Golf: Angela Stanford wins first major following Amy Olson’s double bogey on 18th

Reporting from EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France —  Angela Stanford ended her long wait for a first major title when her 3-under 68 was enough to win the Evian Championship by one shot Sunday after longtime leader Amy Olson made double bogey on the 18th.

At age 40, and 15 years after she was runner-up at the U.S. Women’s Open, Stanford’s wild final few holes gave her a 12-under total of 272.

Olson missed a 6-foot putt for bogey on the 18th to force a playoff, while Stanford waited near the green signing autographs for dozens of young spectators.

Stanford, who got the last of her five LPGA Tour titles in 2012, put her hands to her mouth on hearing she had won, and was in tears during television interviews.

Stanford earned a $577,500 check for making her 14th career top-10 finish in majors a winning one.

Olson carded a 74 to fall into a four-way tie for second place with fellow Americans Austin Ernst (68) and Mo Martin (70), and Sei Young Kim (72). Martin barely missed with a birdie chance on the 18th to face Stanford in a playoff.

After Olson was outright or joint leader all day — briefly with Stanford at 13 under with four holes to play — she three-putted to end her championship with a career-best result.

“It’s disappointing to finish like that,” said the 26-year-old Olson, whose previous best finish in an LPGA event was tied for seventh in 2014.

Playing in the second-last group, Stanford went eagle-double bogey-birdie from the 15th, then saw her birdie chance brush the hole on No. 18.

She crouched with her hands on her head, tapped in for par, then went to sign autographs out of sight of the playing area.

Seeking a first LPGA title, Olson teed off two shots ahead of Kim and then gave one back at the par-3 second hole.

The leaderboard changed little on the front nine until Olson made bogey at the par-3 eighth. She stayed as joint leader with Kim on 13 under — three shots clear — only when Kim’s putt from off the same green hit the pin and stayed out.

Olson’s two-shot lead was soon restored after Kim’s double-bogey 6 at the 10th. She padded her lead to three with a tap-in for birdie at the par-5 13th.

Two more Americans, Stanford and Ernst, joined Kim three behind Olson, who let a good chance slip at the par-5 15th after her short approach chip to the green was weak.

Wu wins by one

Ashun Wu of China birdied the 18th on Sunday to secure a one-stroke victory over Englishman Chris Wood at the KLM Open in The Hague, Netherlands.

Wu watched his eagle putt on the final hole at The Dutch in Spijk slide just past the hole before tapping in for birdie and a four-round total of 16-under par.

Overnight leader Wood needed a birdie on the last to force a playoff, but could only manage a par five to finish second.

It was Wu’s third career title on the European Tour and first since the 2016 Lyoness Open. Thomas Detry of Belgium finished tied for third with Hideto Tanihara on 14 under.