Ingrid Lindblad fires 64 at Evian, leads first LPGA event as a pro

Ingrid Lindblad often made college golf look easy, winning 15 times over the course of five seasons at LSU. She’s doing more of the same in her pro debut on the LPGA at the Amundi Evian Championship.

Lindblad, 24, opened with a bogey-free 7-under 64 to take a share of the first-round lead in her first appearance at the LPGA’s newest major. While Evian celebrates 30 years this week, it’s only been a major since 2013.

“I would say it’s a pretty simple round of golf,” said Lindblad, who shares the early lead with Scotland’s Gemma Dryburgh and Patty Tavatanakit.

After spending 53 weeks as the No. 1 amateur in the world, Lindblad turned professional following the U.S. Women’s Open at Lancaster Country Club in early June. She went directly to the Epson Tour, where she made three consecutive starts, finishing in a share of second at her most recent event.

Then she went home to Sweden for 10 days to see her coaches and rest up for France.

“I think the hardest thing was probably the routine around the events,” said Lindblad of her Epson start. “It’s not the same as a college event or a regular amateur tournament, so just kind of getting used to it.”

Lindblad won the second stage of LPGA Q-School by four strokes in the fall of 2023 but decided to skip the final stage to return to LSU for a fifth season. She turned professional with Epson Tour status but no status on the LPGA of any kind.

Ingrid Lindblad of Sweden plays her second shot on the sixth hole during the first round of the Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club on July 11, 2024, in Evian-les-Bains, France. (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)

This marks Lindblad’s ninth start in an LPGA major, with four appearances in both the U.S. Women’s Open and AIG Women’s British Open. She finished as low amateur at the 2022 U.S. Women’s Open at Pine Needles, taking a share of 11th after opening with a 6-under 65 that week while playing alongside Annika Sorenstam. It was the lowest round in championship history by an amateur.

“It’s been amazing,” said Lindblad of her first time at the Evian. “Weather is great and that helps a lot. Just I kept saying if you don’t play well, you can just look at the lake and enjoy the views. It’s really pretty and the course is in great condition.”