Jiyai Shin Wins the Evian Masters

The 2010 edition of the Evian Masters has ended, and what a closely contested final round it was in France. Third-round leader Morgan Pressel had a birdie attempt on the final hole that would have forced a playoff, but she couldn’t sink the putt, which allowed Jiyai Shin to take home the trophy after shooting a final round 67.

It was just a matter of time before Shin picked up her first win of the season, and she did it in impressive fashion. After hovering around the top of the leaderboard for the first few days, she made her run today, with a bogey-free round and five birdies. And most importantly, the birdied on the 18th which gave her the win over the trio that finished tied for second.

That trio consisted of Pressel, Na Yeon Choi and 15-year-old Alexis Thompson, who all had solid final rounds. In looking at the scorecards for each player, it’s just fascinating to see just how tight this event was down the stretch.

Choi had birdies on 14, 15, 16, and 17. Thompson had birdies on 17 and 18, to bring her round total to seven. Shin birdied 13 and 18. But unfortunately for third-round leader Pressel, she was the only one that went birdie-less on the back nine. She still had her chance though with the attempt on 18, but it was to no avail.

It sounds like this was one of the best finishes of the year on the LPGA tour, and you can catch the tape-delay coverage on Golf Channel at 1 PM ET today. Even though we already know who wins, this sounds like must-see TV for a golf fan.

I’m sure I’ll have more thoughts on this event after watching the final round, but for now, congrats to Jiyai Shin on the big win!

UPDATE: I’ve got more thoughts on the Evian Masters here.

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