The Evian Championship needed a great tournament with some big names in contention in order to be taken seriously as a major.

They got that this week.

The final round quickly became a duel between two of the youngest, biggest superstars in women’s golf – Lydia Ko and Lexi Thompson. Both players entered the final round trailing Mi Hyang Lee, but after a double bogey on the third hole, Lee quickly became an afterthought. Ko and Thompson, meanwhile, set the course on fire on the opening nine holes.

Thompson jumped out to a quick three shot lead after going four under through seven holes, but a bogey on the eighth slowed her momentum. Ko, meanwhile, went three under through nine. At the turn, Thompson had a one shot lead over Ko, and with the rest of the field struggling to keep pace, it became a match play scenario between two players who aren’t old enough to drink.

The narrative quickly changed on the back nine. While Thompson was making pars, Ko was making birdies. Two straight birdies on 11 and 12 gave Ko a one shot lead. A poor tee shot on the par 3 14th put Thompson in real trouble. Thompson would end up making double bogey while Ko made a long, clutch par putt to go three ahead with four holes to play. Ko then birdied the par 5 15th, and when Thompson failed to do the same, it all but sealed the tournament for Ko.

The nerves never hit Ko. In fact, she never let up. She made a long birdie putt on 17 and made an easy victory walk up the 18th hole. To end with flare, Ko made a long birdie putt on 18 to sign a bogey free 63, easily the best round of the tournament by anyone all week, and Ko’s best final round in her career.

The victory made Lydia Ko the youngest major winner in LPGA history. She is six months younger than Morgan Pressel when she won the 2007 Kraft Nabisco Championship. Ko has been close in several majors in her career, but this was the final time she could win in order to break that record, and she did so in style.

“It’s pretty amazing.” Ko said after the round. “I really didn’t know how this day would end up. I just tried to focus on my game. Today was an awesome day. It’s been such an unbelievable experience. Now no one will ask me when I will win my first major championship.”

“The first time is definitely the most memorable. It’s so hard to win your first. I’m at a loss for words.”

When asked where her final round would rank on the list of her best round, she said, “this is probably the best round ever.”

Thompson finished in solo second for her best finish in a major since her victory at the Kraft Nabisco Championship last year. It is also the third time this season that she finished inside the top 10 at a major. While she will be incredibly disappointed in her finish this week, she will be looked to as a leader for the US team as they take on Team Europe in the Solheim Cup next week. No American has played better this season than Thompson, and her power and poise will be desperately needed as the US tries to end a two match losing streak in the Solheim Cup.

2012 LPGA Champion Shanshan Feng continues to contend in big tournaments. After finishing in the top 10 in four of the five majors last season, and adding another one this year at the ANA Inspiration, Feng fired a final round 70 to finish in solo third. She is one of only two players to finish under par in all four rounds this week. Feng, currently ranked eighth in the Rolex Rankings, will take a week off and prepare for the Asian Swing, where she typically plays very well.

A pair of Koreans finished T4. Ilhee Lee, who has struggled in majors this season, fired a final round 70. She looked to be in great position to be in third place all by herself, but a double bogey on her final hole dropped her down the leaderboard. She finished tied with first round leader Mi Hyang Lee, who struggled for most of the day but did not allow herself to collapse completely. This marks Mi Hyang Lee’s best finish in a major.

Rookie Alison Lee continues her dream season. She fired a bogey free final round 66 to tie for sixth for her best ever major finish. She will be the only rookie playing in the Solheim Cup, and is entering with as much confidence as any of the other 23 players competing in the team event. She tied with South African Lee-Anne Pace, who notched her first ever top 10 finish in a major.

While Ko won the major, she will be unable to take over the Rolex Number One this week. Current number one Inbee Park finished T8. Ko, however, did leap frog Park in the Race For The CME Globe, and it also means that Park and Ko will be in a battle down the stretch for Player Of The Year. Park finished tied with 2009 US Open champion Eun-Hee Ji and Amy Yang.

Morgan Pressel had a day to forget. Entering the day only a few shots behind, Pressel struggled all day and shot a 75 to fall outside the top 10. Not only that, but Pressel, who held the original record for youngest ever major champion, had to watch as her record got broken. She has a very good Solheim Cup record and will be representing the United States next week, so her team hopes she rebounds.

Struggling with injuries all season, Michelle Wie put together a solid week to finish T16 entering the Solheim Cup. Wie seemed happy not only to be playing good golf, but to play pain free.

“Thank you for another fabulous year, Evian Championship!” Wie said via Instagram after the tournament. “Was fun to debut my new Nike blazer golf shoes and play pain free this week! #progress Also....FIVE more days till the start of Solheim!”

Sei Young Kim finished T11, while defending champion Hyo Joo Kim finished T20, mean Kim has extended her lead in the Rookie Of The Year race. Hyo Joo will now need to win at least once down the stretch in order to have a chance to overtake Sei Young, who has had a brilliant rookie season that includes two victories as well as three top 15 finishes in majors.

Lexi Thompson and Alison Lee were the only Solheim Cup players to finish inside the top 10, and several are struggling with form as they enter the team event. Pressel’s final round 75 put her in T11. Stacy Lewis, the top ranked American in the Rolex Rankings, finished T16 with Wie. The top ranked European was Karine Icher, who finished T20. Ryder Cup captain Juli Inkster finished T38, the same position as young Charley Hull, who got introduced to the world through her Solheim Cup performance two years ago. Top European players Suzann Pettersen and Anna Nordqvist finished T34 and T50 respectively.

Both American captains picks, Paula Creamer and Brittany Lang, missed the cut, along with European captain picks Caroline Hedwall and Caroline Masson. Other Solheim Cup players that missed the cut were Americans Brittany Lincicome and Angela Stanford, as well as Europeans Melissa Reid and Azahara Munoz. In all, eight of the 24 players playing in the Solheim Cup will be entering off of a missed cut, and 18 of the 24 failed to crack the top 25.