The Evian Championship Final Round Notes

Evian Championship
Evian Resort Golf Club
Evian-les-Bains, France
Final-Round Notes & Interviews
September 14, 2014

Interviews With:
Rolex Rankings No. 20 Hyo Joo Kim (-11)
Rolex Rankings No. 9 Karrie Webb (-10)
Rolex Rankings No. 6 Michelle Wie
Gordon Rowan, Hyo Joo Kim’s caddie

Hyo Joo Kim sank a 12-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole at The Evian Championship to win her first LPGA title and first major championship. The KLPGA member shot a final-round 68 to finish at 11-under par and one shot clear of LPGA and World Golf Halls of Fame member Karrie Webb.

Kim started the day with a one-shot lead and said she had no nervous energy on the first tee. She was 4-under par through 12 holes on Sunday and led by as many as three shots early on in the round. But two untimely bogeys on Nos. 14 and 16 opened the door for Webb to make a final charge. The duo was tied at 11-under par on the 16th hole when Kim missed a 10-foot par putt for her first bogey of the day.

Webb sank her four-foot par putt to stay at 11-under par and took the lead for the first time all week.

After both players made pars on No. 17, Webb walked to the final hole with a one-shot lead. The 39-year-old veteran looked to be on the verge of becoming the first player ever to win six different major championships. She didn’t appear to be showing any nerves having calmly sank a 7-foot par putt on the 17th. But momentum shifted on the final hole.

While Webb wasn’t able to get her 4-iron approach shot to cut into the 18th green, leaving her on the left fringe, Kim stepped up and hit a remarkable shot into the green. Needing a birdie to tie Webb, the 19-year-old South Korean hit her approach shot to 12-feet and gave herself a great opportunity.

“This was the best nervous time ever,” Kim said after her victory.

Webb meanwhile was faced with a tricky downhill shot from the left side of the green on 18. She chose to use a belly wedge and the shot came agonizingly close to going in the hole before running 10 feet past. That’s when Kim stepped up and drained her birdie putt, leaving Webb in a situation where she had to sink her par putt just to force a playoff. But as soon as Webb struck the putt, she knew she had missed it and Kim was left to celebrate her first LPGA victory.

“The shot was really impressive,” Webb said of Kim’s approach into the 18th. “I let the foot off the pedal a little bit, which probably let her have a little bit more of a free putt at it.  But she still had to make it and she did.

“Impressive for a 19‑year old.  The putt's probably 19‑year old nerves, but the shot is definitely very mature.  She played great today.”

Kim became the first non-member to win on Tour since Teresu Lu won the Mizuno Classic in 2013. As a non-member of the LPGA Tour, Kim’s victory provides her the opportunity to accept LPGA Tour status. She can either take that status for the rest of 2014 or it can be deferred to the 2015 season.

DISAPPOINTING FINISH

Karrie Webb headed to the 18th hole on Sunday with a one-shot lead and a chance at history. A victory at The Evian Championship for Webb would have marked the sixth different major that she had won. But while
it appeared that the LPGA and World Golf Halls of Fame member was in the driver’s seat to capture her eighth career major, she ended up coming just short.

After hitting her four iron to the left fringe on 18, Webb was faced with a tricky downhill shot. She chose to use a belly wedge and the shot came agonizingly close to going in before running 10 feet past. Hyo Joo Kim faced a 12-foot birdie to tie Webb at 11-under and the 19-year-old drained it. Webb had to sink her par putt to force a playoff but she knew as soon as it came off the her putter that she had missed it.

“I don't know what hit me actually,” Webb said. “Two pretty good swings.  Just didn't get that 4‑iron to cut in there. But just probably a rush of adrenaline I think with the belly wedge.  The putt was obviously a lot faster than I thought, too. Then just hit a very poor putt after knowing I had to make it for a playoff.”

For Webb, it wasn’t the finish she wanted but there were some positives that she was able to take out of the experience.

“I hit shots today that I don't think I've ever been able to hit, so I'm really excited about that,” Webb said. “Obviously wasn't meant to be.  I believe in fate a little bit, and I wasn't meant to win.”

CONTINUED SUCCESS

This week at Evian was Hyo Joo Kim’s ninth appearance in an LPGA Tour event and topped her best previous finish of fourth place at this year’s LPGA LOTTE Championship. She has never missed a cut and hasn’t finished outside the top-10 in three starts this season.

MICHELLE WIE WINS INAUGURAL ROLEX ANNIKA MAJOR AWARD

Michelle Wie was named the inaugural winner of the Rolex ANNIKA Major Award on Sunday and hung on to her win after withdrawing from the Evian Championship during the first round. Wie had several pursuers this week but none of the eligible players made a final round charge to catch Wie in the points standings. Wie finished with 84 points with her victory at the U.S. Women’s Open (60 points) and her runner-up finish at the Kraft Nabisco Championship (24 points).

“It's awesome just to be a part of history to win the first inaugural Rolex Annika Major Award,” said Wie. “I remember hearing that we were going to have this award last year, and I kind of set that goal for this year.  That was one of the biggest goals that I had this year.  I really wanted to win it.  I tried really hard at all the majors.  Unfortunately only played couple, but I worked really hard to get this award. I am extremely proud of myself.”

Inbee Park finished T10 this week to earn 2 points, falling nine points shy of winning the award. Lexi Thompson finished alongside Park to earn 2 points herself and finished third in the points standings with 70 points.

Final Standings for the Rolex ANNIKA Major Award

NEXT STEPS

Michelle Wie was honored with the inaugural Rolex ANNIKA Major Award on Sunday evening at the conclusion of The Evian Championship. But exactly when LPGA fans will see Wie next is still up in the air.
Wie withdrew from this week’s event during Thursday’s first round due to an injury she’s been battling since early August – a stress reaction in her right index finger. Her hope is to be back for the LPGA’s Asia Swing, which begins with the Reignwood LPGA Classic in Beijing, China October 2-5.

“I can't really say how it's feeling or whatnot just because I'm not really sure what it is,” Wie said of her hand injury. “Definitely going to get an MRI when I get back to the States and kind of just see where I'm at and make my decision going from there.

“I am planning to play in China, but obviously if the MRI shows otherwise I will have to take more weeks off.  I'm hoping for the best and trying not to think about it until I kind of see it.”

MEDIA EXCELLENCE AWARD

David Cannon of Getty Images was honored with the 2014 Media Excellence Award during Saturday night’s gala at the Evian Resort. Cannon, who has been a golf photographer for 33 years, has covered every Solheim Cup and has spent his career helping to showcase women’s golf through his camera lens. Helping to present Cannon with his award was 10-time LPGA Tour winner Paula Creamer.

EAGLES FOR A CAUSE

“Wounded Warrior Project® Weekends” is a season-long charity program that will be tied into the Race to the CME Globe. Each Saturday and Sunday at LPGA tournaments, CME Group will donate $1,000 to Wounded Warrior Project® for each eagle that is recorded. This amount will increase to $5,000 for each eagle during the weekend of the CME Group Tour Championship and a formal check will be presented to the Wounded Warrior Project® during the trophy ceremony at the CME Group Tour Championship.

This weekend at the Evian Championship, 11 eagles were recorded which brings the total money raised this year to $246,000 through 23 events this year.

ACE FOR MIYZATO

Mika Miyazato had a hole-in-one on the 16th hole in Sunday’s final round. Miyazato used a 8-iron from 138 yards.