TROON, Scotland – Sophia Popov marked her ball a few inches from the hole on the 18th green, pulled the brim of her cap over her face and began to cry in the arms of her caddie.
She was about to become a major champion.
Still crying, Popov tapped in the putt to complete a four-stroke victory in the Women's British Open at Royal Troon.
Ranked No. 304, Popov lost her card on the LPGA Tour last year and only qualified for the British Open via a top-10 finish two weeks ago at the Marathon Classic.
She revealed in public for the first time Sunday that she has been bothered by health issues for the past six years, notably Lyme disease.
No wonder the emotions flowed after she shot a 3-under 68 to finish at 7-under 277, four strokes better than Jasmine Suwannapura of Thailand (67). Popov become the first woman from Germany to win a major.
Minjee Lee (69) finished third at 3 under, and Inbee Park (66) was the only other player to finish under par, at 1 under.
Popov, 27, began with a three-stroke lead but drove into a bunker on the first hole and missed a 10-foot par putt. That should have led to collapse, but she barely made a mistake after that.
