Asked about probably being in the world top 10, the top-ranked Australian, she said; “There’s nothing wrong with friendly competition, but I haven’t got the win just yet. So when I do that, I’ll be a little bit more arrogant, I think.”

Yamashita won by two shots to claim the first major of her career after keeping England’s Charley Hull and Japan’s Minami Katsu at bay.

Yamashita finished 11-under after she sank three birdies on the front nine and remained steady on the back nine, until a late stumble with her first bogey on the par-four 17th.

Hull mounted a spirited challenge with five birdies that brought her to within one shot of Yamashita. However, back-to-back bogeys on the 16th and 17th sealed her fate.

Katsu also tied for second with a final-round score of 69.

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Australia’s Minjee Lee finished with a level-par 72 to end two-under-par and with a share of 13th place.

“I feel like that’s probably the worst score I could have had today. I felt like I was going pretty well and then just kind of made a silly mistake on 14,” she said.

“It was one of those weeks where I was kind of in the middle, like I wasn’t really amazing at one thing or another. I’m not complaining, but I would have liked to be in the top 10.”

Having won the KPMG Championship, her third major title, Lee said she is pleased with her year overall.

“I think, from where I was at the beginning of the year, obviously winning KPMG and played Chevron and had a good finish at Evian and all right at US Open and all right here. So I feel like I’ve done pretty well. Maybe an 8.5.”

Earlier, the third Australian, Grace Kim, ended her British Open with a dispiriting 80 to slip to 12 over par.

Lydia Ko, New Zealand’s defending champion, ended on three-over for a share of 36th place, alongside world No.1 Nelly Korda, among others.

AAP, agencies

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