More Thoughts on the Final Round of the Evian Masters

Well, just watched the final round of the Evian Masters play out on Golf Channel, and my earlier assumptions were correct. This was one fantastic finish to a golf tournament. In case you missed Jiyai Shin get the win, you can catch another replay of the final round tonight at 9:30 PM ET. Here’s a few more thoughts on today’s final round action.

– Again, it’s hard to understate just how good of a finish that this was. If you check out the post that I highlighted above from earlier, you’ll see all the big birdies on the back nine from the key players in this tournament. But obviously, the biggest of all was by Shin on the 18th hole. And trust me, the putt wasn’t all that easy either. It had a little left to right to it, but Shin hit a nice stroke to knock it in. Clutch putt. That’s about all you can say.

– Speaking of clutch, 15-year-old Alexis Thompson‘s putt on 18 was just that as well. She knocked down a lengthy birdie putt that put her in a tie for the lead, until Shin hit her putt to win it. But it was mentioned on the broadcast, and it seemed evident that this girl has nerves of steel. Almost every single time an opportunity presented itself today, she took advantage, which is why she fared so well. While it was good to see Shin hit the big putt to take home the victory, I would have been OK had she missed it too, because I would have loved to see Thompson’s play in the playoff.

– You really have to feel bad for Morgan Pressel, as she just couldn’t get a whole lot going in today’s round. And then to top it all off, she had her putt just rattle out on the 18th, which would have put her in a playoff with Shin. While both putts were of similar length, Pressel’s was certainly more difficult, since it was going more downhill. Still though, she should be proud of a great effort this week, and if she keeps playing like this, she’ll get a win this season.

– It may seem like Na Yeon Choi was the odd person out, but she really wasn’t. Even though all the attention was on the Shin-Pressel grouping, and the excellent finish by Thompson, Choi shot a final round 66 which gave her the tie with Pressel and Thompson in second place. She went on a nice little birdie streak on 14, 15, 16, and 17, before having to settle for par on the final hole. While she may be disappointed that she couldn’t force a playoff, she’s already won once this year, and will probably do so again. It simply wasn’t a case of she losing the tournament today, because she definitely made her run. It was just a matter of Shin winning the tournament by making key putts.

– Someone else that may get less respect than they deserve for a great final round is Suzann Pettersen, who was a few putts away from putting herself in the mix as well. She only finished one shot behind the 13-under trio, and her final round 66 could have been even lower with a putt here or there. She started off hot with five birdies on the front nine, but could only manage one on the back nine while the players in front of her were reeling off big shots on the final nine holes. Still though, it was a very good performance by her that shouldn’t be overlooked.

– Defending champion Ai Miyazato bounced back from a third round 74 to shoot 68 in the final round, but it was still nowhere near enough to put her in contention. She finished nine shots off the lead at 5-under for the tournament, and lost her number-one ranking in the world in the process. Shin will now be atop the women’s golf rankings, but with the way that Miyazato has played this season, it wouldn’t be surprising to see her back at the top during this season.

– And there’s one more little intriguing tidbit from the final round that shows just the precision of the game of golf. If you check out Shin’s approach shot on the 18th hole, you’ll see just what I’m talking about. Her approach hits the back of the green, and the tiniest bit of front spin on the ball would have sent it into the rough, and a whole lot of pressure would have been taken off of Pressel. But Shin got a fantastic bounce, which sent the ball going back towards the hole, where it gave her the shot to win the tournament. But hey, that’s golf. A bounce here or there can change an entire tournament.

Now I want to hear your thoughts. What did you think of the final round of the Evian Masters?

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