The first professional victory of Sophia Popov’s career came at a major championship on Sunday when the 304th ranked German won the Women’s Open at Royal Troon.
Popov recovered from a bogey on the first hole by making five birdies for a 3-under 68 in the final round, leaving 7 under par overall and two strokes clear from Thailand’s Jasmine Suwannapura (67).
Wiping tears from her eyes, Popov tapped at last in a roaring putt to complete one of the most unusual victories in the history of the tournament.
She lost her ticket to the LPGA Tour at the end of last year and qualified only two weeks ago via a top-10 finish at the Marathon Classic, which she only plays because players with higher rank could not attend due to COVID-19 restrictions.
This was just Popov’s fourth appearance on a grand scale.
The winner’s check for $ 675,000 is more than six times her total career earnings for Sunday. And just three weeks ago, Popov was at No. 390 and ranked a trolley for her best friend, Anne van Dam, at the Drive On Championship in the reboot of the LPGA.
“There’s a lot of hard work behind this, a lot of effort I went through, especially health care,” the 27-year-old Popov said at the presentation ceremony.
“I had thrown a lot of obstacles in my way, so I’m glad I kept up with it. I almost stopped playing last year – thank God I didn’t have that.”
On a rare quiet day on the switches in southwest Scotland, Popov started with a three-count lead but rode into bunker on the first hole and missed a 10-foot par putt.
She then barely made a mistake.
Popov pumped her fist after rolling into an 8-foot bird pit at the second hole, then made another from a similar distance at no. 3.
Suwannapura, who would also have been an unlikely winner with a rank of no. 138, made four straight birds of no. 4 to move within one stroke of the lead, but it was the closest she came.
Birdies by Popov in no. 15 and 16 were greeted with furious fist pumps and left on the edge. She held her nerve on the last two holes, pairing no. 17 and then play no. 18 careful to leave themselves three putts to become champions.
She only needed two.
“It’s an incredible story for me personally,” Popov said. “That’s the reason I think I’m breaking on the 18th hole, because it was something I could not have dreamed of just a week ago.
“It’s unbelievable that golf can make these things happen. … I’ve had quite the week of my life.”
It was the second straight overtime win at the Women’s Open. Last year, 20-year-old Japanese player Hinako Shibuno triumphed when she played her first event outside her homeland.
This was the first women’s major of a year with pandemic disruption. It was played without spectators at Troon due to coronavirus restrictions, with Popov arriving only on Tuesday after playing on the second tier Symetra Tour last week.
Just three weeks ago, Popov was at No. 390 and ranked a trolley for her best friend, Anne van Dam, at the Drive On Championship in the reboot of the LPGA. She is now a great champion and feels that her success can be an inspiration to others whose careers are in a battle.
“Obviously there is an elite amount of players who have always been and are in controversy,” she said. “But there are so many other players out there who can do it in any given week, and I want them to have the confidence that they can do it too.”
Now. 8-ranked Minjee Lee, who played with Popov in the final pairing, finished third at 3 down after a round of 69.
Seven-time grand champion Inbee Park was the only other player to finish the tournament below par, a 66 that left her at 1 below and in fourth place.
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