'Phenomenal' Ko Jin-young wins Evian title for second major of 2019

EVIAN: South Korea's Ko Jin-young won the Evian Championship on Sunday, her second major of 2019.

The 24-year-old, who captured the ANA Inspiration earlier this season, fired a final round 67 for 15-under for the championship and a two-shot victory.

Ko had been four shots off the lead overnight but she mastered the rain and cold at the Alpine venue, carding just one bogey on Sunday.

Third round leader and compatriot Kim Hyo-joo, China's Feng Shanshan and Jennifer Kupcho of the United States finished tied for second on 13 under par.

"I thought last night I can do it. If I play really good I can win. I never saw the other players shots or scores, so I got the win," said Ko who also returns to the world number one spot after her 269 score for the four rounds.

It was her third title overall for 2019 and she becomes the first multiple-major winner in the same season since Inbee Park in 2015.

Ko will have little time to dwell on her success with the Women's British Open due to start at Woburn on Thursday.

A 20-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole gave Ko a two-stroke cushion going to the par-5 18th and she played it comfortably for a two-putt par that sealed the win.

Kupcho may have played her way into the USA's Solheim Cup team with a bogey-free 66.

"It's crazy," Kupcho told lpga.com. "I definitely played really well this week, and it's exciting to see that I can compete where my game is right now. Excited for the rest of the season."

"I was just out there having fun. Coming into the day obviously I was a long way back, and I was just like, I'm going to go play well. I play really well in the rain so I wasn't worried about it. I came out and played really well."

Ariya Jutanugarn eagled the 18th hole to finish at 273, one stroke better than her sister Moriya and Park Sung-hyun Park.

On 275 were Park In-bee and Megan Khang.

Ko won rich praise from veteran caddie Dave Brooker who has now helped steer five major truimphs having worked previously with Lorena Ochoa and Grace Park.

"She can win anywhere," Brooker said. "The things that impress most about her are her consistency and her ball-striking, as she showed today. She literally didn't miss a shot in 18 holes.

"Her management of distance control because she just does not curve the ball. It's phenomenal. I've seen anything like it. Most great players I've worked for tend to work the ball one way or the other.

"She just hits everything dead straight and it seems to pay dividends because we have a lot of looks at birdie."

He added: "It's very difficult to compare one to the other but she's definitely up there with the greats."