Ayaka Furue became a Star Wars fan about a month ago. On Sunday at the Amundi Evian Championship, as the petite Japanese player made her way down the closing stretch at Evian Resort Golf Club, the words of Obi-Wan Kenobi popped in her mind.
May the force be with you.
In a flash, it seemed, the woman who struggled to close events suddenly became unstoppable, playing the last five holes in 5 under to clinch her first major title.
And she did it with power, no less, hitting the closing par 5 in two with a 6-iron and draining an eagle putt from 12 feet to finish at 19 under and clip Australia’s Stephanie Kyriacou by one stroke.
“Breathtaking, like incredible, I’m so speechless,” said Furue of what it means to become the fourth player from Japan to win an LPGA major and the second this year.
Amundi Evian: Prize money | Photos
Furue went 46 holes to start the week at the Evian without making a bogey (67 total dating to the KPMG Women’s PGA), a remarkable feat for a mountainside course that’s often described as “quirky.” Everything about her game early week looked effortless.
It wasn’t so on Saturday, however, when she shot a 70, hitting only eight fairways and 11 greens. Furue would later say she was “mentally blocking” that day and didn’t want a repeat performance.
Much of Sunday in Evian looked like a two-player race against two women who’d never won before. American Lauren Coughlin, who not too terribly long ago was struggling to keep her tour card, looked in control of the day early on.
Ayaka Furue of Japan celebrates after wining the Amundi Evian Championship on the 18th hole during the final round of the Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club on July 14, 2024 in Evian-les-Bains, France. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)
But while all eyes were on the last group, Patty Tavatanakit reminded everyone of the fireworks this major often produces on Sunday, hitting a bomb off the 18th tee over 300 yards to set up a closing eagle in a final-round 63. In the clubhouse at 17 under, she hung out by the chipping area to await her fate.
Coughlin, meanwhile, picked the worst time to notch her first bogeys of the day on Nos. 16 and 17. That she ultimately finished four back in solo fourth overshadows the fact that she led the Evian for most of Sunday.
“Obviously disappointing to finish how I did,” said Coughlin. “I held the lead of a major for almost 15 holes today – or at least until hole 15. So, no, I can be…
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