Mother's Day

In search of her game after giving birth to her second child, Catriona Matthew finds herself the Women's British Open champion

Royal scot: A third-round 71 gave Matthew a three-shot lead entering the final round of the Ricoh Women's British Open.

By Ron Sirak

Photos by David Cannon/Getty Images

August 10, 2009

There is an anti-littering campaign in these parts that urges people to "Keep Britain Tidy." Who better to understand the importance of cleaning up than a nearly 40-year-old mother of two young daughters, the most recent of whom entered the world just 11 weeks earlier? That is exactly what Catriona Matthew spent much of Sunday doing in the final round of the Ricoh Women's British Open at Royal Lytham and St. Annes—tidying up after messes she made. She missed fairways, she missed greens, she missed putts and she seemed determined to miss out on her opportunity to win her first major championship.

Then, after a 12-foot par-save on No. 12, she rolled in an 18-footer for birdie on the next hole, followed a fortunate lie in the rough on No. 14 with an improbable 40-foot putt and then capped the three-birdie outburst with a tap-in on No. 15 after her eagle try stopped a half-roll short. Matthew went on from there to become the first woman from Scotland to win not only this tournament but any LPGA major.

That the final margin at Royal Lytham was three strokes better than Karrie Webb, who was trying for her eighth major, is no indication of the struggle involved, just as those blissful moments when a newborn falls asleep in a mother's arms give no indication of the labor pains involved. "I was definitely nervous this morning, and it was a pretty shaky start," said Matthew, who missed a six-footer to bogey the par-3 opening hole. "Then just a few birdies in a row sealed it," she said, typically understating the run that propelled her to a final-round 73 and a three-under 285, with Webb at 288 and Paula Creamer, Ai Miyazato, Hee-Won Han and Christina Kim at 289. Michelle Wie closed strong with a 69 to finish T-11 and was later rewarded as a captain's pick on the U.S. Solheim Cup team.

To say Matthew's victory at the Women's British was an improbable story is like saying Royal Lytham is a great golf course: It's a true statement, but falls far short of doing its subject matter justice. A week earlier Matthew returned to competition at the Evian Masters for the first time since March 8 when she left the tour to prepare for the birth of her second child, Sophie, who was delivered May 16. Matthew had been back hitting balls only five weeks.

"I never imagined after not playing [for so long] that I would win," Matthew said. "Coming out to play last week and this week, I was really just hoping to make two cuts."

Among the challengers were Creamer, who finished T-3 at one-over 289. Photo: warren little/getty images

That her grasp exceeded her reach is all the more remarkable because on the eve of the Evian tournament she and her husband Graeme had to flee a hotel fire. When Graeme, who caddies for Catriona, ran back into the building to retrieve their passports, his feet were blistered by the heat so badly he was unable to work at Evian. But he was back on the bag at Lytham, offering the kind of words only a spouse can utter when Catriona was getting a little untidy on the golf course.

Matthew's T-30 finish at Evian gave little indication of what was to come. Then again the outward calm with which she appears to walk through life—good shots elicit a bashful smile and an embarrassed wave—gives little indication of the turmoil she suppresses on the golf course.

"I was getting a little anxious, maybe a little bit down on myself on the front nine," said Matthew, who had two previous victories in her 15-year LPGA career. "[Graeme] just said, 'You're still in the lead, keep going,' and that kind of helped."

Beginning the final round with a three-stroke lead over Christina Kim, Matthew missed several short putts early and even after she made a nine-foot putt to save bogey on No. 10 after taking an unplayable lie penalty, she had fallen into a tie for the lead at one under with Ai Miyazato, who had birdied Nos. 6 and 7. At that point, it appeared as though this fairytale story was about to lose its happy ending.