Ayaka Furue won the first major championship of her career on Sunday, closing out the Evian Championship by a stroke over Stephanie Kyriacou.
Furue of Japan edged Kyriacou by one shot. She had an eagle on the final hole and three birdies in the four previous holes. She finished 19-under overall.
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“I didn’t believe that I can get the major win,” Furue said after the tournament, via the LPGA Tour website. “I’m so happy right now.”
Furue took home $1.2 million for the victory. There was an $8 million prize fund for the competitors in the tournament.
She became just the fourth Japanese woman to win a major championship on the LPGA Tour. She started the day one shot behind Kyriacou of Australia and tied for second with American Lauren Coughlin.
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“I became a ‘Star Wars’ fan like a month ago, and then I love the sentence, ‘May the force be with you,’” Furue added. “Then I believe that sentence on the 15th hole. The sentence came up in my mind, and I was just keep going on with that quote. Obviously, I had fear, and I was really nervous toward getting 18. I was getting nervous and nervous when I walk through the 17th, 18th.”
Furue’s best finish at an LPGA major before the championship victory came at the U.S. Women’s Open. She finished tied for sixth earlier this year and in 2023.
Her only other LPGA Tour victory came in July 2022 when she won the Scottish Open.
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