Thirty years ago, the idea sounded crazy. A women’s golf tournament in Évian-les-Bains? Now, the Amundi Evian Championship – at one time the biggest party on tour – is the fifth LPGA major, with a purse of $8 million and a champions list that reads like a who’s who. It’s an annual celebration of the best women in the world, with champagne toasts, knock-your-socks-off views and a fireworks show that lights up the night sky.
“When we start at the beginning, the only vision we have was to year after year deliver the best tournament we can with the money we have every year,” said Franck Riboud, the event’s chairman, who along with Jacques Bungert, has been involved in every aspect of the Evian since Helen Alfredsson won the first edition in 1994.
It hasn’t been the smoothest of rides, with controversy surrounding the quality of the course – is it good enough to host a major? – and the time of year it was held. The dates switched from July to September when it became a major and then back to July in 2019, after two editions were reduced to 54 holes due to weather. Not to mention the idea of whether or not the tour should even have a fifth major, though at the time the Evian was elevated, several LPGA championships were in distress.
For many of the young stars on tour today, they don’t know a time when the Evian wasn’t a major. Though Lexi Thompson certainly does, and once again chose to skip out.
But no matter how much the Evian has changed over the years in terms of its weight in the game, they’ve held tight to the feeling of connection. “When we know we became a major,” said Riboud, “the only thing we trust in and we fight with Jacques was to try to keep the ambience we had at the beginning with family and friends around the green.”
So as the tour goes from the high heavenly ground of Sahalee to the shores of Lake Geneva, here are five things to look for at the Amundi Evian Championship beyond the chocolate croissants and breathtaking views:
One day after Nelly Korda missed her third consecutive cut, a dog bit her left thigh at a coffee shop in Seattle. Korda didn’t offer much information on the wound, other than to say that it’s getting better. She took a week off after the KPMG to heal and enjoyed the company of her family, celebrating younger brother Sebastian’s 24th birthday. It was the first time the whole family had been together since last November. After the rest, Korda’s coach, Jamie Mulligan, flew to Florida to work with her for two days.
“I feel like I just got loose,” she said of her recent play. “I had a two-way miss and that was pretty difficult at Sahalee. Wasn’t really dialed at all. Just tried to get the swing dialed and give myself one key to work on.” As for the mental reset that was needed after two missed cuts at the majors, Korda said she’s experienced every emotion that’s possible on the golf course this season and it’s only July.
“You know, I love this game,” she said. “I love the bad; I love the good.”The bad makes you appreciate the good and that’s just how it is. It’s sports. If you care so deeply about it you’re just going to go through the wave of the roller coaster.”
Brooke Henderson won her second major championship title at the 2022 Evian and finished runner-up to Frenchwoman Celine Boutier last year in France. After putting a new putter in play last month at the KPMG Women’s PGA at Sahalee, Henderson has changed once again this week in an effort to find some good mojo.
The 13-time winner ranks sixth in greens in regulation but 77th in putts per green in regulation. She went back to the Spider GT center shaft putter she had in the bag when she won the season-opening Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions in 2023. Henderson is a combined 25 under at the Evian in her last two appearances, a full seven shots lower than anyone else on tour. Atthaya Thitikul, Nasa Hataoka and Korda are next at 18 under.
“Ball striking and short game really has to be almost perfect to play really well here,” said Henderson, “that’s No. 1. “But also having strategy, and being able to have played here almost ever year since 2015, you collect notes and different breaks around the greens and different sides of the fairways to be on, et cetera, that can definitely help, especially when the pressure is on and you’re coming down the stretch.”
Amy Yang makes her 19th start in the Evian this week, but it’s wildly different this time around as she comes to France a major champion. The 34-year-old enjoyed one of the all-time great celebrations on the 18th green at the Sahalee as a number of peers came out to share in her joy.
After finishing up all her obligations at the course, Yang had to take a redeye that night to Michigan to prepare for the Dow Championship. On Tuesday, she called all her friends who waited for her on the 18th green at the KPMG to join her for an Italian meal in Midland. “Means a lot,” said Yang of the support. “It was a huge, huge win.”
Celine Boutier still gets emotional watching footage of the celebration from last year. As the first Frenchwoman to win the Evian, she’ll forever hold a special place in the event’s history.
One of Evian’s trademark traditions is that a skydiver delivers the national flag of the winner on the 18th green as the national anthem plays. The tradition took on a deeper meaning for many last year. “Just watching the tournament growing up, obviously you imagine yourself winning it, you know how great it would be,” she said. “Honestly, just exceeded any expectations I had. Like they described, it was just so powerful just having everybody just cheering for you and being so happy for you. Being able to share that with so many people was something I didn’t expect.”
Boutier went on to win twice more last season, for a total of four titles in 2023.
There are eight amateurs in the field this week, including top-ranked Lottie Woad, who won the Augusta National Women’s Amateur earlier this spring. Other amateurs include Ela Anacona, Adela Cernousek, Melanie Green, Rachel Kuehn, Megan Schofill, Yana Wilson and Chun-Wei Wu.
Former No. 1 Ingrid Lindblad, who turned professional immediately after the U.S. Women’s Open, makes her debut at the Evian this week. While she has competed in eight major championships, this marks her first LPGA start as a professional. Lindblad, who won 15 times in five years of college golf, has made three Epson Tour starts since leaving LSU, finishing in a share of second at her most recent event.
