Status Ko as Korean wins second major title of the season
SOUTH Korea’s Ko Jin-young continued her sensational season by winning her second major of the year in a two-shot victory at the Evian Championship in France.
Ko, 24, earned her first major success at the ANA Inspiration earlier in the campaign and added another with a final round 67 at a rain-drenched Evian-les-Bains to finish at 15-under.
Ko is leading the LPGA Tour this year, having also won one other title and posted seven top-10 finishes.
Overnight leader Kim Hyo-joo finished two shots back after a twoover 73.
World number one Park Sunghyun, who trailed Kim by a shot going into Sunday’s final round in France, finished five shots adrift of Ko after an error-strewn 75.
Kim, the 2014 champion, sunk birdies on the eighth and 11th, wiping out a bogey on the third, to help her stay ahead of the pack.
But she had problems when her ball was plugged in a greenside bunker on the par-three 14th, leaving with a triple-bogey six which allowed Ko to take control.
World number two Ko moved within a shot of her compatriot with back-to-back birdies on six and seven, with further gains on 10 and 13 helping her overtake her playing partner.
Ko’s patience approach throughout paid dividends and from that point she continued to look assured, sinking a 15-foot birdie putt on the 17th as she confidently closed out victory without dropping a shot.
American Jennifer Kupcho carded a five-under-par 66 - the lowest round of the day in tricky conditions - for a tie of second place alongside Kim and China’s Shanshan Feng (68).
“Last year my game was a little shorter but this year I’m getting a little longer. I had a great week,” said Ko, who is set to reclaim the world number one ranking.
“I thought last night that I can win if I played really good, I’m never thinking about other players and their scores.”
Bronte Law, a winner on the LPGA Tour earlier this season, was the best of the Brits on three-under while Georgia Hall, the reigning Women’s British Open champion, finished on level-par.
Hall will defend her British title at Woburn this week.