Ryu wins back-to-back Majors with playoff victory at 2026 Amundi Evian Championship
South Korean star drains clutch birdie on first extra hole to edge out Canada’s Henderson after a thrilling final-day battle in France
Korea - South Korea’s Haeran Ryu secured back-to-back Major championships in breathtaking fashion, rolling in a four-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole to capture the 2026 Amundi Evian Championship. Just two weeks after hoisting her maiden Major trophy at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, the 25-year-old showcased nerves of steel at Evian Resort Golf Club to defeat Canadian star Brooke Henderson in a high-stakes sudden-death showdown. The victory marked a poetic full-circle moment for Ryu, who previously tasted success on the very same layout as a 14-year-old by winning the 2015 Amundi Evian Juniors Cup.
“This is just a dream right now because three weeks ago I didn’t have a Major championship, but now I have two in a row,” said an ecstatic Ryu, who entered the final round holding a three-stroke cushion after firing a historic, lowest-ever Major round of 60 on Saturday. “I have such good memories from when I was 14 years old here with Team Korea. It was so tough today because my putts kept missing the cup, but I’m thankful that the last one in the playoff dropped. I knew how important that putt was and I was so nervous, but I had a little more confidence because of my good memories on the 18th hole this week.”
Ryu’s road to victory required immense resilience during an even-par final round where her putter went cold. After dropping a shot on the eighth hole, she kept her composure to roll in a clutch birdie on the 72nd hole to finish at 19-under-par. Returning to the par-five 18th for the playoff, Ryu found the fairway, struck a superb approach to the green in two, and calmly converted her birdie opportunity to seal the title.
Henderson had forced the extra session by staging a spectacular weekend charge, carding consecutive rounds of seven-under-par 64 to match Ryu at 19-under. The 2022 Evian champion electrified the galleries with a wildly entertaining scorecard that featured three eagles—including a spectacular hole-in-one on the par-three eighth hole. Despite a late bogey on the 17th, Henderson set up an eagle finish on the 18th to join the playoff, where an errant tee shot to the left forced a costly layup that ultimately left her just short of a third Major crown.
Japan’s Aki Iwai claimed solo third place at 17-under-par following a resilient closing 69, while her compatriots Miyu Yamashita and Mao Saigo shared fourth place at 15-under alongside Korea’s Jin Hee Im. Additionally, South Africa’s Casandra Alexander secured a top-10 finish to extend her advantage at the summit of the LET Order of Merit. The elite women’s golfing contingent will now enjoy a one-week reprieve before heading to Dundonald Links for the ISPS HANDA Women’s Scottish Open on July 23.