Ayaka Furue made a late cost to win the Evian Championship with an eagle on the final gap to clinch her first main title Sunday.
The 24-year-old Japanese golfer held her nerve with one other scientific putt, having made three birdies within the earlier 4 holes to complete at 19 underneath general after posting a 6-under 65.
Furue positioned one stroke forward of Australian Stephanie Kyriacou, the in a single day chief, and two forward of Thailand’s Patty Tavatanakit, who shot an excellent 8-under 63 within the ultimate spherical to maneuver into competition for her second main.
“Breathtaking, like unimaginable, and I am so speechless,” Furue stated.
American Lauren Coughlin (69) completed 4 pictures behind Furue in fourth place.
Heading to the 18th gap, Furue and Kyriacou have been stage at 17 underneath with Tavatanakit, who was already within the clubhouse.
Furue teed off properly and located the golf green, whereas Kyriacou’s shot swerved left into the tough.
Furue discovered the inexperienced together with her second shot, giving her a championship alternative, and moments later, she was doused with champagne. Her earlier greatest efficiency at a serious was fourth at Evian in 2021.
“I’m so honored to be the winner,” Furue stated. “I did not imagine that I may get a serious win, so I’m so completely satisfied proper now.”
The 23-year-old Kyriacou, who birdied the 18th, additionally secured her greatest consequence. Her earlier greatest was a tie for seventh on the Girls’s British Open two years in the past.
“It was a superb week,” Kyriacou stated. “Numerous positives to remove. I performed nice all week. Yeah, I do not know, it was a superb week. It sucks to not maintain the trophy. In the event you informed me I might come second firstly of the week, I might’ve been completely satisfied.”
Tavatanakit received a serious on the ANA Inspiration in 2021.
In a single day, Kyriacou was one stroke forward of Furue and Coughlin, who tied for third on the Chevron Championship for her greatest main consequence.
Coughlin birdied the ninth gap to maneuver to 17 underneath and take a one-stroke lead over Kyriacou, who missed an easy birdie likelihood after showing to be bothered by an insect.
Kyriacou birdied the fifteenth to maneuver stage with Coughlin as Furue was gaining momentum, sinking back-to-back birdies from the sting of the inexperienced on the 14th and fifteenth.
“I felt like I needed to play aggressively right now, however after I began enjoying, I used to be just a little bit pissed off as a result of I wasn’t getting many birdies,” Furue stated. “After the fifteenth gap, I gained confidence, and that was actually good for me.”
Her strategy to the sixteenth gap gave her one other birdie likelihood, and he or she took it to remain one behind Kyriacou, who additionally birdied, and Tavatanakit, who eagled the 18th.
“I saved giving myself a variety of alternatives,” Tavatanakit stated. “I informed myself to simply belief myself and really feel it.”
Kyriacou and Coughlin struggled on the strategy to the inexperienced on the 311-yard seventeenth gap, and each bogeyed.
Furue nearly made one other sensible lengthy birdie, which might have given her the outright lead. As an alternative she went to the ultimate gap stage with Kyriacou and Tavatanakit.
With the win, Furue pocketed $1.2 million after capturing her second profession LPGA victory. She additionally received the 2022 Girls’s Scottish Open by rallying from a four-shot deficit.
Prime-ranked American Nelly Korda tied for twenty sixth in a bunch together with 2018 champion Angela Stanford of the USA and 2022 winner Brooke Henderson of Canada.
The Related Press and Discipline Stage Media contributed to this report.
