ST. LEON-ROT, Germany – Lexi Thompson and Cristie Kerr earned a point for the United States to trail Europe 8-5 in the Solheim Cup before the other fourball matches were suspended Saturday due to bad light.

The American duo defeated Spanish pair Carlota Ciganda and Azahara Munoz 3 and 2 to reduce the Europeans’ lead after a good morning for the home team.

“We knew where we stood going into the afternoon. It didn’t really change our mindset,” Thompson said. “We knew we made a good team with the matches that we’ve played together. We just went out and played aggressive.”

The U.S. held a slight advantage in the three remaining fourball matches to be resumed Sunday morning at St. Leon-Rot Golf Club.

Rookie Alison Lee and Brittany Lincicome were 1 up after 15 holes against England’s Charley Hull and Norway’s Suzann Pettersen, who missed a birdie to match Lee on the last hole played before darkness intervened.

Stacy Lewis rediscovered her form as she and Gerina Piller were 1 up over Germany’s Caroline Masson and Sweden’s Caroline Hedwall after 16 holes played.

Catriona Matthew of Scotland gave the Europeans reason to cheer when she birdied the 15th hole to leave her and Karine Icher of France 1 up against Brittany Lang and Lizette Salas with three holes to play.

“At least we have a little bit of red on the board. I haven’t seen much of that the last few days,” U.S. captain Juli Inkster said. “But we need to finish. We need to buckle down and get those last two holes.”

Earlier Saturday, Hull and Pettersen recovered from 4 down to win 1 up against Paula Creamer and Morgan Pressel, as Europe took a commanding 8-4 lead from the morning’s foursome matches.

Creamer and Pressel were 4 up and comfortable after the 11th hole of their foursome match, but the European pair birdied the next and finished with four straight birdies to give the home team all the momentum going into the afternoon’s fourball matches.

“I was just buzzing,” Hull said.

The 19-year-old from England swatted away an insect and almost holed an ace on the 15th, where Pettersen started the four-birdie run.

“I told Charley, let’s throw darts at the pins, stay aggressive,” Pettersen said. “This one was a robbery.”

Home favorite Sandra Gal and Matthew then defeated Lincicome and Angela Stanford 1 up to deal the Americans another blow.

Melissa Reid of England played a big part in the early European dominance on her 28th birthday.

Reid rejoined partner Ciganda to storm to a 4 and 3 win over Lee and Michelle Wie in their foursome match, which had also been suspended Friday due to bad light.

In the other carried over fourball, Piller and Lang pulled level with German pair Gal and Caroline Masson, who had been 1 up through 15 holes, to halve another point.

Lewis and Piller provided the U.S. with its only full point from the morning thanks to a 5 and 4 victory over Swedish duo Anna Nordqvist and Hedwall.

The event will end Sunday with 12 singles matches after the suspended fourball matches are played.

Europe needs 14 points to win a third straight Solheim Cup for the first time. The U.S. needs 14 1/2 to extend its series lead to 9-5.

ST. LEON-ROT, Germany – Carlota Ciganda ended a long first day in the Solheim Cup with the best shot – giving Europe another big boost in an already strong opening session.

The Spanish player holed out for eagle from 135 yards with a 9-iron on the par-4 17th hole Friday to pull her and English partner Melissa Reid even with Americans Cristie Kerr and Lexi Thompson in the fourball match. Play was suspended because of darkness after the shot, with Europe leading the event 4-2.

“I hit it really good and I’m so happy to help the team,” Ciganda said. “There’s still one hole to play, so there is nothing yet but I hope we can add a point.”

Kerr and Thompson took a 2-up lead with birdies on Nos. 13 and 14, but Reid won the par-5 16th with a birdie and Ciganda tied it with her eagle.

“They fought on the back nine to get a few holes going their way,” Thompson said. “But we’ll come back tomorrow early to finish our last hole. We’re pumped. We’re going to be ready.”

In the other suspended match at St. Leon-Rot Golf Club, German pair Sandra Gal and Caroline Masson were 1 up through 15 holes against Gerina Piller and Brittany Lang. Play was suspended earlier for 55 minutes because of the risk of thunderstorms.

“Very crazy,” U.S. captain Juli Inkster said. “We got smoked the first two matches. And we’re looking pretty good in that third match, and then Melissa makes a good putt on 16 and we miss ours. And then Carlota holes it out on 17. That’s the beauty of match play. It’s the beauty of golf.”

England’s Charley Hull won two matches, teaming with fellow English player Melissa Reid to beat Michelle Wie and Brittany Lincicome 2 and 1 in the morning foursomes, and joining France’s Gwladys Nocera for a 3-and-2 victory over Alison Lee and Angela Stanford in fourball.

The 19-year-old Hull had five consecutive birdies in the afternoon match.

“I felt I played great all day, I rolled a couple in, so it was great,” said Hull, 4-1 in two appearances in the event. “I’m just buzzing for tomorrow.”

The 20-year-old Lee, the only rookie on either team, recovered from a stomach bug to play.

“I didn’t feel good to practice at all yesterday or the day before.” Lee said. “I woke up this morning and I felt brand new.”

In the other afternoon match, Swedes Caroline Hedwall and Anna Nordqvist topped Paula Creamer and Morgan Pressel 4 and 3.

The teams split the morning matches. Creamer and Pressel beat Nordqvist and Norway’s Suzann Pettersen 2 and 1, Kerr and Thompson topped France’s Karine Icher and Spain’s Azahara Munoz 3 and 2, and Gal and Scotland’s Catriona Matthew beat Stacy Lewis and Lizette Salas 3 and 2.

“I didn’t feel that me and Suzann played all that bad this morning. We just couldn’t really make any putts,” Nordqvist said. “So I was actually surprised she was sitting out this afternoon.”

Nordqvist rebounded to birdie seven of the first 13 holes in the afternoon match.

Europe has won the last two events – in 2011 at Killeen Castle in Ireland and 2013 at Colorado Golf Club – to cut the Americans’ series lead to 8-5.

“It was a good day for us but there’s a long way to go,” European captain Carin Koch said. “They were all so confident and comfortable on the course. I told them last night to just go out and enjoy the crowds and enjoy the fans and the stage they’re on this week. And I think they all did that. It looked like they were having a lot of fun all day, really. I couldn’t be more pleased with them.”

After another day of four morning foursomes matches and four afternoon fourball matches, the event will end Sunday with 12 singles matches.

Going into the Solheim Cup, both teams seem to be fighting for the status of underdog.

The Europeans and Americans have both been trying to dampen expectations before the tournament gets underway Friday.

It’s the biggest prize in women’s team golf and the U.S. can point out that Europe is playing at home and going for three in a row, having captured back-to-back titles for the first time in 2013.

But Europe team captain Carin Koch insists the past will have no bearing at all on this weekend’s competition at the St. Leon-Rot Golf Club near Heidelberg in Germany, and she pointed to the strength of the American team based on the rankings.

“They’re so much higher-ranked than we are,” Koch said. “This is Solheim Cup 2015 and we start from scratch.”

Veteran Scottish player Catriona Matthew agreed.

“World ranking-wise their average would certainly be a lot higher than ours. They’re going to go in here as favorites,” said the 46-year-old Matthew, who will be making her eighth Solheim Cup appearance.

Ten of the American players are in the top 40, while Europe have three, but Angela Stanford believes the Europeans’ point is moot.

“People say, `on paper.’ Well, paper doesn’t play,” the 35th-ranked Stanford said. “When you get out on the course it’s golf and it’s match play, and absolutely anything can happen. And you can’t put on paper somebody’s heart. It’s hard to say (whether) there’s a favorite or not.”

Both teams feature a mixture of youth and experience. Alison Lee, who played her way onto the U.S. team as an LPGA rookie this season, is the only newcomer on either team.

“I’ve played more golf this year than I’ve ever played in my life,” the 20-year-old Lee said.

U.S. captain Juli Inkster picked Brittany Lang and Paula Creamer to join automatically qualified Lee, Stanford, Stacy Lewis, Lexi Thompson, Cristie Kerr, Michelle Wie, Brittany Lincicome, Morgan Pressel, Gerina Piller, and Lizette Salas.

“This team is really connected,” said Inkster, a seven-time major winner. “They’re older. They kind of get what this is about. It’s not about them. It’s about . this is a lifetime experience in one week. And I want them to have a good feeling about this week.”

Lincicome, Kerr, Thompson, Pettersen and Nordqvist all have LPGA Tour victories this season.

Wie, who is 6-5-1 in three previous appearances at Solheim, has overcome a frustrating season hampered by injuries, but she appears to have put the problems behind her. She tied for 16th last week in France at the Evian Championship, her best finish since returning from a left ankle injury. For a time, it wasn’t looking good.

“There are some conversations when I talked to Juli, honestly I told her I don’t know if I could play or not. But the past month, it really has been night and day. I played last week with no pain, knock on wood. And this week, too,” Wie said on Wednesday. “I feel great. I feel really good this week. I’m excited to be here. I’m just ecstatic to be here.”

Koch brought Caroline Hedwall of Sweden, Karine Icher of France, Caroline Masson of Germany and Matthew back to the European team with her four picks. They all played in Colorado in 2013, when Hedwall became the first player to win five out of five matches. She retained the cup for Europe by winning the 14th point.

“For the last year I’ve been hitting the ball really well but I just haven’t putted that well. It kind of was the same situation when I came into the Solheim in 2013 – I didn’t make many putts and all of sudden it works. I’m kind of hoping for some magic this week, too,” said the 26-year-old Swede. Hedwall was also on the winning team in 2011.

The rest of the European team is made of Suzann Pettersen of Norway, Charley Hull and Melissa Reid of England, and Gwladys Nocera of France, who qualified from the Ladies European Tour points list, as well as Anna Nordqvist of Sweden, Azahara Munoz of Spain, Sandra Gal of Germany and Carlota Ciganda of Spain, who earned their spots through their world rankings.

The U.S. leads the series 8-5 overall. The 2017 matches will be played at Des Moines Golf and Country Club in Iowa.

EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France – With two holes left to play in her bid to become the youngest LPGA major champion at the Evian Championship, Lydia Ko stayed as relaxed and composed as a seasoned veteran. The South Korean-born New Zealander birdied both on the shores of Lake Geneva to reach a new landmark in her short but already storied career.

A flawless final-round display – featuring spectacular approaches and clinical putts among her eight birdies – made Ko the youngest major champion in LPGA Tour history on Sunday. She closed with an 8-under 63 for a six-stroke victory over Lexi Thompson at the final major of the season.

It was the best round of this year’s tournament, a score that helped her to a ninth career victory with a 16-under total of 268.

“To say that I’m the youngest in history for now, it’s so cool,” Ko said. “To finish with two birdies, finish on the last 72nd hole, with a birdie, it doesn’t happen often, so it’s definitely one of the top rounds of my whole entire life, and I’m sure it will be in my career.”

Ko is 18 years, 4 months and 20 days old. She eclipsed the previous record set by American Morgan Pressel, who was 18 years, 10 months and nine days old when she won the 2007 Kraft Nabisco Championship.

While Ko thrived under pressure, Mi Hyang Lee crumbled. The South Korean had an overnight lead of one stroke over Thompson but finished tied for fourth place, nine back. Chinese Shanshan Feng was third with an 8-under total of 276.

Ko has been breaking records even before she turned professional two years ago.

Tipped as a future great of the game, she was already the youngest winner on the Tour after her win at the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open in 2012, and the youngest player of either gender to reach the No. 1 spot when she did it earlier this year.

“Everyone won’t be asking me when I’ll win my first major because it’s done,” said Ko, who was two shots off the pace heading into the final round.

On a damp but dry morning, she kept her cool when Thompson got off to a flying start.

Ko, Thompson and Lee were grouped together after organizers decided players would tee off on the first and 10th tees in threesomes, fearing expected bad weather would play havoc with the schedule. The elite trio started with a par on the first hole before Thompson set a tremendous early pace with four birdies in her first seven holes. The American converted a long putt for birdie on the par-3 second then played a three-hole stretch in 3 under from Nos. 5-7. She couldn’t stay bogey-free on the front nine, though, missing a putt from close range on the par-3 eighth.

“It’s kind of hard to beat somebody that shoots 63,” said Thompson. “She played amazing. She deserves it. She ball-struck the heck out of this golf course and putted it really well. You can’t get much better than that.”

Ko was one shot behind Thompson at the turn, with three birdies on Nos. 3, 7 and 9.

The Kiwi golfer hit a wonderful second shot on the par-4 11th that landed on the edge of the green and rolled to within 10 feet of the cup, bringing out a big smile on her face. Her next shot – a downhill birdie-putt – found the hole to draw level with Thompson at 12 under.

That shot signaled a swing in the momentum.

Ko came close to an eagle on No. 12 but her ball hit the flagpost and bounced, stopping within five feet of the hole. Ko made no mistake with her next putt and moved one shot clear at the top. She capped her day in style with consecutive birdies on Nos. 17 and 18 before celebrations started with some of her opponents spraying her with water on the course.

“I said before that my goal coming into today was to make par on 18, and that’s still not accomplished yet,” joked Ko, who had bogeyed the last hole on her three first rounds. “I’ll be back next year to do that.”

For Thompson, things took a turn for the worse on the par-3 14th. She landed her drive on a rough patch behind the green and a poor recovery shot left her fuming as she hit the grass twice with her club and settled for a double bogey that sealed her fate.

Lee had a big slip-up on the par-4 third, where she had her first double bogey of the week after misjudging her second shot into water behind the green. Back-to-back bogeys on the par-3 eighth and par-5 ninth continued to undo the good work put in during her three previous rounds.

Tied for third place two shots off the pace after the third round, Pressel had two birdies and six bogeys for a 4-under total of 280 that saw her drop to a tie for 11th place.

Ko had a chance to reclaim the top spot but top-ranked Inbee Park stayed out front after finishing tied for 8th with a 3-under 68 and 5-under total of 279.

Michelle Wie was tied for 16th after shooting a 1-under 70 for an overall 3-under 281.

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont. posted five birdies en route to a 4-under 67 performance to finish T25. Hamilton, Ont., native Alena Sharp carded a final-round 78 and finished in a tie for 70th place.

EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France – Mi Hyang Lee retained the lead in difficult weather in the third round of the Evian Championship on Saturday, as teenager Lydia Ko remained in contention to become the youngest player to win a major.

Lee shot 1-under 70 for a 10-under total of 203 and a one-shot lead over Lexi Thompson, who charged back with fine putting and a 5-under 66 card.

Chasing her first major, Lee was paired with Morgan Pressel (71), and they went toe to toe until the par-4 18th hole, when the American double-bogeyed after landing her second shot in water.

They played their final six holes in rain, wind, and gloom.

Pressel shares third place with Ko, two shots off the pace. The 18-year-old Ko shot a 67 and is pursuing her last chance to become the youngest woman to clinch a major. If she wins on Sunday, Ko will surpass Pressel, who won the Kraft Nabisco Championship at 18 years, 10 months, 9 days back in 2007.

“Obviously, this is my last chance,” said Ko, about five months younger. “I’m just going to give myself a good chance tomorrow.”

Many still have a good chance on the foothills of the Alps, with only five shots separating the 11 best players heading into the final round.

Meanwhile, top-ranked Inbee Park, seeking a career Grand Slam, made four birdies but struggled on the back nine with three bogeys for a 70. She was on 2-under 211, eight shots off the pace, with Michelle Wie (70).

Wie sank a 25-foot putt on the par-5 9th for her first eagle of the tournament.

With more bad weather expected on Sunday, players will tee off on the first and 10th tees in groups of three for the final round, with Lee of South Korea, Thompson of the U.S., and Ko of New Zealand together in the final group.

Ko, who started four strokes off the lead, produced five birdies but bogeyed the 18th for the third consecutive day.

“It was not the easiest of up-and-downs on 18, but I have not played the 18th hole well this week,” she said.

Many players were caught off guard by the bad weather, with Pressel getting some help from a TV channel employee who ran to her locker to bring her a rain jacket.

“Very thankful to the guy,” Pressel said.

Thompson, who mixed six birdies with a sole bogey on the par-3 16th, relied on her dad to bring her an umbrella with four holes to play.

The round began under blue skies, and Pressel immediately applied pressure on Lee with a birdie on the par-4 first hole. Lee could not match her, conceding two consecutive bogeys on the course looking over Lake Geneva.

Lee had another bogey on the par-3 14th but emerged from the round with four birdies and a superb par-putt on her final hole.

Pressel put herself in trouble on the par-5 9th, driving her ball onto a rough patch of grass below the fairway. She missed her putt from the edge of the green to drop her first shot. She said her double bogey on the final hole was probably due to a bad choice of club, a 4 hybrid, for her second shot that found the water.

“It’s just the grass was so wet that it did not get up in the air,” she said. “I thought I could hit the shot.”

Amy Yang was tied for fifth place, three shots behind Lee, after a flying start with an eagle on the first hole, which she bogeyed in the second round.

A broad smile illuminated the South Korean’s face when she realized her shot landed straight in the hole. The U.S. Open runner-up high-fived her caddie and continued her surge back among the top five. She sank a birdie-putt on No. 3, and picked up one more shot with a 15-footer on the par-4 4th. But Yang also bogeyed three holes and finished with a 68.

Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., finished the day at 1-over 72 to move into a tie for 41st place. Hamilton, Ont., product Alena Sharp posted a 75 and is tied for 51st.

EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France – What she lacks in experience, the 22-year-old Mi Hyang Lee makes up for with advice from her 69-year-old caddie.

The South Korean took the sole lead at the Evian Championship after a 4-under 67 Friday in the second round. With a 9-under total of 133, Lee heads into the weekend of the final major of the season with a one-shot lead over American Morgan Pressel.

While Pressel has already won a major, Lee is chasing her first one. She has showed that she can hold her nerve when it really matters – claiming her only victory on the U.S. LPGA Tour last year at the Mizuno Classic after coming out on top of a three-way playoff with a birdie on the fifth extra hole.

To add an extra dose of knowledge to her game, she recently hired veteran caddie Mike Harig. They started working together in July.

“I’m a young player and he’s pretty old, 69 years old, the oldest caddie on the tour,” Lee said. “He has a lot of experience, so that’s a lot of help for me.”

Pressel gave herself a chance of a second major win after making eight birdies.

Meanwhile, top-ranked Inbee Park, seeking a career Grand Slam, made six birdies but struggled on the back nine with two bogeys and a double bogey on the par-4 No. 11. She is tied for 20th, eight shots off the pace, with two Americans – Michelle Wie and Beth Allen. Wie hit a second-round 66 after an opening 75.

Pressel carded a 6-under 65, the lowest score so far at the tournament. She was tied for 12th when starting the day in cold and rainy conditions and bogeyed twice in her five first holes, before thriving once the sun broke through.

“I didn’t let that (start) bother me, and just kept trying to plug along and make more birdies, and was able to do so,” said Pressel, after her best round in 10 Evian appearances.

On a course she knows inside out, the 27-year-old Pressel is oozing with confidence.

“This is my 10th year but only the third year on this new golf course, but it’s still similar,” she said.

Pressel’s U.S. Solheim Cup teammate, Lexi Thompson, who shared the lead with Lee at 5 under after the opening round, is now trailing the South Korean by five shots after shooting a 1-over 72.

Holding a share of the first-round lead for the first time, Lee picked up where she left off on Thursday night. Back on the course Friday at 8:18 am, she birdied the par-4 1st hole and added three more before the turn.

She birdied the par-5 13th but fluffed an easy birdie putt on the par-3 16th after landing a very long iron three feet from the hole, and stumbled with a bogey on the par-4 18th.

Nicole Broch Larsen, fresh from winning the Helsingborg Open on the European Tour, had no problem with the early showers on the shores of Lake Geneva, starting her second round with two birdies in her four first holes.

Playing in the Evian Championship for the first time, she hit three more birdies on her back nine to make up for a bogey on the par-3 5th. She carded a 67 that lifted her to third place on the leaderboard, two shots behind Lee.

“I struggled a little bit with my driver on the back nine but I kept it together, kept fighting. I had an eagle chance on 13, 5-meter putt, but it just lipped out. I finished with a birdie so it was nice,” the Dane said.

Meanwhile, Karrie Webb carded 74 after opening with 71 to share 45th place on 3 over. Webb, who is attempting to win her sixth different major, did not hide her frustration, biting her fingers and slamming the grass with her clubs at least twice on the undulating Evian course.

China’s Shanshan Feng had another 68 and moved fourth at 6-under, with Lydia Ko two shots adrift of her and tied for fifth. The 18-year-old Ko shot a 69 and is pursuing her last chance to become the youngest woman to clinch a major. If she wins this week she will surpass Pressel, who won the Kraft Nabisco Championship at 18 years, 10 months, 9 days.

Hamilton, Ont., native Alena Sharp posted a second round of 3-under 68 to move into a tie for 32nd place. A day following her 18th birthday, fellow Ontarian Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls carded a 74 and sits T37.

EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France – Lexi Thompson played a four-hole stretch in 5 under and finished with a 5-under 66 on Thursday in the Evian Championship for a share of the lead with Mi Hyang Lee.

The 20-year-old Thompson began her run with a birdie on the par-4 12th, hit a 7-iron to 20 feet to set up an eagle on the par-5 13th, and added birdies on the par-3 14th and par-5 15th. She parred the final 12 holes in her bogey-free morning round in the major championship.

“It feels great to have a stretch of holes like that,” Thompson said. “But you just have to take one shot at a time and not get ahead of yourself because, I mean, shots can get away from you out here. If you hit it in the rough, the rough’s pretty thick.”

Thompson won the Kraft Nabisco last year for her first major title, and took the Meijer Classic in July for her fifth career title. She has three top-10 finishes in her last five starts, and will play in the Solheim Cup matches next week in Germany against Europe.

“Obviously, Solheim Cup was my No. 1 goal to be on that team to represent my country, so I’m very happy to be going to Germany next week,” Thompson said. “But you have to focus on this week being the last major here at the Evian Championship.”

Lee, from South Korea, had seven birdies and two bogeys at the picturesque resort above Lake Geneva.

Gerina Piller, Thompson’s U.S. Solheim Cup teammate, was a stroke back along with South Korea’s Eun-Hee Ji and Thailand’s Pornanong Phatlum.

Piller had eight birdies and four bogeys.

“There are just some spots on this course you cannot get in,” Piller said.

Karrie Webb had a 71, and top-ranked Inbee Park opened with a 72.

Webb is attempting to win her sixth different major championship, and Park is trying to join Webb with a record five. Park has two major victories this year – the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and Ricoh Women’s British Open – and four overall titles. Webb and Park won the event before it became a major, Webb in 2006 and Park in 2012.

Second-ranked Lydia Ko, playing alongside Park and No. 3 Stacy Lewis, had a 69.

The New Zealander was impressed with Thompson’s round.

“I saw her score. I kind of realized it was going pretty low, especially at the start of the round and she was only a couple of groups in front of us,” Ko said. “I was on the par-3 14th or something, and that was only her fifth hole of the day. And I saw her to my left, and it showed her scorecard. I saw some birdies, some eagles, so that’s a pretty consistent scorecard there.”

Lewis shot a 73.

Defending champion South Korea’s Hyo Joo Kim also had a 73. Last year, she opened with a major-record 61 and went on to beat Webb by a stroke.

Michelle Wie shot a 75. Sporting multicolored hair and high-top pink shoes, she’s fighting a slow-healing left ankle injury.

On her 18th birthday, Smiths Falls, Ont., native Brooke Henderson tallied two birdies across the back nine to finish with a share of 17th at 1-under 70. Alena Sharp of Hamilton, Ont., shot a first-round 4-over 75 and sits T80.

PARIS – Serena Williams isn’t the only woman in sight of a Grand Slam this weekend.

Inbee Park can achieve a career Grand Slam in golf by winning the Evian Championship starting on Thursday near the French Alps.

Park won the Evian on the edge of Lake Geneva in 2012, but it came a year before the U.S. LPGA Tour made it the fifth and final major on its calendar.

To mark the occasion, the tour has gone into hyperbole. When Park won the Women’s British Open last month, becoming the seventh woman to win four different majors, the tour called that the “career Grand Slam.” Adding the Evian will give her a “Super Career Grand Slam.”

Regardless of how it’s described, Park says it’s already been a great year.

Such has been her dominant form that she has already wrapped up the Rolex Annika Major Award, which rewards the player with the best record in the five majors. Even if she misses the Evian cut, she has an unassailable lead in the standings and will succeed Michelle Wie, who won the inaugural award last year.

Park has won six of the last 14 majors. She has seven to her name, and two this year. And her appetite for them hasn’t dimmed.

“I’ve got my name on every major championship trophy, but I won Evian before it became a major,” the South Korean said. “So it would be really good to win it again this year.”

The other major winners this year were Brittany Lincicome and In Gee Chun.

Still with a shot at becoming the youngest major winner is 18-year-old Lydia Ko of New Zealand.

The No. 2-ranked Ko, who tied for third at the British Open, had her confidence boosted by victory at the Canadian Pacific Open, where she claimed her third title of the year.

Hyo-Joo Kim of South Korea, who came from a shot back on the last hole to beat Karrie Webb by one shot last year, will be trying to win a second straight Evian, a feat nobody has achieved since it became an official tour event 15 years ago.

The tournament at Evian Resort will also serve as a final outing for the U.S. and European Solheim Cup teams, who will square off at the match-play competition next week in St. Leon-Rot, Germany.

“Certainly, it’s been in the front of everyone’s mind here with a huge major championship, the last one of the year, and then going next week with both teams playing here, it’s certainly something that people are talking about,” said American Morgan Pressel, the youngest major champion in tour history. “At the end of the day, if I can play well this week, that gives me a lot of confidence going into next week.”

PRATTVILLE, Ala. – Kris Tamulis won the Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic on Sunday for her first LPGA Tour title.

Tamulis played 29 holes Sunday in the twice-delayed tournament, the 186th of her LPGA Tour career. She finished a third-round 67 and closed with a 65 to beat Yani Tseng and Austin Ernst by a stroke.

The 34-year-old former Florida State player had a 17-under 271 total on The Senator Course and didn’t show the strain of being in contention with so little margin for error.

“It was amazing,” Tamulis said. “I was definitely not expecting this today.”

Tseng had rounds of 71 and 67, and Ernst shot 68-69 with the weather clearing up after delays totaling nearly 7 hours the previous two days. Both parred the final hole with a chance to force a playoff.

Tamulis birdied four of the first six holes in the final round before finally making her only bogey of the last three rounds. She hadn’t finished better than fourth on the tour.

Tamulis was all smiles at the end. She made a short birdie putt on the 17th hole, cheerfully telling two fans “28 of 29 completed today.” Then, a long birdie putt, hit seemingly perfectly on line, stopped inches shy of the final hole. Still smiling, she told her caddie the ball needed just “a little more oomph,” then chatted with the teenager carrying the score placard.

She had about 45 minutes to sweat it out. Tseng and Ernst both had makeable birdie putts on 18, on opposite sides of the pin. Ernst’s attempt went to the left. Tseng came closer, falling to her knees when her putt lipped out.

“When they both missed I was just shocked,” said Tamulis, who chatted with volunteers and had a snack in air-conditioned comfort instead of watching or practicing for a possible playoff. A friend kept her updated.

Tamulis had been fourth last year in Prattville and earlier this year at the Meijer LPGA Classic. She didn’t make the cut at last week’s Canadian Pacific Women’s Open after posting two 73 rounds. Her rounds steadily improved from 71 to 68 to 67 and finally 65.

It was her first win since Florida State but she had a pair of runners-up finishes in 2004 on the Symetra Tour.

Tamulis said she was trying to ignore the leaderboard, focusing instead on a countdown from 29 holes.

“The last time I actually saw where it was at was by accident on No. 9,” she said. “Then I felt really good and I was just out there trying to have a good time. My goal was to come in here have a decent week, play well and secure my spots in Asia.”

She also wanted to ensure she made the field in her hometown of Naples, Florida, for the season finale, the CME Group Tour Championship. Her expression matched the smiley face magnet affixed to her visor, given to her two years ago by an elderly scorekeeper in Phoenix.

Tseng is a 26-year-old Taiwanese player who ranked No. 1 for 109 weeks early in her career. She came close to snapping an 85-event winless streak dating to the 2012 Kia Classic, making a long birdie putt on No. 16.

This was Tseng’s second runner-up finish of the year.

Ernst was seeking her second tour win. Sydnee Michaels finished with a 67, finishing in a fourth-place tie with 2011 winner Lexi Thompson. Thompson closed with a 69 and was in the 60s all four rounds.

Hamilton, Ont., native Alena Sharp shot her best round of the competition, a 5-under 67, to reach 9-under and 12th place. Fellow Ontarian Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls tallied four birdies en route to a 3-under 69 and a T13 finish.

PRATTVILLE, Ala. – Austin Ernst took the lead at 10 under Saturday before darkness forced the suspension of third-round play in the weather-delayed Yokohama LPGA Tire Classic.

Ernest was 1 under through four holes after waiting out a five-hour delay for rain and lightning on the links-style Senator Course. She passed second-round leader Yani Tseng, who had a bogey on the fourth hole to drop to 9 under.

Players are expected to stay in the same groups for early morning starts Sunday, trying to complete the 72-hole tournament.

Lexi Thompson, the 2011 winner, was two strokes back along with Sei Young Kim, Tiffany Joh, Sydnee Michaels and Julieta Granada.

A number of players had to complete the second round Saturday after a 90-minute delay a day earlier. None completed more than 14 holes in the third round.

Ernst, a 23-year-old former LSU player, had a birdie on the second hole and is seeking her second LPGA Tour title. She won the Portland Classic last year.

Tseng had hoped to ride momentum from her finish on Friday. She had closed an 8-under 64 with an eagle and a birdie to move to 10 under.

The 26-year-old Taiwanese player, ranked No. 1 for 109 weeks early in her career, is trying to snap an 85-event winless streak dating to the 2012 Kia Classic.

Tseng won seven times in 2011, becoming the youngest player to win consecutive Rolex Player of the Year awards and earning just shy of $3 million. The 15-time tour winner’s only top-10 finish of the year came when she tied for second in March in the LPGA Thailand.

Kim was 3 under through seven and birdied her final two holes.