While Australia’s Stephanie Kyriacou ultimately came up short, her solo second earned her a $752,439 payday.
American Lauren Coughlin tied for third at the Chevron Championship and fourth at the Evian, giving her more than $850,000 in two starts, nearly twice what she made all season last year.
Take a look at the complete breakdown of the $8 million purse:
The tears flowed as Angela Stanford soaked up one last walk off the 18th at the Amundi Evian Championship.
The tears flowed as Angela Stanford soaked up one last walk off the 18th at the Amundi Evian Championship. Tournament director Jacques Bungert was there with a bouquet of flowers.
It’s safe to say that no one will likely ever again have a major championship resume quite like Stanford’s, who played in an LPGA record 98 consecutive majors before the streak ended with this year’s U.S. Women’s Open. The 2024 Evian marked 46-year-old Stanford’s final major championship appearance in her final season on the LPGA. She has made 103 major championship starts, 102 as a professional. She will not play in next month’s AIG Women’s British Open at St. Andrews.
“I did really good all day, I kept it under wraps,” said Stanford of keeping her emotions in check. “I was grateful all day.
“And then I crossed that bridge on 18 and it just – water works. And I’m a crier, so once I start I can’t stop.”
Angela Stanford, the woman who came just shy of playing in 100 consecutive majors, just wrapped up her final major championship in her final season on tour. Tears were flowing for the 2018 Evian champ as she walked off the 18th. Incredibly high standard of golf for 20+ years. 👏🏻 pic.twitter.com/csDb2Hvhis
The 2018 Evian champ won her first major championship in her 76th start at the age of 40. This week, she enjoyed several magical birdie runs inside the ropes and an especially magnificent sunset from her view at the Hotel Royal. She took it all in with a smile on her face, thinking of her late mother Nan, who always loved the big events.
A seven-time winner on the LPGA, Stanford joined the tour in 2001 and made her first run at a major title at the 2003 U.S. Women’s Open, won by Hilary Lunke.
In 102 major starts as a professional, Stanford made the cut 67 times and recorded 14 top 10s.
The first time the Texan got into the Evian Masters, long before it became a major, she cried going down the runway in Dallas because the small-town girl in her didn’t want to travel the globe for a living. Needless to say, the place has grown on her all these years later.
Tears of gratitude fell for a major championship career that, in some ways, might never be matched.
Round two of the 2024 Amundi Evian Championship was suspended after dangerous weather rolled over Lake Geneva Friday afternoon. Japan’s Ayaka Furue holds the lead at 12 under, three clear of the field. She was 6 under on the day through 13 holes when play stopped.
This marks the 30th anniversary of the Evian, which began as a Ladies European Tour event and was designated a major championship in 2013. Last year, Celine Boutier became the first Frenchwoman to win the only major championship contested in continental Europe.
Here’s a look at the best photos from the 2024 Amundi Evian in Evian-les-baines, France.
As everyone else fell, Ayaka Furue rose to the occasion.
Ayaka Furue became a Star Wars fan about a month ago. On Sunday at the Amundi Evian Championship, as the petite Japanese player made her way down the closing stretch at Evian Resort Golf Club, the words of Obi-Wan Kenobi popped in her mind.
May the force be with you.
In a flash, it seemed, the woman who struggled to close events suddenly became unstoppable, playing the last five holes in 5 under to clinch her first major title.
And she did it with power, no less, hitting the closing par 5 in two with a 6-iron and draining an eagle putt from 12 feet to finish at 19 under and clip Australia’s Stephanie Kyriacou by one stroke.
“Breathtaking, like incredible, I’m so speechless,” said Furue of what it means to become the fourth player from Japan to win an LPGA major and the second this year.
Furue went 46 holes to start the week at the Evian without making a bogey (67 total dating to the KPMG Women’s PGA), a remarkable feat for a mountainside course that’s often described as “quirky.” Everything about her game early week looked effortless.
It wasn’t so on Saturday, however, when she shot a 70, hitting only eight fairways and 11 greens. Furue would later say she was “mentally blocking” that day and didn’t want a repeat performance.
Much of Sunday in Evian looked like a two-player race against two women who’d never won before. American Lauren Coughlin, who not too terribly long ago was struggling to keep her tour card, looked in control of the day early on.
Ayaka Furue of Japan celebrates after wining the Amundi Evian Championship on the 18th hole during the final round of the Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club on July 14, 2024 in Evian-les-Bains, France. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)
But while all eyes were on the last group, Patty Tavatanakit reminded everyone of the fireworks this major often produces on Sunday, hitting a bomb off the 18th tee over 300 yards to set up a closing eagle in a final-round 63. In the clubhouse at 17 under, she hung out by the chipping area to await her fate.
Coughlin, meanwhile, picked the worst time to notch her first bogeys of the day on Nos. 16 and 17. That she ultimately finished four back in solo fourth overshadows the fact that she led the Evian for most of Sunday.
“Obviously disappointing to finish how I did,” said Coughlin. “I held the lead of a major for almost 15 holes today – or at least until hole 15. So, no, I can be very happy about it.”
Coughlin, who took a share of third at the Chevron earlier this year, said that while it was special to have husband, John Pond, back on the bag in France, he was only filling in for a week.
“I don’t like everything being all about my golf all the time, and there is no break sometimes,” she said. “Even when it’s good, you’re obviously really great. But when it’s bad it’s just not fun, and I just don’t want to put that stress on our personal relationship for my career gain.”
Lauren Coughlin of the United States plays her second shot on the 13th hole during the final round of the Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club on July 14, 2024 in Evian-les-Bains, France. (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)
Kyriacou, currently No. 100 in the Rolex Rankings, looked like she might be the unlikely one to close this championship until she chunked a chip on the penultimate hole that ultimately led to bogey.
Even so, she still had a chance going into the par-5 18th holding a share of the lead with Tavatanakit and Furue at 17 under.
A wayward tee shot from the Aussie on the 18th, however, forced her to lay up. While she managed to still make birdie, it didn’t matter as Furue had already drained her eagle attempt.
“Sucks not to hold the trophy,” said Kyriacou. “If you told me I would come second at the start of the week, I would’ve been happy.”
World No. 1 Nelly Korda eagled her last hole, the par-5 ninth, to shoot 68 and take a share of 26th. She’s off to Croatia to visit a friend who’s getting married later this year while Korda is competing at the Solheim Cup.
Furue, an eight-time winner on the JLPGA, notched her first victory on the LPGA at the 2022 Women’s Scottish Open. She’s put herself in position time and again since then. Coming into this week, her 16 top-10 finishes over the past two seasons was the most of any player on tour without a win in that span.
At last year’s KPMG Women’s PGA at Baltusrol, Furue told the media that maybe she’s not yet strong enough to win. When she won at Dundonald Links, she fired a course record 10-under 62 to overcome a four-stroke deficit, but wasn’t expected to win that day.
The Evian, however, was a different story. And Furue, fresh off the disappointment of not qualifying for the Olympics, has a new narrative to follow going forward.
After draining putts of 30 and 40 feet on the Nos. 14 and 15, Furue stuffed it to 5 feet on the 16th and nearly drained another birdie bomb on the 17th. The eagle on the last was pure class.
When it was over, Japanese players came out to shower her with champagne, which is never in short supply at the LPGA major in France. A skydiver delivered her country’s flag, as is the event’s custom.
“I didn’t believe that I can get the major win,” she said, soaked in her success. “I’m so happy right now.”
Thompson hasn’t been back since posting critical comments of the course on Instagram in 2019.
Lexi Thompson won’t be in the field at this year’s Amundi Evian Championship. Given that her last appearance in the event was 2019 (the 2020 Evian was canceled due to the pandemic), her absence isn’t all that surprising.
After announcing at the U.S. Women’s Open that 2024 would be her final full season on tour, she has since posted three top-10 finishes.
At the Meijer LPGA Classic, she lost in a playoff to Lilia Vu. At the recent KPMG Women’s PGA, Thompson trailed by three entering the final round at Sahalee Country Club. A shocking front-nine 43 on Sunday dropped her out of the mix, but she came home in 31 to salvage a top-10 finish that gets her an invitation back to the KPMG next year, should she want it.
“It was just a tale of two nines,” said Thompson, who was still fairly upbeat after the rollercoaster round.
At the Dow Championship, Thompson teamed up with Brooke Henderson to take a share of eighth. After two weeks off, she’ll tee it up next at the Dana Open in Sylvania, Ohio.
As for the Evian, Thompson has contended several times in the event but hasn’t been back since posting critical comments of the course on Instagram in 2019, essentially saying that good shots weren’t rewarded.
“I’m actually thankful that I don’t have to put myself through that for another two days,” she wrote after missing the cut. “You’re a beautiful place Evian but that’s just too many bad breaks with good shots for me, so bye.”
Thompson removed the original post later in the day, saying that she wanted to clear up any confusion. The new post read, in part:
“My words were only directed at my frustration of not playing well in a major and at the unfortunate bounces we all get while playing this crazy game of golf. I didn’t mean it in a mean way at all. Obviously just hasn’t been the course for me the last few years, but some girls are playing great and I wish them the best of luck this weekend.”
She hasn’t been back since.
Thompson will be in the fifth and final major of the season, the AIG Women’s British Open, held Aug. 22-25 at the Old Course at St. Andrews.
It was a dog Korda didn’t know at a coffee shop in Seattle.
World No. 1 Nelly Korda returns to action at this week’s Amundi Evian Championship. In fact, she’s already in France prepping for the tour’s fourth major after a dog bite left her sidelined.
After missing the cut at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, the week only got worse for Korda after she was bitten by a dog over the weekend. Alison Lee, who suffered a serious dog bite in January, spoke to Korda about the incident and said during a recent press conference that it was a dog Korda didn’t know at a coffee shop in Seattle.
“I’m hoping for a speedy recovery for her,” said Lee at last week’s Aramaco Team Series event in London. Korda was scheduled to defend her title last week on the Ladies European Tour at Centurion Club but was forced to withdraw.
Lee, who was bitten by her boyfriend’s rescue dog, had to be hospitalized for several days after the wound on her hand became badly infected and required surgery. She said they chatted together about their symptoms.
Korda went on an absolute tear to start the season, winning six of her first eight starts. Since making a 10 on her third hole of the U.S. Women’s Open at Lancaster Country Club, however, it’s been a different story. Korda has missed three consecutive cuts for the first time in her career. She shot 81 in the second round of the KPMG after beginning the day near the top of the leaderboard.
The 25-year-old Korda, a two-time major winner, has never contended at the Evian but finished in the top 10 there in her last two starts.
She will meet with the press on Wednesday in France following her pro-am round.
There will be 33 official events with a record total prize fund of $118 million. In 2023, there were three events with a purse of $3 million or more. In 2024, there will be 10.
The first two events — Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions (Jan. 18-21), LPGA Drive On Championship (Jan. 25-28) — will be in Florida before a three-week stretch overseas.
The new Boston event — FM Global Championship (Aug. 29-Sept. 1) — will be the final tournament before the Solheim Cup.
However, let’s get to what the people really care about — the majors.
Here’s everything you need to know for the five major championships next year.
It hasn’t been pretty for Nelly Korda over her last few starts on the LPGA. She missed the cut at both the Cognizant Founders Cup and the KPMG Women’s PGA before tying for 64th at the U.S. Women’s Open.
That mojo didn’t fully carry over into this week’s Amundi Evian Championship, as the world No. 2 opened with rounds of 70-73 and was 1 over through 36 holes at Evian Resort Golf Club.
Korda went off early Saturday morning and had an old friend in the bag: a Titleist TSR1. She signed with TaylorMade in January and was using a Stealth 2.
Woah, Nelly Korda took out her Stealth driver and swapped back in the Titleist TSR1 for moving day at Evian.
She wasn’t asked about the change after her round, but she did say the low round was “relieving.”
“Honestly, relieving. It was super nice to see all the hard work kind of pay off today. Obviously still have 18 more holes, anything can happen, but I made a push today on moving day, which I’m really happy about,” Korda said.
The 25-year-old will begin Sunday’s final round five back of leader Celine Boutier. Korda tees off alongside Yuka Saso at 6:05 a.m. ET. Coverage on Golf Channel will run from 5:30-11 a.m. ET.
Celine Boutier is the 15th-ranked player in the world, has won three times on the LPGA, has played in two Solheim Cups and represented France at the Olympics. But if she wins Sunday, she’ll elevate her career to the next level.
Boutier holds a three-shot lead after 54 holes of the 2023 Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club in Evian-les-Bains, France.
The 29-year-old followed up her first two rounds (66-69) with a 4-under 67 on Saturday to solidify her spot atop the leaderboard at 11 under.
The Frenchwoman will have to hold off a slew of big-name players on Sunday if she wants to hoist her first major championship trophy on home soil.
The low round of the day belonged to Nelly Korda, who shot a bogey-free 7-under 64. She rocketed up the board on Day 3, now sitting at T-5 with Yuka Saso, five back of Boutier.
Nasa Hataoka is alone in second at 8 under while Minjee Lee and Brooke Henderson are tied for third at 7 under.
Coverage of the final round will be available on Golf Channel from 5:30-11 a.m. ET Sunday.
Boutier has posted rounds of 66 and 69 to get to 7 under for the championship.
Celine Boutier has three LPGA wins. A victory this week, though, would be her biggest by far.
After 36 holes at the 2023 Amundi Evian Championship in Evian-Les-Bains, France, the fourth of five LPGA majors in 2023, Boutier, a native of the host nation, holds a one-shot lead after hitting 10 of 13 fairways and 15 of 18 greens Friday.
Boutier has posted rounds of 66 and 69 to get to 7 under for the championship. She has 10 birdies and just three bogeys over the first two days.
She admitted to feeling the nerves of playing on home soil in a major.
“It’s definitely not easy. I feel like in the past I’ve definitely, you know, not handled it very well. I just feel like I put a lot of pressure on myself because I don’t want to disappoint anybody,” she said.”If I learned anything from the past, I really have to just focus on the job and on the course, on each shot. I feel like that’s really helped me really stay focused and not get ahead or think too much about the plans.”
Boutier is trying to treat this like any other tournament but there’s no avoiding things like doing news conferences twice, in two different languages.
“I feel like it’s a positive thing that the French media is talking about women’s golf and Evian,” she said. “I feel like anything I can do to bring more attention to the tournament and women’s golf, in general, is always a good thing.”
Heres some other things you should know about Friday’s second round.
