It’s a Swede success for Nordqvist

● Play-off win in Evian Masters comes at end of a difficult spell for Scandinavian

Sweden’s Anna Nordqvist claimedhersecondmajortitle with a play-off win over littleknown American Brittany Altomare at the Evian Championship in France.

Both players shot 66 to tie on nineunderparandabogeyfive at the first play-off hole – the 18th – was enough for 30-yearold Nordqvist to add another major to the 2009 LPGA Championship.

With lashing rain and strong winds sweeping the course, the play-off was staged in horrendous conditions and the 18th green had to be squeegeed before the players could putt.

Both players laid up short of the water in two and then Altomare took three from the edge of the green for a six. Nordqvist got up and down from left off the green for a winning five. Last year, Nordqvist lost in extra time at the US Women’s Open when she was penalised two shots for brushing sand in a bunker with her club – and this year she has suffered from glandular fever and is still not back to full fitness.

“My late grandfather always told me never to give up and that’s what what I try to do,” she said. “The play-off conditions were absolutely awful, but I grew up in Sweden so I am used to playing in pretty bad weather. It has been a tough few months. I always wanted to make the Solheim Cup and I did that. But I have been exhausted. I don’t enjoy lying in bed and not being able to do anything. Because of the illness, it definitely makes this win sweeter.”

Five behind at the start of the final round and seven adrift after two early bogeys, it was a birdie at the sixth and then an eagle at the long seventh that sparked her march to victory.

0 Sweden’s Anna Nordqvist kisses the trophy after her victory. Another eagle at the long 15th was decisive.

The championship was reduced to 54 holes after Thursday’s play was wiped out by severe storms and the last day was a real ding-dong affair. Thailand’s Moriya Jutanugran, the overnight leader, was two ahead at the turn, but her chances of a first win on Tour were blighted by a drive out of bounds at the 13th.

She came to the tough 18th needing a par to make the playoff. But she had to lay up with her second shot, hit it way left, and ended up making bogey for a round of 72.

Lydia Ko, the 2015 champion, was also one shy after a final hole lay-up for a 69, while Australian Katherine Kirk birdied the last for a 70 and finished in the three-way tie for third place. World No 1 So Yeon Ryu only tied for 40th, but that was still good enough to secure the Rolexannikamajorawardfor 2017. It is given to the player with the best results in a major, including at least one victory. She won the ANA Inspiration at the start of the season.

Meanwhile, chairman Mark Lichtenhein has delivered an upbeat prediction for the future of the Ladies European Tour despite a difficult year for the circuit including the loss of events, the departure of its chief executive and a Solheim Cup defeat.

“We know that the Ladies European Tour is an attractive product with an impressive international footprint which has helped to inspire and develop women’s golf, but the LET Board is now busy consolidating the schedule at home, with a focus on securing more quality tournaments for our players in Europe,” he said.

“We want to build strong partnerships with sponsors and promoters, working to their requirements and the specific needs of golf in individual countries. We are in discussions with the LPGA and other commercial partners and are following up on over 20 recentenquiriesandproposals across Europe, from Lisbon to Moscow, to better understand the needs of local markets.” Duncan Stewart edged closer to keeping a European Tour card by taking his earnings in eight days to just under £60,000 as Frenchman Romain Wattel, finally fulfilling the promise he showed on Scottish soil as an amateur, won the KLM Open.

Stewart got off to a slow start after stepping up to the top circuit as a Challenge Tour graduate, missing the cut in his first five events this season, but the 33-year-old now has a realistic chance of retaining a seat at the top table.

Backing up a career-best tie for ninth in the Omega European Masters in Switzerland, Stewart signed off with a four-under-par 67 for an eight-under-par 276 total at The Dutch in Spijk, finishing in a tie for 20th.

The strong finish earned the Lothians-based Highlander a cheque for just under £18,000, adding to the £42,000 he picked up when also finishing as the leading Scot at Crans-sursierre. With five regular events remaining, Stewart has climbed to 119th in the Race to Dubai, where the top 100 effectively after the Valderrama Masters next month will hang on to their playing privileges.

Wattel looked a star in the making when he claimed the Scottish Open Strokeplay Championship at Gailes Links in 2010, his victory in the event being sandwiched by successes for Tommy Fleetwood and Andy Sullivan.

Yet,itwasatthe187thtime of asking that the 26-yearold Montpellier managed to make his European Tour breakthrough, shrugging off the fact he hadn’t manage a top-20 finish all season to post a 15-under 269 total to triumph by a shot from Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat. “I have been in contention before and while I had not won before I knew what I had to do and thankfully this time it was my week,” said Wattel.

Matching Stewart’s closing effort to finish joint25th, Richie Ramsay cemented his top-25 position in the Race to Dubai, where Marc Warren sits 174th after slipping from a promising spot at halfway to joint 59th at the conclusion.