How an Australian ranked 99th in the world pulled off an eagle-birdie-eagle finish to snatch her first major from the jaws of defeat

Grace Kim was three shots behind with six holes to play after a crushing double bogey on the 12th at the Evian Championship. The 25-year-old Australian was seemingly dead and buried, watching her first major championship slip away in the French Alps. In golf terms, she was toast.

What happened next will go down as one of the most incredible comebacks in major championship history. Kim didn’t just bounce back – she absolutely exploded with a finish that defied all logic and left everyone watching in complete disbelief.

The Comeback That Rewrote the Record Books

After that disaster on 12, Kim quietly birdied 15 and 16 to creep back into contention. But it was the 18th hole where she announced herself to the golf world. From 188 yards out on the par-5 finishing hole, she striped a shot to within two feet of the cup. The eagle putt was a gimme, forcing a playoff with world No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul, who had just missed an eight-footer that would have sealed the deal.

That eagle wasn’t just a shot – it was a statement. Kim had gone from three behind to tied for the lead in four holes, setting up what would become one of the most dramatic playoffs in major championship history.

The Playoff That Had Everything

If you thought the regulation finish was dramatic, the playoff was pure theater. Back to the 18th hole they went, and Kim immediately looked done for good. She sliced her second shot so badly it found the water hazard. Game over, right?

Wrong. Kim dropped her ball, pulled out the same 4-hybrid she’d been using all day, and proceeded to chip in for birdie. From the water to the bottom of the cup in one shot. Even she couldn’t believe it: “I don’t know if I can do it again. That was great.”

Thitikul, showing the heart of a champion, matched the birdie to extend the playoff. Back to 18 they went for a third time, and this time Kim wasn’t messing around. She drained a 10-foot eagle putt, put her hands to her face in disbelief, and became a major champion.

The Underdog Story We All Love

What makes Kim’s victory so compelling isn’t just the shots she hit – it’s the journey that got her there. This is a player who came into the week ranked 99th in the world, someone who admitted to losing motivation earlier this year and having “hard conversations” with her team about her future.

She’s also refreshingly honest about her struggles. “I’ve had a lot of doubts early this year. I was kind of losing motivation,” she said after winning. “I kind of had to wake up a little bit.”

That vulnerability makes her eagle-birdie-eagle finish even more remarkable. This wasn’t some world-beater executing perfectly – this was someone who had questioned her own future in the game, somehow finding the magic when it mattered most.

The Numbers Don’t Lie

Let’s put this in perspective: Kim went eagle-birdie-eagle on the final three holes of regulation and the first two playoff holes. That’s not just clutch – that’s historically clutch. She played the 18th hole three times on Sunday and made eagle twice and birdie once. The same 4-hybrid that she said “will be staying in the bag” produced three of the most important shots of her life.

The $1.2 million winner’s check from the $8 million purse suddenly elevated Kim from a struggling tour player to a major champion. She joins an exclusive club as the fifth Australian to win a major, following legends like Karrie Webb and more recent stars like Minjee Lee and Hannah Green.

The Bigger Picture

Kim’s victory adds another chapter to an already historic LPGA season. With 18 events played and 18 different winners, this marks the longest stretch in tour history without a repeat winner. The parity is real, and Kim’s breakthrough proves that on any given Sunday, anyone can grab lightning in a bottle.

The Takeaway

Grace Kim’s Evian Championship win reminds us why we love this game. Golf doesn’t care about your world ranking or how far behind you are with six holes to play. It only cares about the next shot, and sometimes that next shot can change everything.

In a sport obsessed with perfection and technical precision, Kim showed us that heart, grit, and a little bit of magic can trump everything else. She was behind, she was counted out, and she was seemingly finished. But she kept swinging, kept believing, and kept fighting until she held that trophy.

That’s not just good golf – that’s good life.