Australian golf prodigy Steph Kyriacou says it “sucks” to have fallen excruciatingly short of winning a maiden major in a dramatic finish to the Evian Championship in France.
Kyriacou led by a shot with two holes to play only to watch on with dismay as Ayaka Furue produced an astonishing finish to bury her mental demons and claim an overdue first major title of her own.
With a succession of improbable long-range putts, the Japanese winner conjured three straight birdies from 14 to 16 on Sunday before draining a brilliant eagle on the last hole to deny Kyriacou by a shot.
Furue, seemingly out of it after falling three shots behind early on the back nine, ultimately played the last five holes in five under to record a final-round six-under 65.
The Japanese explained afterwards: “I recently became a Star Wars fan and I love the saying, ‘May the Force be with you’.
“I believe that sentence. That sentence came into my mind on the 15th hole and I just kept going with that in my mind.”
The ‘Force’ was the only possible way to beat Kyriacou, who looked the winner after making her fifth birdie of the day on the 16th to nudge ahead of Thai clubhouse leader Patty Tavatanakit, who charged home with a 63.
“It was a good week. Lots of positives to take away. I played great all week,” shrugged the disappointed but proud Sydneysider.
“It sucks not to hold the trophy, but if you’d told me I would come second at the start of the week, I would’ve been happy.
“Obviously, a lot of stuff worked well for me this week, so just trying to keep the same mindset going forward and hopefully I can win.”
Yet while the 24-year-old Furue will savour the greatest moment of her career, Kyriacou may still have nightmares at letting a golden opportunity slip with just one blemish bogey in an otherwise steely final round.
The 23-year-old led by a shot teeing off on the penultimate hole but chunked her chip shot after leaving her approach short on 17 to allow Furue to draw level with a birdie.
The inspired Japanese then denied Kyriacou the chance to force a playoff with her crazy eagle at the last.
She revealed that it was the pressure that the Coogee star was putting on her that inspired her own brilliant final salvo.
On 18, she took a six-iron to hit her second shot from the first cut of rough to the green.
“Stephanie had hit the ball so close to the hole with her third shot, so I thought she would make that and I knew I needed an eagle putt,” explained the Japanese.
“I felt like I could win this tournament, because I love this course and I love it here, so I feel very happy to win here.”
After more than half-an-hour warming up for a possible playoff, Tavatanakit eventually had to settle for third at 17 under, two shots behind the winner.
Hannah Green, at two under after a final-round 70, finished as the second-best Australian at two under, while dual major winner Minjee Lee again endured a Sunday stumble.
After blowing a three-shot final-round lead at last month’s US Open, Lee, the 2021 Evian winner, recorded a last-day 76 to tie for 49th at one under.
Lee now has two weeks to regroup before joining Green and the Australian men’s team of Jason Day and her brother Min Woo Lee at the Paris Olympics.
Source: AAP