Haeran Ryu Goes Back-to-Back in Playoff Thriller at Evian

Haeran Ryu arrived at the final round of the Amundi Evian Championship riding the momentum of a record-setting third-round 60. But if Saturday was about making history, Sunday was about proving she could win an entirely different way.

After recording the just the ninth 60 in LPGA history and the first in a major championship to storm into contention, Ryu traded birdie barrages for patience on Sunday. With Brooke Henderson and Aki Iwai applying pressure throughout the afternoon, the 24-year-old was forced to grind through a tense final round that came down to the final hole.

Ryu began the day with a three-shot cushion, but Henderson quickly mounted a charge. She opened the fireworks with an eagle on the par-5 7th before producing the shot of the championship—an ace at the par-3 8th—to erase what had once been a seven-shot deficit and put Ryu firmly under pressure.

But a costly three-putt bogey on the par-4 17th briefly appeared to halt Henderson's momentum, leaving her with work to do at the last while Ryu and Iwai stood one shot ahead. Suddenly, the 72nd hole turned into a three-player sprint to the finish.

Both Ryu and Iwai tugged their tee shots well left off the 18th tee, forcing each to lay up, while Henderson found the middle of the fairway with just 172 yards remaining. She stuck her shot in close for a much-needed eagle opportunity to extend the championship.

But Ryu wasn't done. After a day where her putter had gone unusually quiet—a stark contrast from the record-setting 60 she fired on Saturday—the World No. 7 found the moment she needed most—she rolled in a lengthy birdie (her first of the day) to put the pressure right back on her playing partners.

"My putt, it was like almost straight at it there, straight line, and then just little uphill and then just four meters," Ryu explained. "I missed a lot of four meter birdie putts, so I just want to do not short. Past the hole is fine. Miss putt is fine. Just not short."

It was a heartbreaking finish for Iwai, whose birdie attempt came up just short, leaving Henderson's clutch eagle to force a playoff. The winningest Canadian golfer became the first player in LPGA history to record three eagles in a single round (yes, the ace counts toward that total).

And for the second consecutive year, the Amundi Evian Championship would need extra holes to crown a champion.

The pair headed back up to the 18th tee where Ryu striped her tee shot down the middle of the fairway, while Henderson's drive leaked left into the trees, forcing the 2022 Evian champion to play conservatively and lay up.

Her third shot rolled just off the edge of the green, leaving her with a must-make chip to extend the playoff—though given the magic she had shown around the greens all week, nothing felt out of reach.

But this time, Ryu had already done the hard work. Sitting safely on the green with a chance to close out the championship, she calmly navigated her lag putt to make it a routine two-putt birdie to capture her second major championship in just three weeks.

"This is just a dream right now because before the three weeks I don't have a major championship, but now two in a row," said a champagne soaked Ryu on the 18th green. "So I'm so happy and I'm -- I can't believe it right now."