Women's British Open Golf: Jiyai Shin triumphs in a final-day marathon SOUTH Korea's Jiyai Shin had to call on talent, patience, stamina and the ability to bounce back from adversity on the final day of the Ricoh Women's British Open at Hoylake. It all added up to an extremely impressive victory in the final major of the season. The 24-year-old won the title for a first time when she was still a raw rookie at Sunningdale four years ago. This time, she romped home by a nine-shot margin, the biggest since the Championship became a major 11 years ago. Friday's play had been wiped out by strong winds, so Sunday became a 36-hole marathon and Shin came out top on a day that tested a lot more than just golfing skill. Heaving winds and then torrential rain made for brutal conditions and there wasn't time to squeeze in more than a couple of minutes for lunch in between rounds that stretched to over five hours. It really was a case of survival of the fittest, and it was extremely unpleasant. Shin had laid the foundations for victory with a course record eight-under 64 in the balmy second round on Saturday. She led by five at halfway and a third round 71 still left her three shots clear of Australia's hugely experienced Karrie Webb, who had romped through the field with a delightful 68. Still digesting the hurried bite to eat, Shin suffered the body blow of a triple-bogey seven - she missed the green in two and then three putted - into the teeth of the wind at the first hole in the final round. But 37-year-old Webb, whose three victories included one at Turnberry ten years ago, also hit a troubled start - double-bogey, bogey, bogey - while Shin rebounded in style. In true champion fashion, she birdied the short sixth from 25 feet and the seventh from 18 feet and suddenly found herself seven shots ahead. After a brief stoppage when the wind and rain made play impossible, the bespectacled Shin, who was still smiling through it all, continued the march to glory. She was only troubled by the weather as she completed her final 73 for a nine-under par total. Another South Korean, Inbee Park, was second on level par after she birdied the last for a closing 76, while American Paula Creamer produced a stunning finish - birdie, eagle, par, birdie - for a 72 and outright third on one-over. Last Monday, Shin had needed nine extra holes to beat Creamer in a play-off for the Kingsmill Championship on the LPGA Tour. That win earned £130,000 and yesterday she added another £266,000 for a very profitable couple of weeks" work. "That was a long, long day and very tough," said the new champion. I have never played in such bad weather, but I managed to stay focused and now I'm just so excited. Winning at Sunningdale four years ago was my first big win and changed my life. Now I have even more great British Open memories. Shin's victory completed an Asian clean sweep of this year's four women's majors. Sun Young Yoo (Kraft Nabisco Championship) and Na Yeon Choi (US Women's Open) also joined the list from South Korea, while China's Shanshan Feng triumphed at the LPGA Championship. Lydia Ko, the 15-year-old New Zealander who became the youngest winner on the LPGA Tour at last month's Canadian Open, took the amateur prize, the Smyth Salver. The teenager shot 76 and 78 to finish in the top 20 on nine-over par, two ahead of English amateur, Holly Clyburn. The scores from two-time defending champion, Yani Tseng, summed up the difficulties of the day.