Angela Stanford Wins Evian Championship

The wait is finally over for Angela Stanford after winning her first major title at the Evian Championships in France this week. Stanford finished the final day at 3 under-par, and that was enough to win after Amy Olson shot a double-bogey on the 18th hole.

Stanford, who is 40, has been chasing her first major for her entire professional career. It has not been since the U.S. Women’s Open 15 years ago that Stanford was this close and after a final round that included eagles, birdies and bogey’s, Stanford finally got her wish after finishing 12 under, one stroke ahead of Amy Olsen.

Stanford has won five tour titles, her last in 2012. After hearing she has won, she covered her mouth in disbelieve after an emotional rollercoaster final round that saw her within one shot of the lead. It wasn’t until the 18th that she took over and earned the championship.

For her efforts, Angela Stanford earned a $577,500 paycheck. It was her first major win and her 14th top 10 finish on the LPGA tour. Olsen, who led for much of the final round found herself falling back into second place tied with three other players, Austin Ernst, Sei Young Kim and Mo Martin.

Brooke Henderson if Canada finished the tournament in tenth at 8 under-par. Henderson, who is coming off a recent win at the CP Women’s Open, finished the final round at 3 under-par. Alena Sharp, another Canadian on the tour did not fare as well and finished 37th overall, while Orangeville’s Brittany Marchand was 49th.

LPGA

Olsen and Standard briefly shared the lead at 13 under-par, and with four holes remaining, the due fought hard with Olsen taking back the lead only to watch Stanford retake it on the final hole. Commenting, Olsen said she was disappointed to see it finish like that. At 26, Olsen’s previous best LPGA finish was in 2014 when she tied for 7th at the LOTTE Championship.

Joining the second last group, Stanford shot an eagle-double bogey-birdie on the 15th and then watched as her chance at a birdie on the 18th brushed past the hole. After crouching down in disappointment, she tapped it in and moved off the green to sign autographs.

Olsen was looking for her first title win on the LPGA and was dominate until she shot a bogey on the 8th hole. As the final stretch came, it was Olsen and Sei Young Kim who were sharing the leaderboard. Olsen retook the lead by two shots after Kim had a double bogey on the 10th.

The ride for Stanford was a wild one as she went back and forth with Olsen. The jubilation of learning she had pulled off the close victory was deserving for the veteran player. The LPGA’s next stop, for punters wishing to place bets, is at the UL International Crown in Korea. With a purse of $2,000,000, it is sure to attract top players such as Stanford, Olsen and Kim.