Australian went eagle-birdie-eagle in final holes to win on the second playoff hole against Jeeno Thitikul.
EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France — Grace Kim always dreamed of winning a major on the LPGA Tour. What happened Sunday in a wild final hour at the Evian Championship was beyond her imagination.
“I don’t know how it happened, really,” Kim said after an eagle-birdie-eagle finish to win on the second playoff hole against Jeeno Thitikul.
A final round at Evian Resort that nearly saw Lottie Woad become the first amateur to win a major in 58 years ended with Kim standing upright after her 12-foot eagle putt dropped, with her hand over her mouth, motionless as she tried to digest what had transpired.
Two shots behind on the final hole, Kim hit a 4-hybrid so perfectly that it slowed at the top of a slope behind the flag and rolled back to 2 feet for an eagle and a 4-under 67 to force a playoff with Thitikul.
Her approach to the par-5 18th in a playoff bounced off a cart path, over rocks and into the water, while Thitikul was in good position to make birdie. Tournament over? Not quite. Kim pitched over the pond and across the green and into the cup for birdie to stay alive.
“I was pretty bummed to find out that my ball was in the middle of the water. But, again, it’s not quite finished until the very end,” Kim said. “Just wanted to make sure I got it there.
