Catriona Matthew made history when she became the first Scot to win a women’s major with a last day 73 in the final round of the Ricoh Women’s British Open at Royal Lytham and St Annes.

Just weeks before her 40th birthday and now a Mum of two, Matthew, with husband Graeme playing his usual role as caddie, birdied three holes in a row from the 13th for a winning three under par total.

She claimed £197,059 for the three stroke triumph over Australia’s Karrie Webb, who had a best of day 68.

Matthew finished second in another major – the 2007 Kraft Nabisco Championship - when first daughter Katie was just three months old. The second one, Sophie, was 11 weeks on Saturday.

“I’m speechless and I think it will take a while to sink in,” was the North Berwick golfer’s immediate reaction. “I‘m still overwhelmed by it all. To be honest, I didn’t really play all that well today, but I hung in.

“There are times when I’ve wondered if time was running out for me to win a major and, for me, the British is the biggest one of the four. But I actually think motherhood has helped put golf into perspective and it has calmed me down a little. I don’t get so annoyed on the course.

“Today there was a lot of pressure, but Graeme helped calm me down. He kept reminding me that I was still in the lead.

”Lytham has been a great course for me. It was here that I won the 1993 Women’s British Amateur.”

Matthew is only the fourth Briton to win a major, joining an elite band of Laura Davies, who has four, Alison Nicholas, the 1997 US Women’s Open Champion, and Karen Stupples, the last home winner of the Women’s British Open at Sunningdale five years ago. 

After three bogeys in the first ten holes, she hit back with the magnificent birdie hat-trick. She holed from 18-feet at the 13th, from monster range at the 14th and then hit a sublime second onto the green for a two-putt birdie at the long 15th.

“The one at 14 really was a bonus,” she assessed. “And the two shots I hit onto the green at the par five 15th were definitely my best of the day.”

Now a winner of seven titles worldwide, Matthew, 16 years as a professional, has confirmed her position as Scotland’s most successful female golfer. 

Musselburgh’s Vikki Laing, the second Scot to make the cut, closed the championship with a 79 for 21 over par and was 66th.