Sophia Popov makes Cinderella look like an overwhelming favorite.
Ranked 304th in the world with career earnings of about $108,000, the longest of longshots coming into the Women’s Open championship stood proudly with the trophy late Sunday afternoon, completing an amazing story at historic Royal Troon.
Popov barely got into the season’s first major thanks to a ninth-place finish a few weeks ago at the Marathon Classic and she only got in there after they had problems filling the field. She had no status on the LPGA Tour. Notice the word “had.”
Everything changed for her in just over four hours as she navigated her way around a much easier Royal Troon, thanks to calm winds and mild temperatures. She looked as calm as a seasoned veteran as she overcame an opening bogey, bounced back with birdies at two, three and six then went into a fairways-and-greens mode that carried her through challenges by Jasmine Suwannapura. She was two-under for the day at the turn and looked determined to keep the lead that she held coming into the final 18.
With Suwannapura a hole ahead and throwing birdies at Popov at the 15th and 16th holes, the 27-year-old from Germany didn’t flinch and fired back with birdies of her own at those same holes, building a three-shot lead with two to play. A two-putt par at the 17th sent her to the home hole, able to play conservative. She kept her drive in the fairway, her second was short of the greenside pot bunkers and she used her putter three times from there to close with a bogey for a three-under 68 and a seven-under par total that was two better than Suwannapura.
Popov found herself lost for words as she prepared to hoist the trophy. “Honestly, I don’t even know,” she said as she hesitated, searching for the right words. “It feels amazing, a lot of hard work, a lot of struggles these last few years. I’m glad I stuck with it. I almost quit playing last year.”
Popov detailed her journey from caddie at the Drive-On to lucky-to-get-in the Marathon. “It’s really incredible,” she said. She said she went to Phoenix after the Marathon because “my focus was on the Symetra Tour.” She finished tied for second in Phoenix then got to Royal Troon later than most. “I got here Tuesday. I knew my game was in real good shape.”
She survived the strong winds with rounds of 70-72 then forged into the 54-hole lead with 67 on Saturday. “I was uber-nervous,” she admitted, with that overnight lead. “A new position for me. Kudos to my boyfriend (her caddie) for keeping me calm.”
With her lead, she had the luxury of enjoying the walk over the last two holes, especially the 18th. “Thank God, I could take it in a little,” she said with a huge smile.
In the end, Sophia Popov made her first win a major championship.
She changed the course of her career in four days. The winner’s check for $675,000 is $567,000 more than her career earnings.
And that will change a lot of things for her as well.
Langasque Rallies For First European Tour Win:
Romain Langasque had never won on the European Tour but he picked the right day to go low.
The Frenchman earned his first European win with a final round 65 at Celtic Manor to take the Wales Open title. His 65 got him to eight-under par for the week, two better than runnerup Sami Valimaki of Finland.
Langasque was chasing the leaders at the start of the day at the 2010 course. He produced six birdies to surge into the lead. through a congested leaderboard and finish at eight under, two shots clear of Finn Sami Välimäki, who carded a 69.
Overnight leaders Sebastian Soderberg and Conner Syme were three shots ahead on the fifth tee but both found the penalty area with their second shots and, after taking drops and failing to get up and down, the advantage was just one. They continued to go in the wrong direction and Langasque tied for the lead when he drove the par four 15th and made birdie then he took the lead by himself with a 20-foot birdie putt at the 16th.
The win earned Langasque a spot in next month’s U.S. Open Championship via the top 10 of the UK Swing Order of Merit, with Välimäki, Syme and Justin Harding also securing their places at Winged Foot Golf Club alongside Sam Horsfield, Thomas Detry, Andy Sullivan, Rasmus Højgaard, Renato Paratore and Adrian Otaegui.
4 Comments
baxter cepeda
This was truly beautiful…what golf is all about. Someone believing in themselves through the many downs, sticking with it and suddenly this happens.
I had chicken skin for a while there at the end.
Tom Edrington
So very true….you watch her perform and think to yourself “how can she not already be on the LPGA Tour”…..have to admire someone who makes the most of an incredible opportunity. Hopefully we’ll have a new name to watch.
baxter cepeda
For one Horses for courses.
Not many links courses like this on the LPGA tour.
Tom Edrington
None, to be exact. Sophia had some links experience, she said she played in the British amateur and British girls amateur growing up.