In the space of just under an hour, Grace Kim hit a trio of the greatest shots ever hit by an Australian in a major championship.

Karrie Webb’s holed 105-metre wedge to make the playoff (which she won) at the Kraft Nabisco in Palm Springs in 2006 is likely the most spectacular but Kim’s finish at the Evian Championship had an Adam Scott Augusta putt, a Peter Thomson long iron (Birkdale 1965 72nd hole) and a chip to wipe out the memory of both Larry Mize and Bob Tway.

After a double-bogey at the 12th hole, the Sydneysider seemed far out of it on a leaderboard with half a dozen other possible winners, but she birdied the par-5 15th and then the confected, over the pond, par-3 16th.

Forgotten because of what transpired on the 18th hole was a brutal sliding downhill left to right putt from eight feet to save a par at the 17th hole. They are the most awful putts to make when you must, and the look on her face when it fell was a mix of relief and a little surprise.

Still, she was two behind the leader and playing partner Jeeno Thitikul who, to this point, had made four birdies without dropping a shot and was entitled to think she had the championship all but won.

One wonders what golfers find inside themselves at moments of high pressure but in Kim’s case having to make an eagle to even have a chance isn’t as stressful as having to make a birdie from the same place.

No one expects you to make an eagle but everyone, including you, knows a birdie is there for the taking with just one good, final swing.

A birdie, however, was "only" going to be worth a second-place tie with MinJee Lee and Lottie Woad, the brilliant English (not for much longer) amateur.

Either way, Kim hit the most brilliant of shots, a hybrid from a couple of hundred yards to kick-in distance. Thitikul pitched to 10 feet and for the win slid it just off the right edge of the cup. Grace tapped in and they went back to the tee.

Both drove well, Thitikul further though and with the advantage of being able to reach with an iron. Kim then hit an awful shot with the same 72nd hole club which squirted far to the right took a couple of bounces, neither of which were lucky, and jumped into the pond at the right of the green.

Predictably and very sensibly, Thitikul hedged safely left assuming the very best Grace was going to make was a five and more likely, a six.

Instead, the most extraordinary thing happened.

Perhaps again the pressure was lifted because even getting up and down was likely not going to be enough but from 40 paces she holed the pitch. In the blink of an eye, Thitikul was Greg Norman.

To her credit, the stunned Thai hit a terrific chip from the edge and holed almost the exact same putt she missed on the 72nd hole.

Back again at the tee both hit fine tee shots and Grace only a few paces behind this time had the advantage of going first and this time her hybrid was cast-iron solid into the middle of the green. Thitikul missed left - just - again and left a difficult pitch which she coaxed down the slope to six feet.

It was a putt she never got to hit. From 20 feet, Kim rolled her ball perfectly into the middle of the cup, a putt emulating Scott’s a dozen years ago at Augusta

With Lee winning the Women’s LPGA only three weeks ago this is an extraordinary season for our best women and the success of women from Asia, Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand only emphasises the madness of there not being a single major championship for women – or men – outside of the United States and Europe.

It's long past time it changed, and the brilliance of Kim’s finish only emphasised it.