evian championship
The force was with Ayaka Furue. How the Japanese star used the famous quote to win her first major
OLIVIER CHASSIGNOLE
May the Force be with you.
The iconic phrase from Star Wars ran through Ayaka Furue's mind with four holes to play in the Amundi Evian Championship as the fan of the iconic American film franchise navigated a chaotic finish in France to deliver a Kessel-run-worthy finish of five-under over her final five holes.
Furue punctuated the charge with an eagle to close with a 65, finishing the championship at 19 under to seize a one-stroke victory over Stephanie Kyriacou for Furue's first career major title.
"Then I believe that sentence on 15th hole," Furue said. "The sentence came up in my mind and I was just keep going on with that quote."
Furue, 24, burst onto the professional scene by winning the JLPGA's 2019 Fujitsu Ladies Open as an amateur, the first of eight victories on her homeland's tour. She turned pro shortly after her maiden title. Before Furue qualified for the LPGA in 2022, she made waves in the 2021 Evian with a T-4 finish.
Her rookie season started well, with her first LPGA title at the 2022 Scottish Open. Victories did not follow quickly, as Furue earned 18 top 10s since her maiden title without a win before this week. Furue ended up narrowly missing out on representing Japan at the Olympics, as compatriot Miyu Yamashita passed her by a single spot in the world rankings in the last event to qualify with a runner-up in the KPMG Women's PGA Championship.
The start of the Evian went Furue's way as she played bogey-free over the first 46 holes. But she drifted further from the lead throughout most of Sunday. Despite going out in 33, Furue faced a two-stroke deficit to Lauren Coughlin, 31, at the turn. She was three back with five holes to play to the American, sitting in fourth behind Kyriacou and a surging Patty Tavatanakit.
"Probably playing the 14th hole, you're maybe starting to think maybe it's not your day," Furue's caddie Michael Scott said. "But still five holes to go, and anything can happen coming down the stretch in a major championship.
Furue's tee shot to the back of the green on the 176-yard par-3 14th wouldn't seem to be the fuel of a comeback. But the winding 33-footer hooked into the cup, cutting her deficit to two. Furue drained a similar-length 39-footer for birdie on the 524-yard par-5 15th to trail her group mates by one.
"I am usually not the type of person who reacts to my birdie putts a lot." Furue said, "But that [the putt on No. 15] was really lucky for me, that was really fortunate for me, so I just reacted."
The momentum continued on the 16th, as she hit it inside 10 feet on the 155-yard par 3 for her third-straight birdie. Furue suddenly was tied for second with Tavatanakit, who posted a bogey-free 63 to hold the clubhouse lead at 17 under, and only a stroke behind Kyriacou. Coughlin dropped her first shot of the day on the par 3, then bogeyed the 17th to fall two off the lead. Coughlin ended up in fourth-place with a closing two-under 69 for her second top-4 in a major this season.
OLIVIER CHASSIGNOLE
"Obviously disappointing to finish how I did," Coughlin said. "I held the lead of a major for almost 15 holes today, or at least until hole 15. So, no, I can be very happy about it."
Coughlin's consolation prize is passing Rose Zhang for seventh place on the U.S. Solheim points list, the final automatic points qualifying spot. The American team will be finalized after the AIG Women's Open on Aug. 23.
Meanwhile, Kyriacou, 23, after playing her first 16 holes bogey-free, showed her inexperience late Sunday. With a one-stroke lead, Kyriacou missed the fairway on 17, then chunked a greenside chip to bogey the penultimate hole. Furue, with a two-putt par, headed to the last tied with Kyraciou and Tavatanakit at 17 under.
Kyriacou then hooked her drive on the 18th, with her punch out catching the tree to leave herself 125 yards in, though still made birdie. Furue put herself in position to go for the green in two with a pummeled drive to the right side of the fairway. Her 6-iron from 180 yards barely cleared the pond and trundled up to 10 feet from the cup. Furue drained her eagle to settle the Evian.
"It was a good week," Kyriacou said. "Sucks not to hold the trophy. If you told me I would come second at the start of the week I would've been happy."
Nelly Korda ended her tournament with an eagle to finish at five-under and T-26. Korda will not play in any of the next three LPGA events before the Olympics, as she plans to travel to Croatia to spend time with a friend before defending her gold medal at Le Golf National in Paris.
Furue will also take an extended break, not playing until the Women's Scottish on Aug. 15. She plans to return home to Japan to celebrate the victory and the historic accomplishment. Furue is now the third female major champion and part of the first men's or women's season to earn multiple major championships in one year, as Furue's title joins Yuka Saso's U.S. Women's Open win.
"After Yuka's win, I feel like Japanese players win is very important for me," Furue said. "It's really good for me. And then I feel this tournament, this course, I feel I could win this tournament because I love this course and I love all of here."