Evian Championship 2022: Brooke Henderson Wins by 1 Stroke Over Sophia Schubert
July 24, 2022
Brooke Henderson held on.
Despite shooting an even-par 71 Sunday, her first round above 68 at the tournament, Henderson held off the charging Sophia Schubert and won the Evian Championship in Evian-Les-Bains, France, by a single stroke.
Schubert, who shot a 68 on the day, made things interesting. So did a group of five golfers at -15 for the tournament, including Japan's Mao Sago, who stormed back into contention with a 64. But Henderson was not to be denied.
It was Henderson's second major title, following up her triumph at the Women's PGA Championship in 2018 when she was only 18 years old.
She battled Sunday, though. Henderson came into the day with a two-stroke lead but saw it evaporate quickly after a bogey on the No. 1 and a double-bogey on the sixth. After she stabilized on No. 7 with a birdie and three straight pars, Henderson again bogeyed No. 11.
But three birdies down the stretch on the Nos. 14, 15 and 18 ended up being just enough for the win.
LPGA @LPGAWith a birdie on 14, <a href="https://twitter.com/BrookeHenderson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BrookeHenderson</a> has a share of the lead at -15 along with <a href="https://twitter.com/SY_KIM_lpga?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SY_KIM_lpga</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/thesophiagolf?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@thesophiagolf</a> and Mao Saigo! <a href="https://t.co/qBvc9us8pg">pic.twitter.com/qBvc9us8pg</a>
LPGA @LPGAA birdie on 15 and <a href="https://twitter.com/BrookeHenderson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BrookeHenderson</a> is back at the top of the leaderboard with <a href="https://twitter.com/thesophiagolf?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@thesophiagolf</a>. <br><br>Watch the <a href="https://twitter.com/EvianChamp?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EvianChamp</a> now on CNBC and TSN3! <a href="https://t.co/tLmIvURaPr">pic.twitter.com/tLmIvURaPr</a>
"It was definitely an interesting day," she told reporters after her victory. "I stayed as patient as I could. The saying is that majors are won on the back nine so I reminded myself of that. I just kept saying I was still in it and I made some clutch putts down the stretch."
It was oh-so-close to a playoff, however, after Schubert narrowly missed a birdie putt on the 18th:
"I have a great caddie and she helped me stay calm this week. I was just able to go out and play," said Schubert, who shot under-par in all four rounds at the Evian. "I peeked at the leaderboard on 14 and saw I was leading, but I avoided the scores after that. It was a good stroke on the putt at 18, it just missed. I'm looking forward to taking this momentum forward."
The margins between a victory and second place were razor thin at this year's Evian. Henderson's strong finish ensured they fell in her favor.