Lydia Ko becomes youngest LPGA major champion with win at Evian

With two holes left to play in her bid to become the youngest LPGA major champion at the Evian Championship in France, Lydia Ko stayed as relaxed and composed as a seasoned veteran. The South Korean-born New Zealander birdied both on the shores of Lake Geneva to reach a new landmark in her short but already storied career.

A flawless final-round display — featuring spectacular approaches and clinical putts among her eight birdies — made Ko the youngest major champion in LPGA Tour history on Sunday. She closed with an eight-under 63 for a six-stroke victory over Lexi Thompson at the final major of the season.

It was the best round of this year’s tournament, a score that helped her to a ninth career victory with a 16-under total of 268.

“To say that I’m the youngest in history for now, it’s so cool,” Ko said. “To finish with two birdies, finish on the last 72nd hole, with a birdie, it doesn’t happen often, so it’s definitely one of the top rounds of my whole entire life, and I’m sure it will be in my career.”

Ko is 18 years, 4 months and 20 days old. She eclipsed the previous record set by American Morgan Pressel, who was 18 years, 10 months and nine days old when she won the 2007 Kraft Nabisco Championship.

While Ko thrived under pressure, Mi Hyang Lee crumbled. The South Korean had an overnight lead of one stroke over Thompson but finished tied for fourth place, nine back. Chinese Shanshan Feng was third with an eight-under total of 276.

Ko has been breaking records even before she turned professional two years ago.

Tipped as a future great of the game, she was already the youngest winner on the Tour after her win at the Canadian Women’s Open in 2012, and the youngest player of either gender to reach the No. 1 spot when she did it earlier this year.

“Everyone won’t be asking me when I’ll win my first major because it’s done,” said Ko, who was two shots off the pace heading into the final round.

Ko had a chance to reclaim the top spot in the world rankings but No. 1 Inbee Park stayed out front after finishing tied for 8th with a three-under 68 and five-under total of 279. Michelle Wie was tied for 16th after shooting a one-under 70 for an overall three-under 281.

U.S. loses in Walker Cup

Briitain and Ireland regained the Walker Cup with its highest points total on Sunday, beating the United States, 16.5 to 9.5, at Royal Lytham and St Annes.

Leading 7-5 after the first day of the biennial amateur event, Britain and Ireland again won the morning foursomes, 3-1, to take a 10-6 lead.

That left the hosts needing just 3.5 points from the 10 afternoon singles, and Britain and Ireland clinched the victory with six matches still out on the course on England’s north west coast.

Pieters claims KLM Open title

Thomas Pieters of Belgium won his second European Tour title Sunday, two weeks after his first, by shooting a five-under 65 to win the KLM Open at Zandvoort, Netherlands, by one shot as Lee Slattery faltered on the final hole.

The 23-year-old Pieters, who won the Czech Masters on Aug. 30, parred the last four holes at the Kennemer Golf and Country Club to finish with a 19-under total of 261.

Slattery, the joint overnight leader who was trying to win back-to-back tournaments after taking last week’s Russian Open, had only one bogey all day — but it came on the 18th when a par would have forced a playoff with Pieters.

Eduardo De La Riva of Spain tied Slattery for second after a 63, one shot ahead of Fabrizio Zanotti of Paraguay, who also shot a 63.