INCHEON, South Korea – South Korea’s Sung Hyun Park shot a course-record 10-under 62 on Thursday to take a four-stroke lead in the LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship.

The 22-year-old Park had six birdies in a seven-hole stretch in the middle of the round and birdied three of the last four holes on Sky 72’s Ocean Course. She played alongside Michelle Wie and Lexi Thompson, regularly driving 10 to 15 yards past the long-hitting U.S. stars.

Park broke the course record of 63 set by Suzann Pettersen in the first round of her 2012 victory. Ranked 54th in the world, Park won the Korea LPGA’s Se Ri Pak Invitational two weeks ago for her third victory of the season. She won the Korea Women’s Open in June.

“It was awesome to watch, that’s for sure,” Thompson said. “She shot 10 under, and I swear it seemed like she birdied every hole. It was amazing to watch. I’ve never seen her play before and she’s a great player. Amazing putter and great ball-striker and she hits it long.”

Thompson had a 68, and Wie shot 71.

U.S. Solheim Cup hero Gerina Piller and England’s Charley Hull were tied for second at 66.

Piller had six birdies in a bogey-free round that started on No. 10.

“I just made some putts,” Piller said. “The greens are rolling pretty quick and they are pretty pure. I missed the green on the first hole and I had about a 10-footer (for par), so I think that just kind of kick-started the whole day.”

Hull birdied five of the first seven holes in a bogey-free round.

“Just patience at the moment,” Hull said.

China’s Shanshan Feng was five strokes back at 66 along with South Koreans Chella Choi, Hyo Joo Kim, Eun-Hee Ji and Han Sol Ji. Kim and Choi won their first LPGA Tour titles this season. Kim took the Founders Cup in Phoenix, and Choi the Marathon Classic in Ohio.

“This tournament is my favorite tournament the whole year, because my hometown and my whole family came out here,” Choi said. “I’m so excited and I’m really proud of my country.”

Top-ranked Inbee Park had a 69. The South Korean star won two of the five majors this year and is tied with second-ranked Lydia Ko for the tour victory lead with four.

Ko also shot 69. She tied for second last week in the LPGA Malaysia after winning her previous two starts in Canada and France, where the 18-year-old South Korean-born New Zealander became the youngest major champion.

American Jessica Korda, the Malaysia winner, opened with a 71. U.S. Solheim Cup captain Juli Inskter, the oldest player in the field at 55, also had a 71.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Jessica Korda won the LPGA Malaysia on Sunday for her fourth tour title, closing with a 6-under 65 in sweltering conditions at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club for a four-stroke victory.

After winning twice last season, the 22-year-old American entered the week with only one top-10 finish this year, a tie for second in January in Florida in the season-opening event.

“I think it was just a long time coming,” Korda said. “I knew that I was getting really close and just needed to stay patient.”

She made five birdies in a seven-hole stretch that ended on the 10th, dropped a stroke on the par-4 11th and sealed it with birdies on the par-3 15th and 17th. Second-ranked Lydia Ko, No. 3 Stacy Lewis and 2014 winner Shanshan Feng tied for second.

“I was weirdly calm today,” Korda said. “I knew what I needed to do. I needed to take care of myself. If somebody was going to make a hot start, that’s just the way it was going to be. I was going to continue playing my game.”

She cried on the 18th green after her final putt.

“I think just struggling and being at your lowest and then feeling this and just going through these emotions, just incredible gratitude and just being so humbled by everything,” Korda said. “All the support that I’ve had, the people that have stuck with me this year, didn’t stop believing in me even when I did a little bit. I think just all that hit me a little bit.”

The long-hitter failed to qualify for the Solheim Cup team and was passed over as a captain’s pick.

“Stepping back and looking at it, yeah, I was disappointed I wasn’t on the team, but I know I played my way off the team and there was no chance that I could have helped,” Korda said. “I was really glad with the way that everything happened. I got to go to the Czech Republic for a couple days after Evian and sit down with my grandparents and my cousin. Honestly, the last three weeks have been such a great time in my life.”

Korda finished at 18-under 266 and earned $300,000. She opened with rounds of 69, 67 and 65 to take a two-stroke lead into the final day. The weekend 65s are her two best scores this year.

“Jess played unbelievable today. Nobody was going to beat her,” Lewis said. “When you have a two-shot lead and shoot 6 under, it’s pretty hard to beat.”

Korda’s father, Petr, won the 1998 Australian Open tennis tournament.

“I didn’t actually get to talk to my dad,” Korda said. “It went straight to voicemail, but I did get a series of text messages.”

Ko finished with a 66. The 18-year-old New Zealander was coming off consecutive victories in Canada and France, where she became the youngest major champion.

Feng also had a 66, and Lewis shot 67.

“I think I did a lot of good stuff this week and a lot of good things to build on,” Lewis said.

The event was the first of five straight in Asia. The LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship is next week in South Korea, followed by stops in Taiwan, China and Japan.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Jessica Korda took a two-stroke lead Saturday in the LPGA Malaysia, shooting a bogey-free 6-under 65 in sweltering conditions.

Korda missed a birdie chance on the par-4 18th when her 6-footer slid by on the left side, leaving the 22-year-old American at 12-under 201 at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club. Fellow American Stacy Lewis and South Korea’s Ha Na Jang were tied for second.

“These last two days have been the hottest days I think I’ve ever played golf in,” Korda said. “You feel it, you really do. Luckily, there was not a lot of sun out there today, but the humidity was really, really high.”

Korda has only one top-10 finish this season, a tie for second in January in Florida in the season-opening event. The three-time LPGA Tour winner is 50th in the world ranking and 56th on the money list, barely enough to get a spot in the tournament.

“It’s been such a long time and I’m so happy,” Korda said. “I’m very pleased to be back on top of the leaderboard. I definitely wasn’t expecting all my hard work to be paying off this quickly, first week out in the Asia swing, but I’ll take it wherever I can.”

The third-ranked Lewis has rebounded with rounds of 66 and 65 after opening with a 72.

“This golf course is just a shootout,” Lewis said. “It’s just who is going to make the most birdies at the end of the week. … But you can’t go on this golf course and try to make birdies. The moment you try to make a birdie you’re short-sided in the bunker.”

She’s also winless this season.

“I haven’t been there in a while,” Lewis said. “It’s been a little bit of a frustrating year. It’s nice to be back. Hopefully, I can put another good one together tomorrow.”

Jang had a 71 after taking a one-stroke lead into the round. She had a double bogey on the par-3 15th, saved bogey with a 20-footer on the par-5 16th and rebounded with a birdie on the par-3 17th.

Second-ranked Lydia Ko was three strokes back at 9 under along with defending champion Shanshan Feng and Xi Yu Lin.

Playing alongside Korda, Ko bogeyed the 18th for 68. The 18-year-old New Zealander is coming off consecutive victories in the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open and Evian Championship, where she became the youngest major champion.

“Obviously, a little disappointed to finish up with a bogey, but I don’t feel that bad,” Ko said. “I felt I holed some really good putts that maybe didn’t even deserve to go in.”

Feng had a 69, and Chinese compatriot Lin shot 71.

Top-ranked Inbee Park, the 2012 winner, was 8 under after a 71. The South Korean star won two of the five majors this year and is tied with Ko for the tour victory lead with four.

Morgan Pressel had a 63, the best round of the week, to get to 6 under. U.S. Solheim Cup teammate Michelle Wie also was 6 under after a 69.

The event is the first of five straight in Asia. The LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship is next week in South Korea, followed by stops in Taiwan, China and Japan.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – South Korea’s Ha Na Jang used a late three-hole birdie run to take a one-stroke lead Friday in the LPGA Malaysia.

The 23-year-old Jang shot a bogey-free 6-under 65 to reach 10-under 132 at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club. She made a downhill 10-footer on the par-4 14th, holed a right-to-left curler from 15 feet on the par-3 15th and ran in a 12-footer on the par-5 16th.

A six-time winner on the Korea LPGA, Jang lost a playoff loss to Chella Choi in July in the Marathon Classic for the second of her three runner-up finishes in her rookie season on the LPGA Tour.

China’s Xi Yu Lin was second after a 68.

Top-ranked Inbee Park, Alison Lee and Yani Tseng were another stroke back.

Park, the 2012 winner, had a 68. The South Korean star won two majors this year and is tied with second-ranked Lydia Ko for the tour victory lead with four.

Lee, tied with Lin for the first round, bogeyed Nos. 15 and 16 en route to a 69. The 20-year-old American is playing her first event since her emotional Solheim Cup debut.

Last month against Europe in Germany, she was in tears after Suzann Pettersen called for the American to be penalized for picking up her ball when she mistakenly thought a short putt had been conceded in the completion of a fourballs match. Infuriated, the U.S. rallied for the biggest comeback in event history, with Lee winning her singles match.

Tseng had a 68.

Defending champion Shanshan Feng was 7 under after a 69. She made a double bogey on the par-4 18th after chunking her approach into the water in front of the green.

Ko was tied for 18th at 6 under after a 65. The 18-year-old New Zealander is coming off consecutive victories in the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open and Evian Championship, where she became the youngest major champion.

Michelle Wie, a stroke out of the lead entering the round, birdied three of her last six holes to salvage a 72. She dropped into a tie for 18th at 4 under.

Pettersen, also playing her first event since the Solheim Cup, was tied for 72nd in the 74-player field at 12 over. The competitive Norwegian had her second straight 77, making a quadruple bogey on 15 and a double bogey on 18.

The event is the first of five straight in Asia. The LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship is next week in South Korea, followed by stops in Taiwan, China and Japan.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Alison Lee shot a 6-under 65 on Thursday for a share of the first-round lead with China’s Xi Yu Lin in the LPGA Malaysia, the 20-year-old American’s first event since her emotional Solheim Cup debut.

Lee birdied five of the first eight holes at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club, and added birdies on Nos. 12 and 14. The UCLA student bogeyed the par-3 17th and – after rain and lightning delayed play more than three hours – got up-and-down for par on the par-4 18th.

In the Solheim Cup last month in Germany, Lee was in tears after Suzann Pettersen called for the American to be penalized for picking up her ball when she mistakenly thought a short putt had been conceded in the completion of a fourballs match. Infuriated, the U.S. rallied to beat Europe in the biggest comeback in event history, with Lee winning her singles match.

“Not only did we win, but just to be able to be there and participate and be a part of something so great like that and to go into history with the biggest comeback ever,” Lee said. “Definitely learned a lot from it.”

She has been busy off the course.

“Right after Solheim I took one day off and started school right away and did my apartment and bought books and went to class, did rush,” Lee said. “I don’t know how I’m sitting here right now. I don’t know how I survived, but I did it somehow. I feel like it’s all a great experience. I love still being in school.”

Lin three-putted the 18th for her only bogey.

“I guess I was a little too aggressive trying to make another birdie,” Lin said.

Michelle Wie was a stroke back along with defending champion Shanshan Feng, Yani Tseng and Chella Choi. Finally over hip and ankle injuries, Wie had eight birdies and three bogeys.

“Just feels so good to be out here and not thinking, ‘Oh, this swing is going to hurt my hip and my ankle,'” Wie said. “Just going out there and being actually able to hit balls and hit golf shots and play the way that I know I can.”

Feng dropped out of a tie for the lead when she three-putted the final hole for her lone bogey.

Top-ranked Inbee Park, the 2012 winner, was tied for 10th at 68. She won two majors this year and is tied with second-ranked Lydia Ko for the tour victory lead with four.

Ko had a 71. The 18-year-old New Zealander is coming off consecutive victories in the Canadian Women’s Open and Evian Championship, where she became the youngest major champion.

Pettersen opened with a 77. The Norwegian star had a double bogey and four bogeys.

The event is first of five straight in Asia. The LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship is next week in South Korea, followed by stops in Taiwan, China and Japan.

ST. LEON-ROT, Germany – After being infuriated by a call they found unsportsmanlike, the Americans staged the biggest comeback in Solheim Cup history Saturday to wrest the trophy back from Europe.

Paula Creamer defeated Germany’s Sandra Gal to complete the turnaround and secure a 14 1/2-13 1/2 victory for the United States, which had trailed by four points going into the singles.

The match turned after American rookie Alison Lee was penalized for picking up the ball when she thought her putt was conceded in the morning fourballs, which had been suspended on Saturday. The 20-year-old missed a birdie putt on the 17th hole and then picked up the ball as Europe’s Charley Hull was already walking toward the last hole – only for Suzann Pettersen to claim Europe hadn’t conceded the short putt. The umpire intervened and Europe was awarded the hole – and eventually won the match.

“There’s no way they could ever justify that. I don’t care what you say, you just don’t do that to your peers,” U.S. captain Juli Inkster said. “I don’t know if my team needed to be fired up anymore, but they were real fired up.”

And they dominated the singles to claim their first title since 2009, denying the Europeans their first threepeat. The U.S. extended its series lead to 9-5. No team had ever come from more than two down going into the singles.

“I am so proud of our team. We were in there this morning and we were just so fired up and ready to get out there and just play good golf,” Creamer said. “And this was so awesome. I played great. Seeing the girls and seeing the red on the board, I’m so proud of them.”

Europe led 10-6 going into the 12 singles but could only win three and draw another. Home golfer Caroline Masson missed the last big chance to retain the cup for Europe, before Gerina Piller made her more difficult 9-foot putt to win her match by one hole and keep American hopes alive.

Cristie Kerr then had nine birdies in 11 holes as she beat Hull 3 and 2, and Angela Stanford ended her nine-match losing streak to beat Pettersen 2 and 1, before Creamer completed the turnaround.

Morgan Pressel, Alison Lee, Michelle Wie and Cristie Kerr also won for the U.S., while Lexi Thompson won half a point in her all-square match against Carlota Ciganda of Spain.

“This is probably the closest knit group we’ve ever been a part of. We never stopped believing,” Stanford said.

Pressel defeated Catriona Matthew of Scotland by 2 holes, Lee defeated Gwladys Nocera of France 3 and 1, Wie had eight birdies in a huge 6 and 4 win over Caroline Hedwall of Sweden, while Lizette Salas defeated Azahara Munoz of Spain 3 and 1.

Karine Icher of France defeated Brittany Lincicome 3 and 2, Melissa Reid of England beat Brittany Lang 2 and 1, and Anna Nordqvist of Sweden finished with a birdie to best Stacy Lewis 2 and 1.

But after an emotional day, it seemed it was the Americans who had actually benefited from the controversial call against Lee.

Both Lee and Hull were in tears after that match, and Inkster used the incident as motivational fuel in her team talk before the singles.

“Charley was walking off the green and Suzann was already off the green so there was no doubt in my mind that that putt was good,” Lee said. “I didn’t even think twice about it. So I just picked it up.”

Europe captain Carin Koch said the ball went too far to concede.

“The rules are the rules. You have to follow the rules,” Koch said.

After lifting the trophy, Inkster was ready to move on from the controversy.

“I’m over it,” she said. “We got the cup.”

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.