Stanford bags Evian win; Aussies miss out

American Angela Stanford has won her first major title at the Evian Championship as top Aussies Katherine Kirk and Minjee Lee finish tenth and 15th.

American Angela Stanford claimed her maiden major title at the Evian Championship in France by one shot after compatriot and long-time leader Amy Olson made a double-bogey on the final hole.

Katherine Kirk was the top Australian player, carding a 69 which featured six birdies and four bogeys, to see her tie for tenth alongside New Zealand's Lydia Ko, Canada's Brooke Henderson and So Yeon Ryu of South Korea.

Kirk's compatriot Minjee Lee, the world No.6, was holding a share of sixth place after a birdie at the 15th, but bunker trouble on the 16th resulted in a double bogey and with another following on the last she was forced to settle for a 69 and a share of 16th at six under.

The 40-year-old Stanford carded a three-under-par 68 in the final round at Evian-les-Bains in France to finish with a 12-under total of 272 for the tournament.

Olson, who had maintained a firm grip on the lead for majority of the weekend, missed a six-foot putt for bogey on the 18th to force a playoff.

The 26-year-old signed for a 74 to slip into a four-way tie for second spot alongside fellow Americans Austin Ernst and Mo Martin and Kim Sei-young of South Korea.

Stanford ended her long wait for a major title, 15 years after finishing runner-up at the US Women's Open.

She becomes the lone golfer from the US this year to capture a major title, and the first since Danielle Kang's triumph at the Women's PGA Championship in July 2017.

"You know, I know me very well and I did a bunch of stupid stuff, but deep down I'm a fighter, I'm a grinder, and I've always been that," she said.

"I'm grateful. And so happy for everybody at home, everybody that's all cheered for me and never gave up on me."


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Source: AAP



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