


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. Yeah, just happened to have chipped it in. I don’t know if I can do it again.”
Back to the 18th for a third time — twice in the playoff — the Australian again hit 4-hybrid to 12 feet. Thitikul, who missed an 8-foot birdie putt in regulation for the win, missed the green to the left and chipped to 5 feet. She never had to putt.
Kim holed the eagle putt to capture her first major, and second LPGA title.
She is a four-time winner of Karrie Webb’s scholarship, which entails spending time with Australia’s greatest golf champion. She was at Hazeltine in 2021 when Hannah Green won the Women’s PGA. She is the second straight Aussie to win a major, following Minjee Lee.
Gotterup outlasts McIlroy to win Scottish Open
Chris Gotterup had a plane ticket for California to play an opposite-field event in Lake Tahoe. The only change in itinerary would be to take down Rory McIlroy at the Scottish Open before a sellout crowd expecting the Masters champion to claim his 30th title on the PGA Tour.
Gotterup handled it all with poise to go with his great strength.
He delivered all the right shots — the short birdie putt on the par-3 12th to build a two-shot lead, the 10-foot birdie on the par-5 16th to restore a two-shot lead — and closed with a 4-under 66 to hold off McIlroy and Marco Penge of England.
The victory sends him to Royal Portrush for his British Open debut, an extended trip to links golf that is starting to suit him. Time to cancel that flight.
“I might do it right now in front of you,” Gotterup said, the trophy at his side that also sends him to the Masters next year for the first time.