Stanford gets her major; Meadow second in card race

Angela Stanford

American Angela Stanford became the second-oldest player in LPGA history to win her first major when she captured the Evian Championship after a dramatic finish.

Fifteen years after she finished runner-up at the US Women's Open and six years after she captured the most recent of her five LPGA Tour wins, she closed with an adventurous four-under 68 to win by a shot on 12-under par just a month shy of her 41st birthday.

“I have no idea what just happened,” an emotional Stanford said moments after leader Amy Olson three-putted the 18th for a double-bogey six and a 74 to fall into a tie for second with fellow Americans Austin Ernst and Mo Martin, and Korea’s Sei Young Kim. 

Stanford eagled the 15th to snatch a share of the lead with Olson, immediately double-bogeyed the par-three 16th but then a birdied the 17th before missing a birdie chance to tie at the 18th.

Olson's late mistake gave her a win that was doubly emotional as her mother Nan, diagnosed with invasive lobular carcinoma breast cancer in 2009,  was told in June that the disease had returned and metastasised into her bones.

"Glad she got to see it," a tearful Stanford said in a TV interview. "She may be the first to drink out of the trophy."

Meanwhile, on the Symetra Tour, Stephanie Meadow closed with a level par 72 to finish tied 13th on three-over-par in the Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout in Arkansas and return to second in the race for ten LPGA Tour cards.

She finished eight shots behind overnight leader Hyemin Kim of Korea, who shot 73 to win by three shots on five-under-par from American Brittany Benvenuto.

Slieve Russell's Leona Maguire tied for 29th on six-over after a final round 73 at Mystic Creek Golf Club in El Dorado and lies 34th in the money list with the top 30 at the end of the season exempt into the final stage of the new Q-Series.