Historic Ryu triumphs again; Filipina golfers fade in final round
MANILA, Philippines — As the Filipina campaign unraveled in the final round of two premier women's tours, South Korea's Haeran Ryu completed a dream run, overcoming a tense finish to capture the Amundi Evian Championship in dramatic fashion and secure her second consecutive major title Sunday in Evian-les-Bains, France (Monday Manila time).
Ryu survived one of the most nerve-wracking final rounds of the season, birdieing the 72nd hole to force a playoff before outlasting Canada's Brooke Henderson to claim the championship after Japanese contender Akie Iwai narrowly missed joining the sudden-death battle.
The victory came just three weeks after Ryu captured her breakthrough major at the Women's PGA Championship, making her the second player this season to win back-to-back majors after World No. 1 Nelly Korda opened the year with victories in the Chevron Championship and the US Women's Open.
Ryu's latest triumph capped a remarkable week highlighted by a record-setting 11-under-par 60 in Saturday's third round — the lowest score ever recorded in an LPGA major.
The final round, however, bore little resemblance to that historic performance.
Starting the day with a comfortable three-shot lead, Ryu struggled to find her touch on the greens, failing to make a birdie through the first 17 holes. Yet despite a lone bogey and a string of pars, she remained in contention as Iwai also faltered while Henderson mounted a stunning charge from seven shots back.
Henderson turned in one of the most spectacular closing rounds in recent LPGA history. She mixed two eagles, a hole-in-one, three birdies and two bogeys for a dazzling seven-under 64 to post 265 and force a playoff.
But just when it appeared Ryu's title hopes were slipping away, she delivered under immense pressure, draining a clutch birdie putt on the 18th to cap a closing 71 and finish at 19-under overall.
Iwai, meanwhile, appeared poised to make it a three-player playoff after back-to-back birdies on Nos. 14 and 15. But after watching Ryu hole her pressure-packed putt on the final green, the Japanese star missed a shorter birdie attempt of her own, settling for a 69 and finishing one stroke behind at 266.
Henderson's charge had been nothing short of extraordinary.
She opened with a birdie, then electrified the galleries with an eagle on No. 7 followed immediately by a hole-in-one on the eighth. Her tee shot landed in the center of the green before rolling all the way into the cup.
After a bogey on No. 11 briefly slowed her momentum, she birdied Nos. 15 and 16 before a costly three-putt bogey on the 17th left her two shots adrift.
Needing an eagle on the par-5 closing hole, Henderson delivered. She split the fairway, struck a superb 6-iron from 170 yards to within eight feet and calmly converted the eagle putt to match Ryu at 265.
But golf's unpredictable nature surfaced again in the playoff.
Henderson hooked her drive into the rough on the replay of the 18th, forcing a layup. Her third shot ran over the green onto the fringe, and a tentative chip left too much work. Ryu, meanwhile, found the fairway, safely reached the green and calmly two-putted for birdie to seal the championship.
"This is just a dream right now," said the 25-year-old Ryu as she celebrated with champagne while clutching the trophy.
A day after rolling in nine birdies and an eagle to rewrite the LPGA major scoring record, Ryu found every putt difficult to hole.
"It was so tough today because my putts always missed the cup," she said. "I just made the one birdie on the last hole.
"Before these three weeks, I didn't have a major championship. Now two in a row. I am so happy. I can't believe it."
While Ryu celebrated a career-defining victory, it was a disappointing finish for the Filipina contingent.
Two-time US Women's Open champion Yuka Saso never recovered from a third-round 77, closing with a 76 to finish tied for 65th and last among those who made the cut at 292.
Over on the Epson Tour, Clariss Guce carded a final-round 69 but could only manage a share of 34th in the Four Winds Invitational at Blackthorn Golf Club in South Bend, Indiana.
American Haylee Harford Sanchez birdied the final two holes to complete a sizzling 9-under 63 and win with a 201 total, two shots ahead of South Africa's Megan Streicher, who closed with a 65 for 203.
Guce rebounded from an early bogey with four birdies for a 69 and a 211 aggregate, emerging as the best-performing Filipina in the field.
Bianca Pagdanganan, who had stayed in contention with a second-round 69, stumbled with a closing 75 and finished tied for 55th at 215.
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