by Kevin Cody
Mo Martin won the 2014 Woman’s British Open in one of the most fabled finishes in the prestigious tournament’s four-decade history.
The Redondo Beach resident began the final round at the Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England three shots behind, in a six-way tie for seventh.
She finished the final round with an eagle on the 18th hole for a one shot victory over runners-up Shanshan Feng, of China and Suzann Pettersen, of Great Britain.
The victory earned the 5-foot-2, former member of the 2004 UCLA NCAA championship team the cover of Golf Week, with a headline that read, “Mighty Mo.”
More treasured than the British Open prize money, was the tournament’s two-foot tall sterling silver fluted trophy she received for her win.
Upon returning to the family home in Altadena, where she grew up, her mother Linda put the trophy on display in the living room.
When Martin moved to Redondo Beach in 2019, she left the trophy at her family’s home to show her appreciation to her family, and to her community.
“I obviously would love to look at it and appreciate it on a daily basis,” she said. “But it was a tribute. I thought of everything my mom had done and my [late] dad [Allen] and my family,” Martin said. “Everything they sacrificed to make my dreams come true. Even the City of Altadena….So many people came together to help make this come true, giving me free range balls and helping me get clubs. Advice here and there,” she told Golf Digest.
In January, the Altadena fire swept through her home, destroying all of her family’s belongings.
Upon returning to home after the fire, she found a lump of metal she believes is the trophy.
A few weeks later, she received an email from The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews (R&A), organizers of the British Open. A replacement trophy was being shipped to her.
On Wednesday of this week, Martin shared the replacement trophy, and story behind it with CBS News reporter Jill Painter Lopez during an interview in Noble Park in Hermosa Beach.
The new trophy is a sign of renewal that lifted her spirits, and she hopes will lift other fire victims’ spirits
“It was like a beacon of hope,” she told Golf Digest. ER
