Amundi Evian Championship, Three Key Points to Watch

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Lee Ye-won, Park Ji-young, Hwang Yu-min: Will 'Domestic Players' Succeed?
Korda's 6 Wins This Year: Can She Overcome Recent Slump?

This time, the gathering is in the French Alps.

Ko Jin-young, a member of the Paris Olympics team, aims for her second victory since 2019 at the Amundi Evian Championship.

From the 11th (local time) for four days, the Amundi Evian Championship, the fourth major tournament of the LPGA Tour season, will be held at the Evian Resort Golf Club (par 71, 6,523 yards) in the resort town of Evian-les-Bains in southeastern France. It was originally part of the Ladies European Tour (LET) before being incorporated into the LPGA Tour as a regular event in 2000, and was elevated to major status in 2013. This year marks the 30th edition, with a total prize fund of $8 million (approximately 11 billion KRW) and a winner's prize of $1.2 million. After 36 holes over the first two rounds, the top 70 players (including ties) advance to the third round, and the champion is decided after the fourth round.

There is interest in whether Korean players will raise their form ahead of the Paris Olympics. Ko Jin-young, Yang Hee-young, and Kim Hyo-joo, all set to compete in the Paris Olympics, are participating. Korea’s veteran Yang Hee-young quenched her thirst for victory this season by winning last month’s third major, the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. Kim Hyo-joo won this tournament in 2014, and Ko Jin-young in 2019, both having a special connection to this event. A total of 18 Korean players are competing.

Attention is also on the performances of Lee Ye-won, Park Ji-young, and Hwang Yu-min, who compete on the Korean LPGA (KLPGA) Tour. Lee Ye-won (3 wins) and Park Ji-young (2 wins) have shown peak form this year with multiple victories. Hwang Yu-min, with one win and consistent results in every tournament she has entered, ranks 5th on the KLPGA Tour money list. Lee Ye-won, who finished runner-up at the Salonpas Cup, a JLPGA major tournament in Japan last May, said, "Although I didn’t win, I learned a lot. I am participating in Evian to take a step forward."

Whether world No. 1 Nelly Korda (USA) will win is also a key point. This season on the LPGA Tour, she has swept up six wins, including five consecutive tournament victories. She finished tied for 9th in last year’s event. However, she has struggled recently, missing the cut in the last three consecutive tournaments. Additionally, a dog bite incident last month adds uncertainty. Other notable players include last year’s champion C?line Boutier (France), world No. 2 Lilia Vu (USA), this year’s US Open winner Yuka Saso (Japan), and 2021 Evian champion Minjee Lee (Australia).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.