Grace Kim played two shots of a lifetime to come from the clouds and clinch the Evian Championship in a playoff
Evian Championship in unforgettable fashion.
The 24-year-old from Sydney was three-shots off the lead before making in the final round at Evian-les-Bains before making birdies on her 15th and 16th holes then a stunning eagle on the final hole of regulation to get into a sudden death showdown with world No.2 Jeeno Thitikul.
But in dramatic scenes, Kim looked to have blown her chances with an errant second shot going down the 18th hole again, using the same four-hybrid club which had been good to her just minutes earlier.
Kim's approach sailed right into a pond, demanding she hole out a miracle chip to make a birdie and force Thitikul to step up.
With her shoulders slumping, Kim floated her chip onto the green and watched as it rolled to3ard the cup and went in, causing delirium around the huge crowd.
Grace Kim are you KIDDING?!
She chips in on the first playoff hole after hitting her approach in the penalty area ðŸ'¥ pic.twitter.com/0Tx3hoOaZS
— LPGA (@LPGA) July 13, 2025
Thitikul was left with the same putt she missed in regulation to win, to keep the tournament alive, and made up for her miss minutes earlier by making it, second the playoff to a second hole.
With $1.8m on the line, and given another chance, Kim nailed her second shot, giving herself another chance at eagle, while Thitikul missed the green to the left.
With adrenaline pumping, Kim wouldn't be denied, making the eagle to cue celebrations as she cemented a win for the ages for Kim who had only recorded two top-20 finishes in her 13 major appearances.
The victory marked a stunning turnaround for Kim who, having started the day ashot off the lead, looked down and out after bogeying two of her opening four holes.
She steadied but still found herself three shots off the clubhouse lead of 13-under with a horror double-bogey on her 12th hole.
But, having endured some horrible bounces and bunker les throughout her rollercoaster round at Evian-les-Bains, and in a testament to her grit, Kim made birdies on her 15th and 16th holes to stay within touching distance.
Her playing partner, world No.2 Jeeno Thitikul, made a 17th hole birdie to take a two-shot lead to the 18th hole, and Kim unleashed the shot of her life from the fairway to land the ball behind the flag, and watched as it rolled off a bank to within 30cm for would be a kick-in eagle putt.
Thai star Thitikul, who missed the fairway, then laid up, put her third shot to 1.5m, leaving her a birdie putt to win.
She missed, sending the year;s fourth major to a playoff, and Kim took control.
Grace Kim isn't out of this one yet 🚨
She can make the eagle putt to tie pic.twitter.com/7K9qpsKz6N
— LPGA (@LPGA) July 13, 2025
Minjee Lee, who had the chance to launch into rare air with a fourth major championship having started the day one-shot off the lead, failed to get any real momentum,
She was within one or two shots of the lead throughout the final round, before a bogey on the par five 15th snuffed out her chances.
Fresh off her third major win two weeks ago at the PGA Championship, Lee rallied late, and a final hole eagle elevated her in to a tie for third after a closing three-under 68, just one shot behind the number needed to get in to the playoff.
Gabi Ruffels, who started the day tied for the lead and in the final group with Lee, misfired early with an opening hole bogey and an inability to hit the fairways resulted in the 25-year-old fading from contention.
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