Henderson wins second major crown at Evian C’ship; Piercy stretches lead
Evian: Canada’s Brooke Henderson birdied the final hole to survive a pressure-packed final round and end her long wait for a second major title at the Evian Championship on Sunday.
The 2016 Women’s PGA champion shot a finalround 71 for a 17 under par total and claimed the title by a single shot from American world number 283 Sophia Schubert, who closed with a 68.
The 24-year-old Canadian had led by two overnight, but struggled to find form in the ideal final-day conditions and fell out of the lead ater two bogeys and a double — she four puted the sixth — in the first 11 holes. But, one behind Schubert, she hit back with birdies at the short 14th and long 15th and was tied for the lead at the closing par-five hole. She pulled her tee shot but hit her third shot to eight feet and holed out for victory.
“I didn’t get the start I wanted and it certainly wasn’t my best day,” said Henderson, who led by three ater two 64s and was still in control ater her third-round 68.
“But they say majors don’t start until the back nine on Sunday and I kept that in my mind.
“I managed to stay patient, made a few birdies on the way home and the one at 18 was really special. I’m super excited to win my second major and my 12th win on Tour.”
Only 18 when she won her first major, it has taken an unexpectedly long time for number two to come round.
Meanwhile, American Scot Piercy shook off a lengthy weather delay to fire a five-under-par 66 on Saturday and push his lead to four strokes at the US PGA Tour 3M Open.
Piercy, who led by three strokes when the day began, birdied five holes in a row to hold a fourstroke lead and was on the green at the par-3 eighth when players were pulled off the course because of thunderstorms.
Ater a delay of six and a half hours, 2016
US Open runner-up Piercy let a birdie put from just inside 50 feet some five feet short then sank his par put. He would drop a shot at the ninth, but ater birdies at the 10th and 12th he took a six-stroke lead to the 18th, where his second shot found the water on the way to a closing bogey and an 18-under par total of 195.
At the same time, Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo grabbed a two-put birdie at the par-five 18th, capping a four-under 67 for 14-under 199.
Grillo broke out of a group on 13-under that featured Doug Ghim and Tony Finau, who both carded third-round 65s at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, Minnesota.
Piercy, 43, is chasing a fith PGA Tour title. He won the 2018 Zurich Classic pairs event but his most recent solo crown was the 2015 Barbasol Championship. He launched his five-birdie run with an 18-foot put at the third hole and added a seven-footer at the fourth, a 14-footer at the fith, a three-footer at the par-five sixth and a 10-footer at the seventh.