Sep 18, 2017: Moriya Jutanugarn held a three-stroke lead when she hit her tee shot at the par-5 13th. Once she walked off the green, she trailed by one. She was caught by Anna Nordqvist.
The Swede mounted a Sunday charge with a 5-under 66 to come from five strokes back of Jutanugarn, the 36-hole leader, to force a playoff with Brittany Altomare. Tied at 9-under par, the pair returned to the par-4 18th, where Nordqvist defeated Altomare with a bogey in the pouring rain and hail to win the Evian Championship.
On the first playoff hole, Nordqvist stood over a must-make, 4-footer for bogey on the 18th green. She rolled it in for the win and doubled over with emotion, bent at the waist, her face in her hands.
The last three months have been a struggle for the world No. 13 who has battled glandular fever, more commonly known as mono. The condition sidelined her throughout the summer, resulting in her coming up one event short of the required number events needed to qualify for the European Solheim Cup team. Nordqvist instead had to rely on a pick from captain Annika Sorenstam, but she delivered for her Team, winning three and a half points for her team, including a halve in her epic Sunday singles match with Lexi Thompson.
“I love competing and I prove practicing, and staying in bed hasn’t been the most exciting,” Nordqvist said about being on bed rest. “My grandpa was always my biggest role model. He always used to tell me to never give up, and that’s what I never did today.”
LPGA Tour Release
