By Torleif Sorenson on 7/14/14

Melissa Linda "Mo" Martin pulled "an Annika" on Sunday — her first LPGA Tour victory came at a major championship. The 31-year-old native of southern California broke through on Sunday to win the Ricoh Women's British Open, shooting 69-69-77-72 to defeat China's Shanshan Feng and Norway's Suzann Pettersen by one stroke at Royal Birkdale.



Martin was the only golfer to finish better than par.  (Perhaps USGA exec Mike Davis set up the course?)

She made it to the LPGA Tour the old fashioned way: She eaaaaarned it.

After graduating from UCLA in 2005 with a B.A. in Psychology, Martin turned pro and made her way to the LPGA Futures Tour (currently known as the Symetra Tour). Following three wins on the LPGA's minor-league circuit, she earned her card in 2012.

Interestingly, the first few comments of Pettersen explained best why Martin won:

"Mo is a steady player on the LPGA. Maybe not the longest, but on a course like this, you don't have to be. It's more about being precise and getting the short game sharp. So she must have played her game out, because we all tried to chase her down. We saw she was 1‑under in the clubhouse with three to go, and you know you've got to nail those three holes. It's never a bad thing to post a good number in the clubhouse. We tried our hardest but fell short."

Surely, The Wedge Guy — Terry Koehler — will be proud when he sees and hears how "Mo" got her first lessons in golf.


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Image via Ricoh Women's British Open