths Falls, Canada and found she needed to adjust her game in order to play better on the links. When she won for the first time on a links-style course in 2017 with her victory in New Zealand she was vindicated in the changes she adopted.

“It was crazy conditions, so I think that was really a good learning curve for me,” Henderson said about the windy conditions she encountered in New Zealand. “It gave me a lot of confidence moving into links courses that if something goes wrong, like it kind of did this morning, I just kind of relaxed and was able to come back from that.”

Henderson got off to a rough start with two bogeys in her first three holes after getting caught up in the pot bunkers riddled throughout the course. She credited her caddie and sister, Brittany, for helping turn around her day and record five birdies on the back nine.

“I got into some of the pot bunker and found that they were very difficult to get out of,” Henderson admitted after her round. “But after that I kind of settled down a little bit. The back nine was great.”

Henderson put herself in contention at the season’s last major, too, at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship where she faded on the weekend with rounds of 70-74 and settled for a T6.

After a tough summer, Brooke Henderson is hoping a change of scenery will do her some good.

The native of Smiths Falls, Ont., took last week off of the LPGA Tour to prepare for this week’s Women’s British Open. The break came following a rough stretch that began with Henderson’s withdrawal from the U.S. Women’s Open in June to be with her ailing grandfather, who passed away.

Four weeks later, Henderson fell out of the lead at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship after shooting a final round of 2-over 74. She told The Canadian Press in mid-July her other grandfather is now sick as well.

But she said she feels good about her game this week after finishing third at her last event, the Marathon Classic. And she said golf is a nice way for her to stay focused and ignore outside distractions.

“Once I’m between the ropes, I can flip that switch and work towards my goals for that week,” said Henderson, who has won six times on the LPGA Tour.

Although Henderson is no stranger to having to play the type of bad weather that often accompanies the British Open, it hasn’t yet translated into a good finish at the third major of the year. Her best result at the event is a tie for 49th.

But the 19-year-old won in New Zealand last year, and it came during rough weather conditions on a links-style course. She said she’s hopeful she can parlay that into success this week at Royal Lytham & St. Annes GolfClub in Lancashire, England.

“The style of golf is different, but I’ve learned that it really is about patience and just trusting your swing over there,” said Henderson.

“As is the case with any major, you just need to stay focused and be able to bounce back through tough breaks, weather delays, and harsh conditions.”

Henderson, who’s ranked 16th in the world, said she’ll keep all the same clubs in her bag like a usual, but said the Women’s British Open forces her to use them in different ways. She may end up using a fairway wood around a green for a short shot, or will try to fly her irons lower than usual, she explained.

Henderson is one of the statistical leaders on the LPGA Tour in driving, but her putting has been her weakness this year. She said she can’t pinpoint one specific thing she’s been working on mechanically, but she’s tested a few different putter options and has stuck with one for the last two months.

She said she’s enjoyed coming up with a different kind of strategy for this week versus a normal LPGA Tour tournament.

Annika Sorenstam, who won the Women’s British Open at Royal Lytham in 2003, said it takes time to learn to play links golf. She said Henderson would need a little luck with the weather, as sometimes you can get “all four seasons in one day.” But she said Henderson’s creative game plan is a solid one.

Sorenstam said she is a “big fan” of the young Canadian.

“She has a great mind and is a true competitor. She certainly knows how to win tournaments and even majors,” she said. “It seems to me when she is driving the ball well, she gets good momentum and rest of the game falls into place.”

Henderson is just two wins away from tying the all-time record for wins by a Canadian professional _ male or female _ and is hopeful one of those wins comes in three weeks at the CP Women’s Open in Regina.

Although her main focus is on this week in Europe, she admitted she’s got the Canadian event “circled on her calendar.”

“(The course) looks like it will be set up really well for our national championship and I’m excited to see how the fans out there embrace the LPGA,” she said. “I can’t wait to get there and try to put on a show for the fans.”

WINNIPEG – Brooke Henderson is looking forward to some much-needed time off and then returning to the golf course with a “vengeance.”

After the Canadian star failed to hang on to her final-round lead and finished third at last weekend’s LPGA Tour Marathon Classic in Ohio, she planned to spend some time at home before getting ready for the British Open on Aug. 2-5 in England.

“It’s so important to be physically ready but also mentally,” Henderson said Tuesday after headlining a pro-am and junior clinic at the St. Charles Country Club in Winnipeg.

“And, especially in the summer months when it’s so hot and you’re grinding every single day. It is tiring and you have to really pay attention and know that rest is just as important.

“So I’m excited to kind of have some downtime, get some rest and be balanced, and then get back at it and work hard. I feel like it’s good for you to kind of refresh and then go forward with a vengeance.”

Her break actually got off to a bit of a rocky start as two flights to Winnipeg out of Toronto were cancelled Monday night. She arrived Tuesday morning and the event was a hit despite some scheduling changes.

“It definitely does bring back a lot of memories,” Henderson said. “I think it kind of gives me that lift as somebody else was mentioning earlier, just that kind of little extra boost, that little extra confidence that I am on the right track, I am doing things the right way.

“I’ve just got to keep moving forward and good things are going to happen.”

Good and bad things happened to the Smith Falls, Ont., native last Sunday, but after assessing her play she was letting the disappointment of not claiming a seventh Tour victory roll off of her.

The 20-year-old still had a one-shot lead after the 14th hole, but then bogeyed the 15th and 16th. She made par on the 17th and 18th par-five holes, but missed out on a playoff that was won by Thidapa Suwannapura of Thailand over American Brittany Lincicome.

“Leading up to that, I played amazing golf all week,” Henderson said. “The four holes kind of don’t give the respect to those other holes that much but I was playing great.”

She had believed her final putt was bang on.

“I thought it was in, to be honest,” she said. “It’s right where I thought and it just stopped breaking, I guess a foot or two to go.

“But that’s all you can do. I hit it on the high side. It had a chance to go in. It looked awesome and, unfortunately, it just didn’t go in and that’s cool.”

Henderson is sixth in earnings after taking home $843,597 this year, following seven Top 10 finishes in 18 events, including winning the Lotte Championship in April. Her six career Tour victories is two shy of Sandra Post’s record for the most by a Canadian woman.

She plans to continue working hard on improving her short game.

“Putting has been a huge focus for me over the last few months, I guess since the start of the season,” she said. “That’s where I’m trying to make big gains.”

Her break will also include important time off with her family.

“This year definitely has been challenging for my family,” said Henderson, who withdrew from last month’s U.S. Women’s Open after her grandfather on her mother’s side passed away.”

“My other grandpa is sick now, too, and it’s really kind of scary. But I feel like I’ve been handling everything, the ups and the downs, pretty well.”

“I’m just trying to overcome those things and hopefully get some more wins in the near future.”

SYLVANIA, Ohio — Canadian Brooke Henderson narrowly missed her seventh LPGA Tour victory Sunday, finishing third at the Marathon Classic.

The 20-year-old from Smiths Falls, Ont., had a one-shot lead heading into the final round and cruised through the first 14 holes of the day before running into trouble with bogeyes on Nos. 15 and 16.

Thidapa Suwannapura of Thailand beat American Brittany Lincicome in a playoff to win the tournament after both finished 72 holes tied at 14-under 270.

Henderson had four birdies, including three on the first six holes, finishing the round 2-under 69 for a 13 under total.

Henderson has six LPGA Tour wins, two shy of Sandra Post’s record for most by a Canadian woman.

Brittany Marchand of Orangeville, Ont., finished in a tie for 32nd place at 6 under. Hamilton’s Alena Sharp was 3 under for a share of 49th.

Wasn’t the finish she expected but @BrookeHenderson did amazing this weekend, finishing in third @MarathonLPGA and climbing to fourth in the Race to CME Globe!
Leave your supportive comments for her ⬇️❤️pic.twitter.com/octO3CRvxs

— Golf Canada (@TheGolfCanada) July 16, 2018

SYLVANIA, Ohio – Canada’s Brooke Henderson is heading into the final round of the LPGA Tour’s Marathon Classic with sole possession of the lead.

The 20-year-old from Smiths Falls, Ont., shot a 2-under 69 Saturday for an 11 under total through 54 holes and a one-stroke advantage over Americans Angela Stanford and Brittany Lincicome.

Henderson, who entered the third round tied for the lead with Sweden’s Caroline Hedwall at 9 under, fired five birdies to help even out an up-and-down round that also featured three bogeys.

Henderson, who birdied the 17th to take sole possession of the lead, admitted she was disappointed with her play on Saturday.

“I made some birdies but I made some bogeys. I didn’t hit it how I normally hit it, so I kind of grinded it out as best I could, and that’s good,” she said. “That’s a good sign when you can still shoot under par and not hit it very well. Just going into tomorrow trying to get back to the way I normally strike it, and hopefully make a lot of birdies.”

Making time for the fans ?✍? pic.twitter.com/QCFortqzOT

— Golf Canada (@TheGolfCanada) July 15, 2018

Stanford tied the best score of the day at 65 while Lincicome shot 67. Hedwall dipped into a tie for 21st place with a 74.

Seeking her first win since 2012, Stanford has shot back-to-back 65s after an opening-round 73. She credited a hot putter for her surge.

“I think that’s kind of what’s kept me in it,” Stanford said. “I’m seeing the lines pretty well. I didn’t have the speed the first day. I didn’t have it at all. I kind of figured it out the last two days.”

Lincicome had a 4-under 67, including birdies on two of the final three holes. In 10 previous Marathon Classics, her best finish was a tie for seventh in 2008.

“This golf course is sneaky tight,” said the big-hitting Lincicome, who is also seeking her second victory of the season. “I don’t get to hit very many drivers, but even the 3-woods and the hybrids off the tee, you have to keep it in play, and there are a few holes out there that I just pray I get through with a par, and we try to birdie the others.”

Brittany Marchand (70) of Orangeville, Ont., was six shots back of Henderson in a tie for 30th place. Hamilton’s Alena Sharp (71) was 11 shots off the pace.

Henderson has six LPGA Tour victories, including the Lotte Championship earlier this season. She is two victories away from tying Sandra Post’s record eight by a Canadian woman.

This is the fifth time in Henderson’s career she has held the 54-hole lead. She went on to win on three of the four prior occasions.

“It’s going to take a really good score,” Henderson said of Sunday’s challenge. “Lot of people shot minus-6, minus-5 today. So I would imagine something close to that tomorrow would do the job.”

A win, worth US$240,000, would vault Henderson into second on the LPGA money list this year.

Henderson is looking to become just the third player to win multiple events on the LPGA Tour this year.

Highlights from @BrookeHenderson’s third round that gave her a 1-stroke lead heading into Sunday @MarathonLPGA ?? pic.twitter.com/flrcDu2aX5

— Golf Canada (@TheGolfCanada) July 15, 2018

ONEIDA, Wis. – Canadian Brittany Marchand is in the early hunt at the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic.

The Orangeville, Ont., native opened with an 8-under 64 to sit in a tie for third, two shots back of leader Katherine Kirk of Australia on Thursday.

Marchand was 2 under at the turn, but birdied six of the seven final holes to shoot up the leaderboard. She carded eight birdies and went bogey free.

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., is right behind Marchand after an opening 65. Hamilton’s Alena Sharp and Maude-Aimee LeBlanc Sherbrooke, Que., opened with 72s.

Kirk carded 10 birdies en route to shooting 62. South Korea’s Sei Young Kim is second with a 63.

American Megan Khang matched Marchand with a 64.

KILDEER, Ill. – Brooke Henderson’s stellar run at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship came to end on Sunday after a rougher final round saw the Smith Falls, Ont., talent finish in a tie for sixth.

Henderson, who started the final day with a piece of second, ran into trouble on the front-nine with bogeys on the 2nd, 5th and 6th holes. Though she fought hard to recover, Henderson finished inside the top-ten at 6 under for the tournament.

Sung Hyun Park beat So Yeon Ryu on the second hole of a playoff Sunday in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship for her second major championship.

After a brief rain delay on the par-4 16th hole at Kemper Lakes, Ryu’s birdie try rolled past, and Park finished off her South Korean compatriot with a 10-footer. Park raised her arms and placed her hands on her head before hugging her caddie and wiping away tears.

Japanese teen Nasa Hataoko, after shooting an 8-under 64 to post at 10 under, dropped out of the playoff with a par on the par-4 18th.

Ryu made a 20-footer for birdie from the fringe, and Park followed from 10 feet.

Park closed with a 3-under 69. Ryu had a 73. She took a two-stroke lead on the 16th, but hit into the water on the par-3 17th en route to a double bogey. Park made a brilliant par save on 16.

The 24-year-old Park also won the 2017 U.S. Women’s Open.

Nine strokes behind Ryu entering the day, Hataoka nearly pulled off one of the biggest comebacks in LPGA Tour history. She was already off the course when Ryu made a 30-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole to go two strokes up at 12 under. But Ryu’s tee shot on No. 17 went into the water to the left of the green, setting up the three-way tie.

Park just missed a birdie on that hole when her 20-footer hit the edge of the cup. And she had a chance to win it on 18, only to watch her 18-foot birdie attempt role just past the edge.

Jessica Korda (68) and Angel Yin (71) tied for fourth at 7 under, with Charley Hull (67) at 6 under. Brooke Henderson (74) – second through three rounds – was 5 under.

After rain soaked the course earlier in the week, the final three days were marked by temperatures in the 90s. And with storms forecast for late Sunday afternoon, organizers adjusted the start times and had groups of three tee off on the first and 10th holes.

Ryu started on No. 1 with Park and Henderson and ran into trouble after rallying on the closing holes to grab a three-stroke lead in the third round. She had one short putt rim out and another deflect out of the back of the cup in a double-bogey on No. 2.

Park, who began the day four back, then went to 9 under with back-to-back birdies, chipping in on the par-3 third and making a short putt on No. 4.

Ryu bounced back with birdies on No. 6 and 7. She went right at the pin on the par-3 sixth off the tee and then made about a two-foot putt. On the seventh, she finished with about a 20-foot putt.

A birdie on the par-5 No. 11 put her at 12 under before she bogeyed the par-3 13th.

The 19-year-old Hataoka was coming off her first tour victory at the NW Arkansas Championship last week and nearly pulled out this one even though began the day all but out of contention.

She had five birdies plus two eagles to go with one bogey. She eagled the par-5 seventh hole and bounced back from a bogey on the par-4 No. 10 with another eagle on the par-5 11th. She then birdied the 12th, 15th and 16th holes on the way to her sixth top 10 finish in her past seven LPGA starts.