For the second time in the history of the sport, a golfer ranked outside of the top 300 in the world has claimed one of golf’s major championships.
Sophia Popov, a journeywoman who primarily plays on the LPGA’s developmental tour, claimed her first professional victory at the Women’s Open Sunday with a final score of seven under. Popov (-7) was one of only four golfers to finish under-par for the week at Royal Troon, which proved a proper test for many of the game’s best in its first-ever Women’s Open.
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The 27-year-old Popov capped off a cinderella week at the Open with a final round 68, beating out Jasmine Suwannapura by two strokes to claim the title.
Popov, who hails from Germany, was just the 304th ranked golfer in the world heading into the week. She joins 2003 Open Champion Ben Curtis as the only golfers ever to win a major championship while ranked outside of the top 300.
Prior to this week, Popov’s best finish at the Women’s Open was 67th in 2011, and her best finish in a major was T57 in the 2018 Women’s PGA Championship. With the win, Popov claims the Women’s Open’s $675,000 first-prize and her first major championship.