Amy Yang won the third major of the year at Sahalee Country Club! The 2024 Amundi Evian Championship is the fourth major that the LPGA Tour will play. Naturally, the question then arises: Who would win the forthcoming competition, which will begin on July 11 at the Evian Resort Golf Club? The answer to that question will be revealed on Sunday, June 14, the last day of play.
In addition to the title and crown, the golfers will compete for a share of the $8 million prize pool, up from the $6.5 million allotted last year. Though many would like to, only one could win the tournament’s famous title and take home the entire glory!
Celine Boutier hopes to defend her title at the Amundi Evian Championship
According to the official field released by the LPGA Tour, 132 golfers will compete for the title of champion at the Amundi Evian Championship. Past event winners, significant victors, members of the top 10 on the Rolex Rankings, LPGA Tour winners, and special invites are all represented in the field. But there will inevitably be a few favorites among all of these golfers.
1. Celine Boutier: The 30-year-old athlete had emerged victorious at the 2023 edition of the tournament and would look to defend her title of champ at the upcoming event. Last year, she had dominantly beaten the likes of Brooke M. Henderson and Celine Borge at T2 and T3, respectively, with a score of 14-under 270 to win the event. She followed the same with two more wins at the Women’s Scottish Open and Maybank Championship. Fast forward to 2024 and she seems to be struggling with just one top-10 finish from 14 starts (a T2 at the HSBC Women’s World Championship). Regardless, she would be looking to clinch her second major win at the upcoming Amundi Evian Championship.
2. Nelly Korda: Although the current No. 1 in the world has been having a rough patch lately, she is undoubtedly the best performer that the women’s circuit has witnessed this season. The 25-year-old boasts a total of 7 top-10 finishes, including six victories, one of which came at the 2024 Chevron Championship. Although she missed the cut in the next three tournaments, the American pro remains at the top of the world rankings with a tremendous lead and is, undoubtedly, a favorite among many.
3. Ayaka Furue: Even though the Japanese professional is ranked 21st on the Rolex Rankings, she is one of the best that the women’s circuit has dished out this season. The athlete boasts a total of 8 top-10 finishes this season from 16 LPGA Tour starts and has beaten the likes of Korda in this regard. Her best came from the 2024 ShopRite LPGA Classic Presented by Acer, where she finished in the runner-up position. The golfer would surely want to clinch her first win of the season at the upcoming Amundi Evian Championship.
4. Lilia Vu: The 26-year-old currently trails behind the 2024 Chevron Championship winner in the world rankings. But that doesn’t mean she hasn’t been at her best. The American has 3 top-10 finishes from 9 starts and even boasts a victory at the 2024 Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give and a T2 finish at the major that followed, the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. With a figure of 157 points in difference from the current No. 1, Vu would be looking to close that gap while raking in the whopping 100 points that the major has to offer.
5. Jin Young Ko: Fresh from a runner-up finish at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, the No. 3 golfer in the world would be looking to redeem herself at the upcoming tournament. Despite her fair share of ups and downs this season, with 4 top-10 finishes from 10 starts, the South Korean professional will surely look to clinch her second title at the Amundi Evian Championship and her third major win this weekend at the Evian Resort Golf Club.
A test for the players at the Evian Resort Golf Club
The club boasts two beautiful courses to its name, the Champions Course and the Lake Course. However, the upcoming major will take place at the former, which came into existence in 1904 as a 9-hole course. Subsequently, the layout was then redesigned by Cabell B. Robinson in the 1980s, following which it became an 18-hole course.
The 71-par course lies between the Alp mountains of the town of Evian-les-Bains and Lake Geneva. It only became the host for the Amundi Evian Championship after architect Steve Smyers redesigned the layout of the course and tweaked many holes. Many would be inclined to agree with Karie Webb when she said, “The changes to the finishing holes make for great theater to crown a champion and the hospitality is second to none in one of the most beautiful places in the world.”