Ayaka Furue

Ayaka Furue eagled the 72nd hole to complete a stunning late surge to win the Amundi Evian Championship in July 2024, her first major victory.

The Japanese began the final round one stroke behind Stephanie Kyriacou – but timed her run to perfection, finding three straight birdies from the 14th, before a magical finish on the 18th green.

Furue shot a magnificent course record closing round of 62, 10-under-par, to lift the Trust Golf Scottish Open in 2022. It followed seven wins on the LPGA of Japan Tour.

She was part of Japan’s winning team at the Junior World Cup in 2018 and the same year she finished fourth in the individual section of the Asian Games.

Furue won a tour event while still an amateur the following season, and added three more titles in her first full year as a professional. She then added three more in the space of just four weeks at the end of 2021; a superb run which lifted her into the world’s top 15.

Furue's best finish at the AIG Women's Open was a tie for 20th place in 2021.