Lydia Ko - at 18 years, 142 days - has become the youngest woman to win a golf major after victory at the Evian Championship.

The final piece of Lydia Ko's puzzle is complete - and just in the nick of time for the teenage sensation to create yet another significant slice of golfing history.

New Zealand's golfing starlet is a major champion for the first time, running away from the field to win the Evian Championship in France on Monday morning (NZ time) with a stunning final round masterclass of precision and composure.

The 18-year-old world No 2 turned on the afterburners when the pressure ramped up - as she has done for most of her previous 12 professional tournament wins - to win the fifth and final major of 2015 by a whopping six shots on the shores of Lake Geneva.

1 of 10 STUART FRANKLIN/ GETTY IMAGES Lydia Ko celebrates on the 18th green after winning the Evian Championship, her first golf major. 2 of 10 STUART FRANKLIN/GETTY IMAGES Lydia Ko - at 18 years, 142 days - has become the youngest woman to win a golf major after victory at the Evian Championship. 3 of 10 STUART FRANKLIN/ GETTY IMAGES Lydia Ko offers a mock selfie photograph after winning the Evian Championship. 4 of 10 STUART FRANKLIN/ GETTY IMAGES Lydia Ko is kissed by Evian Championship president Frank Riboud and tournament director Jaques Bungert after winning the golf major on the shores of Lake Geneva. 5 of 10 STUART FRANKLIN/ GETTY IMAGES American Lexi Thompson offers her putter in jest to Lydia Ko on the 18th green in the final round of the Evian Championship. 6 of 10 STUART FRANKLIN/ GETTY IMAGES Lydia Ko strikes the ball on the 16th hole in the final round of the Evian Championship. 7 of 10 STUART FRANKLIN/ GETTY IMAGES Lydia Ko celebrates sinking a birdie putt in her final round of the Evian Championship. 8 of 10 STUART FRANKLIN/ GETTY IMAGES Lydia Ko on approach in the final round of the Evian Championship. 9 of 10 STUART FRANKLIN/ GETTY IMAGES Lydia Ko showed great composure in her final round of the Evian Championship to clinch her first victory in a golf major. 10 of 10 STUART FRANKLIN/ GETTY IMAGES Lydia Ko of New Zealand plays a shot during the final round of the Evian Championship.

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Her scintillating final round, a bogey-free eight-under par 63, was the round of the week, the best final round of the year, and delivered under the most pressure. She finished at 16-under, six shots clear of American Lexi Thompson, who after the seventh hole had led by three shots. China's Shanshan Feng was third, at eight-under.

"Everyone won't be asking me when I'll win my first major because it's done," Ko said.

Ko becomes the first New Zealand women to win a major and just the third golfer, behind Sir Bob Charles (1963 British Open) and Michael Campbell (2005 US Open).

She also becomes the youngest woman to ever win a major, at 18 years 4 months and 20 days she eclipses Morgan Pressel's mark of 18 years 10 months and 9 days, the age at which the American won the 2007 Kraft Nabisco Championship.

It was her 17th appearance in a major, and the questions about some patchy play in the big events and when she will break through at a major have now been well and truly put to bed.

Among a swag of records she already held, Ko had been the youngest winner of a professional tournament, the youngest winner of a Ladies European Tour tournament, the youngest winner of an LPGA Tour tournament, and the youngest world No 1 (male or female). Add youngest major winner to the list.

Oh, and chuck in the US$487,500 (NZ$771,500) winner's share of the US$3.25 million (NZ$5.15m) prize purse for good measure, adding to a bumper season which has seen her win four times on the LPGA Tour, including back-to-back at the Canadian Open and the Evian, as well as once on the Ladies European Tour, at the New Zealand Women's Open.

Ko started the final round tied for third at eight-under par, two shots off the lead held by South Korean Mi Hyang Lee and one behind Thompson.

Thompson made an exhilarating start with three birdies in her first six holes and by the sixth hole she had opened up a three-shot gap back to Ko and Lee.

Ko and Thompson traded two-putt birdies at the par-five seventh, from which point it was all the Kiwi as she dragged herself back into contention, then forged ahead. It ended as a golfing massacre.

In the space of five holes from the eighth to the 12th Ko picked up four shots on Thompson, jumping from 10-under to 13-under with birdies at the par-five ninth, and par-four 11th and 12th holes, while Thompson dropped a shot at the eighth and Lee played herself out of contention with a series of dropped shots.

Ko's approaches for birdies at the 11th and 12th were sensational in the circumstances; she found herself in deep rough at 11 but hit a fabulous second shot to eight feet before making the putt, then she hit a stunning seven-iron from 135m at 12 for a tap-in from one foot.

But undoubtedly the turning point on the back nine - and the tournament - came at the 178m par-three 14th, when Ko made a pressure par putt from seven feet and Thompson walked off with a double bogey, having hooked her tee shot into the left rough and then duffing her chip.

All of a sudden a one-shot lead had become three with four holes to play, and the enthralling duel became an anticlimax.

Moving in for the kill, Ko made two meaty blows at the par-five 15th to come up just short of the green, then showed a deft touch to chip to within two feet for another gimme. Thompson is a much big hitter than Ko but she could only make par at the long hole; 14-under played 10-under and it was game over.

Ko enjoyed the procession home, parring 16 before dropping a bomb for her seventh birdie of the day, at the par-four 17th, then a 20-footer for her eighth and final birdie just to give the French crowd one last thrill, at the 18th hole.

The only thing that didn't go Ko's way was the fact world No 1 Inbee Park finished strongly, getting into a tie for eighth at five-under. Had she finished worse than 17th, Ko would have regained the No 1 ranking, as well.

Not that she'll be worried about that.

EVIAN CHAMPIONSHIP LEADERBOARD

268 - Lydia Ko (NZ) - 69 69 67 63

274 - Lexi Thompson (USA) - 66 72 66 70

276 - Shanshan Feng (CHN) - 68 68 70 70

277 - Mi Hyang Lee (KOR) - 66 67 70 74, Ilhee Lee (KOR) - 71 67 69 70

278 - Alison Lee (USA) - 70 70 72 66, Lee-Anne Pace (SAF) - 71 72 65 70