The fourth Major in the women’s schedule has arrived with 45 of the top-50 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings teeing it up at the beautiful Evian Resort Golf Club in south-eastern France.
Minjee Lee returns to the scene where she first tasted Major championship success. The Australian overcame a seven-stroke deficit to win in 2021, shooting a bogey-free 64 in the final round before defeating overnight leader Jeongeun Lee6 in a playoff. The World No.2 arrives back in France as one of the hot favourites having added the US Women’s Open to her already growing resume.
Lee is joined by World No.1 Jin Young Ko, Nelly and Jessica Korda, Jennifer Kupcho and Danielle Kang alongside rising star Atthaya Thitikul and the European contingency of Georgia Hall, Charley Hull and Leona Maguire.
One notable absentee from the field is World No.6 Lexi Thompson, who will continue her hiatus from the tournament. The American skipped the event last year after publicly displaying her frustration at the course setup in 2019. The 2020 tournament was cancelled as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I’m actually very thankful I don’t have to put myself through that for another two days,” Thompson said after an early exit from the tournament in 2019. “You’re a beautiful place Evian but that’s just too many bad breaks with good shots for me.” Her absence will be felt having posted two top-5 finishes in the Majors this year.
Evian Resort Golf Club is undoubtedly one of the most picturesque courses in the world and among the best courses in France. It offers unrivalled views of Lake Geneva and the Alpine summits yet offers championship integrity following a redesign by Cabell Robinson in the 1980’s. Robinson, a former assistant of Robert Trent Jones, has designed and remodelled some of the best courses across Europe and Africa including Aphrodite Hills, Finca Cortesin and Royal Dar Es Salam.
The players will compete for a tournament record $6.5m purse – a $2m increase on 2021 and a $2.4m increase on 2019. The winner will take home a cheque for $975,000.
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