Tag: Amundi Evian Championship

Minjee Lee dazzles down the stretch at Amundi Evian Championship to nab first major title in record-tying comeback

Lee is the ninth consecutive first-time LPGA major winner and the 14th in the last 15 majors.

Minjee Lee started the day seven shots back at the Amundi Evian Championship and ended it with a record-tying victory, joining idol Karrie Webb and Patty Sheehan with the largest come-from-behind triumphs in LPGA major championship history.

Lee, 25, becomes the ninth consecutive first-time major winner on the LPGA and the 14th in the last 15 majors. Long considered one of the best LPGA players without a major, Lee finally shed that distinction with her sixth LPGA title. She joins Hannah Green, Jan Stephenson and Webb as Australian major champs.

“I never really like thought about it when I was playing,” said Lee of the starting deficit. “I just tried to make as many birdies as I could.

“I think I saw the leaderboard maybe once or twice … it’s just really amazing.”

Jeongeun Lee6 entered the final round with a five-stroke lead, thanks in part to a major championship record-tying 61 on Friday. That lead was erased entirely before Lee6 made the turn, however, and Lee made her way up the board with birdies on four of her last five holes.

While American rookie Yealimi Noh was at or near the top of the board throughout the final round, Lee6 showed plenty of moxie by battling back from an opening 39 with a string of closing birdies. With Lee in the clubhouse at 18 under after a closing 64, Lee6 and Noh came to the reachable par-5 18th needing birdie to force a playoff or eagle to win outright.

After Noh’s drive settled down into the right rough she laid up, hoping to make birdie the old-fashioned way. While Noh’s birdie bid painfully slid by right, Lee two-putted for birdie from 15 feet to match Lee, who was chilling with friends while eating a nectarine by the practice putting green.

“Even if it was in the rough, just playing like a normal lie, I 100 percent would’ve gone for it,” said Noh, “but it was sitting down, and even after I hit my like punch-out it was like in a little divot sitting down.

“So could make birdie either way, but didn’t happen.”

Lee and Lee6, the 2019 U.S. Women’s Open winner who looked to join Se Ri Pak and In Gee Chun as the only players to make their first two LPGA titles majors, went back to the 18th to extend the drama in overtime. After both players found the fairway. Lee struck first with a 6-iron she won’t soon forget from 190 yards that settled 8 feet from the hole.

The Perth native gave a nod to her longtime caddie, Jason Gilroyed, for talking her into the right club for that final swing.

“Actually, I said 5-iron,” said Lee, “but Gilly said 6, so thank you to Gilly. I hit 6-iron and it was really close.”

With the pressure on, Lee6 suffered a severe misfire, finding the pond that guards the 18thgreen with 5-iron. Lee wouldn’t go on to make her eagle putt, but it didn’t matter. She was, at last, a major champion.

It marked the second this this year that a player held a five-shot lead on Sunday at a major and lost the tournament. Lexi Thompson did the same earlier this year at the U.S. Women’s Open.

“I thought I could win,” said Lee6, “last hole is par 5, so definitely we have to make birdie. Second shot was terrible.”

Ireland’s Leona Maguire recorded 10 birdies on Sunday to shoot 61 and become the third player in history to hit that mark in a major. She tied for sixth. Thai teenager Atthaya Thitikul closed with a 65 to finish solo fifth.

It was Lee’s mother, a golf instructor, who introduced she and younger brother Min Woo to the game back home in Australia. Two weeks ago, Min Woo won the Scottish Open to qualify for his first major championship, the British Open at Royal St. George’s.

Lee, who collected a $675,000 paycheck, heads home to Dallas to celebrate Min Woo’s 23rd birthday on Tuesday, and both their victories, before heading to Japan for the Summer Games.

“You know, it’s so cool,” said Lee, staring at the trophy beside her. “I still can’t believe it. Yeah, the Olympics have been on the back of my mind since Rio, so I’m really excited to play and go out there and rep my country.”

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Britain’s Charley Hull and Georgia Hall playing well at Evian with no regrets about skipping Tokyo Olympics

After Friday’s moving Opening Ceremony, both Hull and Hall say they have no regrets.

Charley Hull’s hotel air conditioner has wrecked her sleep and kept her from feeling well in France, but her game sure didn’t show it. The 25-year-old Englishwoman put together a third-round 66 to jump into a share of eighth at the Amundi Evian Championship at 9 under while compatriot Georgia Hall is tied for 21st at 6 under. South Korea’s Jeongeun Lee6 leads the field by five at 18 under.

For many players in the field, such fine play would serve as a springboard for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, but both British players opted out of the Games. Hull, who was No. 41 in the Rolex Rankings when she decided not to compete, would’ve been replaced in the field by Hall. But after Hall, 25, made a similar decision, it was Jodi Ewart Shadoff who qualified to join Mel Reid in Japan.

After Friday’s moving Opening Ceremony, both Hull and Hall say they have no regrets. Hull said it was the bubble restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic that ultimately caused her to withdraw.

“I don’t cope very well in situations like that like mentally,” she said.

“Being in my room and just the golf course is not good. With the pandemic going on, I don’t know, I just feel like it’s – we’ve got some busy weeks, we’ve got two majors, Evian and then we have got the British Open as well.

“So for my best preparation for the British Open, I don’t want to be over there and being frustrated not allowed out of my room. This is the best way I felt like I could prepare for that, which is a shame. Obviously, one million percent if it wasn’t this pandemic, I’d have been there.”

LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 14: Francesco Molinari of Italy and Georgia Hall of England pose with their British Open trophies during a photo opportunity on December 14, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)
Francesco Molinari of Italy and Georgia Hall of England pose with their British Open trophies during a photo opportunity on December 14, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)

Hall, the 2018 AIG Women’s British Open winner, said that while she might have thought a year ago that it would’ve been a goal to play, she wasn’t really aware at the time of how the schedule would pan out.

“As the year went on, I saw how tight it was for the Scottish and British,
said Hall. “I didn’t quite realize back then because I didn’t really look at the dates, as you would. But they’re very tight, and my priority was the Scottish and British Open, so that’s why I didn’t play … hopefully be playing golf in the next one. Still pretty young, so, yeah, I think when Paris comes around schedule-wise I’ll be looking to play if I get in.”

Maria Fassi takes lessons learned from Stacy Lewis to career-best 65 at Evian Championship

It didn’t take long for Stacy Lewis’ influence to pay off for Maria Fassi.

It didn’t take long for Stacy Lewis’ influence to pay off for Maria Fassi. It was Fassi who asked the former No. 1 and fellow Razorback to partner with her at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational. Fassi soaked up every second of the experience and came into this week’s Amundi Evian Championship on the highest note of the season.

On Saturday, Fassi matched her career-low round of 65 with eight birdies to move into the top 20 at 6 under for the tournament. Her best finish in a major is a tie for 12th at the 2019 U.S. Women’s Open, her professional debut.

“I think I learned and grew so much,” said Fassi of last week in Midland, Michigan. “Even from those five, six days that we were together.

“Honestly, I’m just trying to have fun, to enjoy playing golf again, and not give a damn about the score or what each shot means rather than just enjoy the opportunity to do what I love every day.”

Lewis and Fassi tied for 12th together at the Dow, giving the 2019 NCAA champion her first made cut since April and only her second of the season. Fassi said she smiled more playing alongside Lewis that she had all year.

Lewis praised Fassi for her willingness to learn.

“Sometimes you try to give advice to people and they don’t listen to you, and she’s definitely listening and taking it in,” said Lewis.

“Like she said, it’s literally just, OK, what’s the lie, what’s the wind and what type of shot do we need to hit. Not, OK, it’s a pitching wedge. No, what kind of pitching wedge are we going to hit?”

At the Evian, Fassi said keeping the ball in the fairway is key this week. She hit 14 greens and took 26 putts in Round 3.

“I think I’ve just been a lot more patient as of late,” said Fassi, “and trusting that my work and what I been doing sooner rather than later is all going to pay off.”

Fassi finds her game peaking just in time for the Tokyo Olympics. She made sure to watch fellow Mexican Gaby Lopez carry their country’s flag in Friday’s Opening Ceremony.

“I mean, it gives me chills even now telling you about it,” said Fassi, “that it’s actually here now and that she represented us the way she did and that I’m going to be able to join her and all the others in a few days.

“Probably live the experience of a lifetime.”

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Thai players, led by former No. 1 Ariya Jutanugarn, in hot pursuit at Evian Championship

Two-time major winner Ariya Jutanugarn, and her fellow Thai players, are not letting the Amundi Evian Championship become a runaway.

Jeongeun Lee6’s historic round of 10-under 61 – which tied the best round in major championship history – allowed her to open up a seven-stroke lead as half the field got started in the afternoon wave at the Amundi Evian Championship.

It looked like the championship might turn into a blowout.

But not if Thailand’s best had anything to say about it. Ariya Jutanugarn, who teamed up with sister Moriya to win last week’s Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational, eagled the 18th hole to card a 63 and move into a share of second with compatriot Pajaree Anannarukarn, who carded a second-consecutive 68. The pair sit at 12 under for the championship, three shots back of Lee6, whose 127 set a new 36-hole record for all major championships – clipping Brooks Koepka’s 128 at the 2019 KPMG Women’s PGA.

“The way she plays is so impressive,” Ariya said of Lee6’s performance. “Actually, I watch her play this morning because she finished before I play. Like she made like everything, and it’s major, so the course is so tough.”

Anannarukarn, who tied for tied for third at last week’s Dow with partner Aditi Ashok, has a habit of writing “good luck” on her golf balls that dates back to when she took up the game around age 12.

“Good luck charm for me,” she said.

Atthaya Thitikul, the 18-year-old Thai phenom who won a Ladies European Tour event in Thailand at age 14, sits eight shots back in a share of seventh after a 2-under 69. Earlier this year, Jutanugarn edged out Thitikul at the Honda LPGA Thailand by one stroke.

Rookie Patty Tavatanakit, the wire-to-wire winner of the 2021 ANA Inspiration, finished in a share of third that week. Tavatanakit withdrew from the Evian on Wednesday, citing travel restriction issues.

Thitikul, who leads the LET’s Race To Costa Del Sol, didn’t feel good about her game warming up on the range Friday but told herself to enjoy the day and stay patient.

“…Every day that we wake up, every day it’s not the same,” said a wise-sounding Thitikul. “Our body is not the same and our feeling is not the same. It’s just like a little things that I think that I can go to the range and then fix it up today.”

The Amundi Evian Championship - Day Two
Atthaya Thitikul of Thailand looks on at the 6th hole during day two of the The Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club on July 23, 2021 in Evian-les-Bains, France. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

Jutanugarn, 25, became the first Thai player to win on the LPGA in 2016 and then won the first of her two majors at the 2016 AIG Women’s British Open. She first rose to No. 1 in the world on June 12, 2017.

Jutanugarn downplayed any expectations she had coming into the week, saying that she simply wanted to make the cut.

How does she feel about her role in growing the game in her native country?

“You know, I feel is great, and especially Atthaya,” said Ariya, “When I look at her age I’m like, oh, I’m almost 10 years older than her.

“But the way they play, the way they work so hard, like 10 times more than me. So I feel like so impressed.”

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Thai players, led by former No. 1 Ariya Jutanugarn, in hot pursuit at Evian Championship

Two-time major winner Ariya Jutanugarn, and her fellow Thai players, are not letting the Amundi Evian Championship become a runaway.

Jeongeun Lee6’s historic round of 10-under 61 – which tied the best round in major championship history – allowed her to open up a seven-stroke lead as half the field got started in the afternoon wave at the Amundi Evian Championship.

It looked like the championship might turn into a blowout.

But not if Thailand’s best had anything to say about it. Ariya Jutanugarn, who teamed up with sister Moriya to win last week’s Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational, eagled the 18th hole to card a 63 and move into a share of second with compatriot Pajaree Anannarukarn, who carded a second-consecutive 68. The pair sit at 12 under for the championship, three shots back of Lee6, whose 127 set a new 36-hole record for all major championships – clipping Brooks Koepka’s 128 at the 2019 KPMG Women’s PGA.

“The way she plays is so impressive,” Ariya said of Lee6’s performance. “Actually, I watch her play this morning because she finished before I play. Like she made like everything, and it’s major, so the course is so tough.”

Anannarukarn, who tied for tied for third at last week’s Dow with partner Aditi Ashok, has a habit of writing “good luck” on her golf balls that dates back to when she took up the game around age 12.

“Good luck charm for me,” she said.

Atthaya Thitikul, the 18-year-old Thai phenom who won a Ladies European Tour event in Thailand at age 14, sits eight shots back in a share of seventh after a 2-under 69. Earlier this year, Jutanugarn edged out Thitikul at the Honda LPGA Thailand by one stroke.

Rookie Patty Tavatanakit, the wire-to-wire winner of the 2021 ANA Inspiration, finished in a share of third that week. Tavatanakit withdrew from the Evian on Wednesday, citing travel restriction issues.

Thitikul, who leads the LET’s Race To Costa Del Sol, didn’t feel good about her game warming up on the range Friday but told herself to enjoy the day and stay patient.

“…Every day that we wake up, every day it’s not the same,” said a wise-sounding Thitikul. “Our body is not the same and our feeling is not the same. It’s just like a little things that I think that I can go to the range and then fix it up today.”

The Amundi Evian Championship - Day Two
Atthaya Thitikul of Thailand looks on at the 6th hole during day two of the The Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club on July 23, 2021 in Evian-les-Bains, France. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

Jutanugarn, 25, became the first Thai player to win on the LPGA in 2016 and then won the first of her two majors at the 2016 AIG Women’s British Open. She first rose to No. 1 in the world on June 12, 2017.

Jutanugarn downplayed any expectations she had coming into the week, saying that she simply wanted to make the cut.

How does she feel about her role in growing the game in her native country?

“You know, I feel is great, and especially Atthaya,” said Ariya, “When I look at her age I’m like, oh, I’m almost 10 years older than her.

“But the way they play, the way they work so hard, like 10 times more than me. So I feel like so impressed.”

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Low-round alert: Jeongeun Lee6’s 61 at Evian ties best round in major history

Jeongeun Lee6 enjoyed a historic day at the Amundi Evian Championship, birdieing her last four consecutive holes to shoot 10-under 61.

Jeongeun Lee6 enjoyed a historic day at the Amundi Evian Championship, birdieing her last four consecutive holes to shoot 10-under 61, tying the lowest round in major championship history.

Hyo Joo Kim shot 61 in Round 1 of the 2014 Evian.

Lee6’s 15-under 127 total opened up a seven-stroke lead midway through the second round and sets a new 36-hole record for LPGA majors, besting the 129 mark set by In Gee Chun at this championship in 2016.

The 2019 U.S. Women’s Open champ chipped in on the eighth hole and came to the reachable par-5 ninth hole (her 18th) with a chance to make eagle and shoot 60. But a leaked tee shot to the right, placed her in the rough, and she was forced to lay up. Lee6 then confidently drained a 15-foot putt for birdie right in the heart to take her place in history.

“I heard Hyo Joo Kim’s score,” said Lee6, “so last I missed fairway … I tried, third shot. Yeah, I made birdie. It’s amazing.”

Lee6 hit 10 fairways, 15 greens and took only 23 putts on her 10-birdie day. She said she planned to focus on her backswing and her targets the rest of the way. She had two consecutive top-10 finishes coming into this week.

David Buhai, whose wife Ashleigh plays on tour, has been caddying for Lee6 since the start of the year and felt she seemed hyper-focused during Friday’s round. Buhai said it was by far the best round he’d seen up close.

“Every putt looked like it was going to go in,” said Buhai. “It was incredible. Not one nerve. Speed was just perfect.

“I had the best seat in the house and I just kept my mouth shut.”

Japan’s Ayaka Furue shot 66-68 to get to the clubhouse at 8 under. Seven-time major winner Inbee Park carded a 64 that included a double-bogey on the first hole and holds a share of third with Thai phenom Atthaya Thitikul and American Lauren Stephenson, who both shot 69.

When Lee6 won the U.S. Women’s Open in Charleston, one of the first things she said through an interpreter at the winner’s press conference was that the next time she won a tournament she’d do the interview in English. Later that year, Lee6 delivered a beautiful and emotional speech at the Rolex Awards banquet when she earned Louise Suggs Rookie of the Year honors.

At the Evian on Friday, she was as clutch during a live Golf Channel interview with Jerry Foltz after the round as she’d been on the course. And, as Foltz pointed out, she was likely more nervous about that chat than the putt for 61.

“From a personal point of view,” said Buhai, “I mean, 6’s English from the first day I met her to now is incredible. She actually I think gets my jokes now, understands them, which helps.”

Lee6 confirmed that she and Buhai have the same sense of humor and that she continues to take English lessons from a Canadian tutor once a week.

Although LPGA players are still unable to dine out on tour, Lee said she still plans to celebrate the occasion with take-out: “I need delicious food.”

 

Low-round alert: Jeongeun Lee6’s 61 at Evian ties best round in major history

Jeongeun Lee6 enjoyed a historic day at the Amundi Evian Championship, birdieing her last four consecutive holes to shoot 10-under 61.

Jeongeun Lee6 enjoyed a historic day at the Amundi Evian Championship, birdieing her last four consecutive holes to shoot 10-under 61, tying the lowest round in major championship history.

Hyo Joo Kim shot 61 in Round 1 of the 2014 Evian.

Lee6’s 15-under 127 total opened up a seven-stroke lead midway through the second round and sets a new 36-hole record for LPGA majors, besting the 129 mark set by In Gee Chun at this championship in 2016.

The 2019 U.S. Women’s Open champ chipped in on the eighth hole and came to the reachable par-5 ninth hole (her 18th) with a chance to make eagle and shoot 60. But a leaked tee shot to the right, placed her in the rough, and she was forced to lay up. Lee6 then confidently drained a 15-foot putt for birdie right in the heart to take her place in history.

“I heard Hyo Joo Kim’s score,” said Lee6, “so last I missed fairway … I tried, third shot. Yeah, I made birdie. It’s amazing.”

Lee6 hit 10 fairways, 15 greens and took only 23 putts on her 10-birdie day. She said she planned to focus on her backswing and her targets the rest of the way. She had two consecutive top-10 finishes coming into this week.

David Buhai, whose wife Ashleigh plays on tour, has been caddying for Lee6 since the start of the year and felt she seemed hyper-focused during Friday’s round. Buhai said it was by far the best round he’d seen up close.

“Every putt looked like it was going to go in,” said Buhai. “It was incredible. Not one nerve. Speed was just perfect.

“I had the best seat in the house and I just kept my mouth shut.”

Japan’s Ayaka Furue shot 66-68 to get to the clubhouse at 8 under. Seven-time major winner Inbee Park carded a 64 that included a double-bogey on the first hole and holds a share of third with Thai phenom Atthaya Thitikul and American Lauren Stephenson, who both shot 69.

When Lee6 won the U.S. Women’s Open in Charleston, one of the first things she said through an interpreter at the winner’s press conference was that the next time she won a tournament she’d do the interview in English. Later that year, Lee6 delivered a beautiful and emotional speech at the Rolex Awards banquet when she earned Louise Suggs Rookie of the Year honors.

At the Evian on Friday, she was as clutch during a live Golf Channel interview with Jerry Foltz after the round as she’d been on the course. And, as Foltz pointed out, she was likely more nervous about that chat than the putt for 61.

“From a personal point of view,” said Buhai, “I mean, 6’s English from the first day I met her to now is incredible. She actually I think gets my jokes now, understands them, which helps.”

Lee6 confirmed that she and Buhai have the same sense of humor and that she continues to take English lessons from a Canadian tutor once a week.

Although LPGA players are still unable to dine out on tour, Lee said she still plans to celebrate the occasion with take-out: “I need delicious food.”

 

‘I definitely want to come back’: A pregnant Paula Creamer plans to compete on the LPGA as a mom

“I have every intention of coming out and playing.”

Paula Creamer returns to a familiar and favorite spot playing a bit like it’s the first time because she’s carrying a child. The 2005 Amundi Evian champion revealed on social media last Sunday that she and fiancé Shane Kennedy, a retired baseball player, are expecting.

Creamer, who opened with a 4-over 75, said she’s definitely lost quite a bit of distance off the tee and had trouble catching her breath on the Evian Resort’s hilly terrain.

“It’s incredible,” said Creamer, “you feel like you’re swinging hard and hitting it hard and it goes nowhere.”

The 34-year-old returned to the tour earlier this year in May at the Pure Silk Championship at Kingsmill, her first start since October 2019. The 10-time LPGA winner said she needed the extra time to let her left wrist and thumb injuries heal.

“I feel really good,” said Creamer. “It’s been exciting now that everybody knows and to be able to celebrate, which is nice to be able to do it with your friends. I actually don’t have to feel like I’m sucking in everywhere I go. I can actually say ‘Yes, I am pregnant.’ ”

Creamer said she’d like to play in several of the U.S.-based events later this fall at stops in Arkansas and New Jersey. Of course, it all depends on how she feels, not to mention how far she’s hitting it off the tee.

And after her new bundle of joy arrives?

“I definitely want to come back,” she said. “I have every intention of coming out and playing.”

The Amundi Evian Championship - Previews
Paula Creamer of USA holds her baby bump after announcing her pregnacy two days ago during the Pro-Am prior to the start of the The Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club on July 21, 2021 in Evian-les-Bains, France. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

Rookie Yealimi Noh takes share of early lead at Evian Championship with eagle on opening hole

Yealimi Noh vaulted into the early lead on an ideal scoring day at the Evian.

Rookie Yealimi Noh holed out for eagle on her opening hole at the Amundi Evian Championship to help vault her into a share of the lead with Pajaree Anannarukarn at 6 under.

Noh, 19, said that after her playing competitors threw in darts on the first hole at Evian Resort Golf Club, she didn’t want to be left out. She hit a soft 9-iron from 126 yards.

“I think it’s the first time I’ve ever done that,” said Noh. “I was just like, what? Like OK. It was really cool.”

Both Noh and Anannarukarn took a share of third at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational. Noh paired up with 2020 U.S. Women’s Open winner A Lim Kim and Anannarukarn played with Aditi Ashok.

“I learned a lot from A Lim,” said Noh, “and I took a lot of positives from her just like her attitude on the course and just how she carries herself, so it was really nice to see that.”

Noh hit 16 greens and took 29 putts in her opening round. She tied for 44th at this event in her debut at Evian before joining the tour.

For Anannarukarn, the bogey-free 65 marked her lowest round in a major. In 2019, Anannarukarn opened with back-to-back 68s and ultimately tied for 25th in her Evian debut.

“Obviously I really enjoyed my week two years ago,” said Anannarukarn. “I played great golf, just last two days or final round didn’t go the way I wanted to. But again, I really like the course. The course is in great condition. It probably suits my game.”

Scoring conditions were ideal in the opening round at Evian. Major champions Ariya Jutanugarn and Hyo Joo Kim hold a share of third at 4 under. Kim won the 2014 Evian with a major record-setting 61 in the first round. Jutanugarn, who won the Dow last week with sister Moriya, chipped in for eagle on her final hole, the par-5 ninth, to shoot 67.

“I will say I love this place so much,” said Ariya, “especially the views, everything, the golf course. Even though I never played good here because I feel like the course is so tough. Maybe the course doesn’t like me.”

Jutanugarn finished fifth at the 2019 Evian, her best showing to date.

Matilda Castren, one of the hottest players on tour who comes to her first Evian fresh off a win at the Ladies European Tour’s Gant Ladies Open in her native Finland, carried on her fine play with a 3-under 68. The victory gave Castren LET membership, which makes her now eligible for the Solheim Cup.

The Amundi Evian Championship - Day One
Matilda Castren hits her second shot on hole 6 during day one of the The Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club on July 22, 2021 in Evian-les-Bains, France. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

Castren is the only European to win on the LPGA season. She admitted to feeling fatigued Thursday morning, noting that it’s her fifth week in a row. Despite the tired legs, her strong, smooth mental approach kept up her streak of solid play.

“I feel like I’ve been really patient this year,” said Castren, “and I’ve managed to kind of get in the mental space that I’ve just let things happen and not trying to like force things.

“That definitely helps me minimize the mistakes and recover from them, make birdies and just kind of play really steady golf.”

French amateur Pauline Roussin-Bouchard joins Castren in a share of sixth after an impressive 68. The South Carolina standout, currently ranked No. 6 in the world, said her experience at the 2019 Evian, where she missed the cut, helped prepare her for this week.

“I just learned so much about myself,” said Roussin-Bouchard, “about how to deal with all the people, with media, with my own family, my coach, my caddie and all that. I just learned a lot that helped me for the U.S. Open, and I kept learning at the U.S. Open to be prepared for these tournaments, also learned in Augusta. So it’s just details and facts that I identify and then I just learn from them, and I just apply.”

World No. 1 Nelly Korda struggled with a 3-over 74 that included a whiffed bunker shot on her final hole.

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World No. 1 Nelly Korda’s opening 74 at Evian included a whiffed bunker shot at the last

Nelly Korda’s opening round at the Evian took a particularly unusual turn on her final hole when she was faced with a difficult bunker shot.

World No. 1 Nelly Korda got off to a sluggish start on Day 1 at the Amundi Evian Championship. Her round took a particularly unusual turn on her final hole, however, when faced with a difficult bunker shot.

Korda’s ball nestled up closely to the back bank of a greenside bunker on the par-5 ninth, and she clipped the bank on her downswing, causing her to miss the ball entirely. She then chose to hit out sideways, and her low-running fourth shot trickled just onto the fringe past the hole. She’d go on to make bogey and finish with an opening 3-over 74, nine shots back of leaders Yealimi Noh and Pajaree Anannarukarn.

Korda recorded five bogeys in her round, carding a 37 on each side. She hit nine fairways, 12 greens and took 32 putts. The KPMG Women’s PGA champion’s best finish at the Evian came in 2019 when she tied for 25th. This marks her fourth appearance in the event.

When asked about the toughest part of Evian Resort Golf Club on Wednesday, Korda talked about the unpredictability of the place and the importance of maintaining a level head.

“You know, you can hit good shots and you get a really bad bounce and you’re just in an impossible position,” she said. “You can hit a bad shot and it trickles up there and you sink it for birdie. So it’s more of just like a mental aspect and also just knowing where to miss.

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