Monday 17 September 2018 10:29, UK
The Evian Championship turned in to a tournament of tears; some for a young American who did not make it to the weekend and another who became a major champion for the first time at the age of 40.
Let's start with the winner, Angela Stanford. If it was up to Angela, she would not have been playing much this season. Earlier this year her mother, who had been cancer-free for eight years, had seen her cancer return! Stanford had asked her mum if she wanted her to stay at home and be with her. Her mother told her to go out and play and she even gave her some swing tips a few weeks ago.
Eighteen years on the LPGA Tour and 77 major championships later, she has finally joined the elite of the game. If you wait that long to win, you would not expect it to be easy and so it proved. How about making it harder by starting the week with a double bogey, or throwing in the roller-coaster ride of the final four holes?!
She hit a magic three-wood at a par-five that saw her eagle and tie the lead. That was followed by the heartache of a double at the next hole, so to pick herself up when she had to make something special and make birdie at 17 showed incredible guts.
Stanford looked like she had made a birdie at the last so when she only made par the tears that welled up were those of a player who thought their chance had gone.
But Amy Olson, her compatriot who had led for much of the weekend, made a mess of the tough 18th and without hitting another shot, Angela Stanford was a major champion. Cue more crying.
The other American who was left with tears welling up at the 18th was Lexi Thompson. That was on Friday afternoon, when she bogeyed the final two holes to miss the cut. It's hard to believe that it's eight years since Lexi turned up here as a 15-year-old and almost won.
I don't like to speculate, but when a player comes out two months ago and says she needs a break, admitting she was struggling to redefine herself after some emotional challenges, then you get the feeling Lexi's tears were more than just about missing the weekend.
Personally, I don't think the two weeks she put the clubs away for were long enough, but I am sure she will be back at some point and challenging again for titles.
Georgia Hall threatened to make it back-to-back majors but as in her final round at the Portland Classic a few weeks ago, she could not quite find her game over the concluding 18 holes. But by challenging at Evian and at that event in America, those displays will have given Hall the validation that she is more than capable of handling her new mantle of being a major champion.
Angela Stanford only has to wait 10 months to defend her title. The sun shone in September in the east of France and, given what this event has faced weather-wise in recent years, we can be thankful for that.
From next season, the Evian Championship will be moved back to July for the 25th anniversary of golf in this region. From what I have heard, we could be in for some course changes…
