Norway's Suzann Pettersen capped a brilliant season with her second Major title in the Evian Championship in France on Sunday, holding off the challenge of teenage amateur Lydia Ko.
Pettersen carded a final round of 68 to win the inaugural fifth Major on the LPGA Tour, her fourth individual victory of the year to go with playing a leading part in Europe's historic Solheim Cup victory in Colorado.
The 32-year-old from Oslo finished 10 under par in an event reduced to 54 holes after rain washed out Thursday’s play, two shots ahead of 16-year-old New Zealander Ko.
Pettersen began the day a shot behind Japan's Mika Miyazato but made the ideal start with birdies at the second and third before a bogey on the seventh briefly halted her progress.
She bounced straight back with a birdie on the eighth and then carded six straight pars before a birdie on the 15th meant she went into the closing stretch with a two-shot lead.
Ko, who has already won five professional events as an amateur, missed a great chance to close the gap when her birdie putt from five feet on the 16th did not even touch the hole, and Pettersen then crucially saved par on the 17th after a wayward drive.
“I don’t know if it has sunk in yet but it was definitely worthwhile waiting for this one,” said Pettersen, whose first Major title came back in 2007.
“I was a bit nervous coming down the stretch and wasn’t sure if I was going to lay up on the 18th, but I knew Lydia would go for it and I just tried to scramble a par.
“I have been putting a lot better over the last five or six weeks and finally I could win my second Major. Lydia played fantastic and she is a start for the future; she is good enough to win Majors which is quite impressive at the age of 16.”
American Lexi Thompson carded a closing 68 to finish alone in third on six under, but overnight leader Miyazato slumped to a closing 78 for a share of 15th place.
South Korea’s Inbee Park, who was attempting to become the first player to win four major titles in the same year, finished eight over.
