Brooke Henderson takes major victory at Evian Championship

Brooke Henderson celebrates after winning the Evian Championship in France on Sunday.

Associated Press

July 24, 2022 3:43 PM PT

EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France —

Brooke Henderson ended her six-year wait for a second major championship.

The Canadian capped off a wild final round at the Evian Championship by rolling in an eight-foot birdie putt at the 18th hole to win by one stroke Sunday.

Henderson closed with an even-par 71. She finished at 17-under 267, one clear of LPGA Tour rookie Sophia Schubert, one of many to make a run at Henderson at Evian Resort Golf Club.

Five players were tied for third a further shot back: Mao Saigo (64), Lydia Ko (66), Charley Hull (67), Hyo Joo Kim (67) and Carlota Ciganda (68).

Henderson, who won the Women’s PGA Championship in 2016 at the age of 18, started the final round with a two-shot lead over So Yeon Ryu. It was wiped out after the first hole thanks to a birdie from Ryu and a bogey from Henderson.

So began a crazy final round that featured four-putts from Henderson and Ryu, a spectator picking up a ball and a seven-way tie for the lead at one point on the back nine.

Henderson and Schubert were tied for the lead after reaching the 18th, with Schubert playing in the group ahead of Henderson. Schubert’s birdie putt came to rest barely an inch from the cup just after Henderson had a wild hook off the tee, only for the ball to ricochet off the trees and back out to the rough.

Henderson laid up and from 107 yards sent her third shot to eight feet for the winning putt.

PGA TOUR

BLAINE, Minn. — Tony Finau erased a five-shot deficit with 11 holes to play with a four-under 67 to win the 3M Open by three shots for his second PGA Tour title in the last year.

Finau received plenty of help from Scott Piercy, who fell out of the lead with a triple bogey on the 14th hole and shot 41 on the back nine for a closing 76.

Finau finished at 17-under 267 with a bogey on the final hole at TPC Twin Cities.

Sungjae Im (68) and Emiliano Grillo (71) tied for second at 270. James Hahn surged up the board with a 65 to finish in a three-way tie for fourth place at 271 with Tom Hoge (70) and Piercy, who had set the 54-hole tournament record.

Piercy bogeyed four of six holes before leaving his shot from a fairway bunker in the sand on the par-five 14th, and hitting the next one in the water on his way to a triple bogey. Piercy missed a five-foot par putt on the next hole and hit his tee shot into the water on the par-three 17th.

Finau led by as many as four shots at the end.

The surest sign this was Finau’s day came on No. 17. His tee shot clanged off the side of the grandstand, ricocheted back onto the green and rolled into the rough just a few feet from the water. He landed the perfect chip within a foot of the hole to make par.

His tee shot went into the water on the 18th, and he played safely for bogey and the win.

PGA Champions Tour

GLENEAGLES, Scotland — Darren Clarke birdied the last hole to beat a resurgent Padraig Harrington and win the Senior British Open by one shot.

Clarke and Paul Broadhurst were tied going into the final round but it was Harrington, a three-time major winner, who soared into contention at Gleneagles with a three-under 67 to pressure Clarke on the last hole.

The 53-year-old Clarke held firm with a birdie to post a 69 to finish at 10-under 270 and add a senior major to his claret jug at the British Open in 2011.

Argentine Mauricio Molina and American Doug Barron both posted 65s to end in a six-way tie for third place at eight under, along with four-time major champion Ernie Els (68), Thongchai Jaidee (68), Steven Alker (70) and Broadhurst.

Broadhurst fell back with a one-over 71 and finished one shot ahead of Scotland’s Colin Montgomerie (69).