Suzann Pettersen wins Evian Championship

Norway's Suzann Pettersen fired a closing round of 68 to win the Evian Championship by two strokes from the New Zealand amateur Lydia Ko. It's a second Major title for the Norwegian.

Suzann Pettersen wins Evian Championship (Getty Images)

Norway's Suzann Pettersen fired a closing round of 68 to win the Evian Championship by two strokes from the New Zealand amateur Lydia Ko. It's a second Major title for the Norwegian.

In the rain-shortened event, Pettersen and Ko began the final round tied for second place. The overnight leader was Mika Miyazato of Japan, but she quickly dropped out of the running with a disappointing front nine of five-over-par.

Pettersen birdied the second hole to take the lead and she remained one ahead of the 16-year-old amateur after nine holes.

Ko fell a further stroke behind with a bogey at the 13th hole and, from there, she and Pettersen matched scores until the clubhouse, allowing the Norwegian to win by two.

"It was definitely worth waiting a little while for this one - A Major!" she said. "I was actually a little nervous coming down the stretch."

As an amateur Ko couldn't claim the €223,964 cheque for second place. After the round she confirmed that turning pro is on the cards.

"It's not only what I'm saying. It's my parents and everything. They have a big say in it as well. Obviously people all around the world have their say," she said. "I'm seeing some articles saying, ‘Oh, no you shouldn't. You should wait.' I guess at the end of the day, it's my support crew that's going to help me make the correct decision. Yeah, it's secret. I got to get my mom's permission to say anything." Lexi Thompson of the USA played a solid final round of 68 to finish alone in third spot and claim the second place cheque. South Koreans So Yeon Ryu and Se Ri Pak, shared fourth.

Holly Clyburn was the best placed Brit in a tie for 27th place.

Evian Championship Evian-Les-Bains Sep 12-15, purse €2,496,170, par 71

1   Suzann Pettersen (Nor)      66   69   68   203   €366,393 2   Lydia Ko (Am) (NZ)      68   67   70   205    3   Lexi Thompson (USA)      72   67   68   207   €223,964 T4   So Yeon Ryu (Kor)      71   66   71   208   €144,066 T4   Se Ri Pak (Kor)         66   71   71   208   €144,066 T6   Chella Choi (Kor)         70   67   72   209   €84,409 T6   Angela Stanford (USA)      69   71   69   209   €84,409     T6   Stacy Lewis (USA)      69   67   73   209   €84,409 T9   Jennifer Johnson (USA)      70   70   70   210   €57,634 T9   Beatriz Recari (Esp)      69   69   72   210   €57,634

Note: Player score in bold signifies Titleist ball usage

Fergus Bisset
Contributing Editor

Fergus is Golf Monthly's resident expert on the history of the game and has written extensively on that subject. He is a golf obsessive and 1-handicapper. Growing up in the North East of Scotland, golf runs through his veins and his passion for the sport was bolstered during his time at St Andrews university studying history. He went on to earn a post graduate diploma from the London School of Journalism. Fergus has worked for Golf Monthly since 2004 and has written two books on the game; "Great Golf Debates" together with Jezz Ellwood of Golf Monthly and the history section of "The Ultimate Golf Book" together with Neil Tappin , also of Golf Monthly. 

Fergus once shanked a ball from just over Granny Clark's Wynd on the 18th of the Old Course that struck the St Andrews Golf Club and rebounded into the Valley of Sin, from where he saved par. Who says there's no golfing god?