Webb's flawless finale earns victory home from home

Karrie Webb, the Australian from Ayr in Queensland, grew up in a town where it seldom falls below 20C and rarely rains. Just down the coast from Scotland's original here yesterday, where it rarely gets above 20C and is seldom not raining, Webb won the Weetabix British Women's Open.

The class act on the leaderboard, albeit starting the day three strokes off the top, Webb duly came though to clinch victory with a flawless round of 66. The Ailsa course has demanded a variety of shot-making skills all week and in the damp conditions yesterday the most authoritative striker of the ball in the women's game prevailed.

Webb, who earned £155,000, won by two strokes from Spain's Paula Marti and another Australian, Michelle Ellis. Marti, a 22-year-old from Barcelona who won twice in her rookie season in Europe last year, produced her best finish in a major after a closing 69. Impressively, she was the only player to break 70 in all four rounds and secured her place in the European Solheim Cup team.

Webb claimed her victory at the same venue where Greg Norman won the Open in 1986. "I really enjoyed playing at Turnberry," she said. "There have been a lot of great champions in the men's Open here so it is fantastic. I have won the British Open before but now it is a major it is even more special.

"This was one of the best rounds I can remember," Webb added. "I shot a 66 to win my first major, the Du Maurier, but I then birdied four of the last five holes. This was a more solid round with a lot of good iron shots and I made the putts."

The victory meant Webb became the first player to achieve what the LPGA somewhat portentously describes as the "Super Career Grand Slam". Until two years ago, the fourth major on the LPGA circuit was the du Maurier tournament in Canada but when the government there banned sponsorship by cigarette companies, the British Open was promoted in its place.

Since the championship received its new designation, the winners have been Se Ri Pak and Webb, two of the best three women golfers of the moment. The third, and unofficially ranked as the No 1, is Annika Sorenstam who has a stunning strike-rate in winning regular tour events but cannot match Webb when it comes to majors.

This was the Australian's sixth major title, all coming in the last three years. At the age of 27 she is the second youngest ever to reach that mark on the LPGA tour. She had twice previously won the British Open, with the title becoming the very first of her professional career in 1995. That win came at Woburn, while she followed it up with another at Sunningdale two years later so this is her first triumph on a links.

Webb birdied the third, fifth and sixth holes to draw level with the overnight leaders, Carin Koch and Jenny Rosales. A pair of 15-foot birdie putts at the 10th and the 12th put her two ahead and the lead was extended when Marti dropped a shot at the 13th.

The Spaniard recovered the shot with a four at the par-five 14th but after Webb survived her only awkward moment at the 16th she was safe. A ditch runs in front of the green and the pin was at the front of the putting surface. Webb's second appeared to have fallen back into the burn but stayed up on the bank. Her chip did not promise a certain par but she then holed from 20 feet to avoid dropping a shot.

She got to 15 under with a birdie-four at the 17th, where Marti also had a four, while Ellis birdied three of the last four holes. "I love Webby to bits and to finish second to her is awesome," said Ellis. "Her ability to pull it off consistently under the gun is why she is so successful."

WOMEN'S BRITISH OPEN (Turnberry) Leading final scores (GB unless stated): 273 K Webb (Aus) 66 71 70 66. 275 M Ellis (Aus) 69 70 68 68; P Marti (Sp) 69 68 69 69. 277 C Nilsmark (Swe) 70 69 69 69; J Jeong-jang (S Kor) 73 69 66 69; C Kung (Tai) 65 71 71 70. J Rosales (Phi) 69 70 65 73. 278 M Mallon (US) 69 71 68 70; B Bauer (US) 70 67 70 71 C Koch (Swe) 68 68 68 74.