You miss a tournament and everything is depopulated.
Absent from the calendar last year due to Covid-19, the only Major in continental Europe is coming back to life this week in France.
To the delight of golf lovers who await this elite meeting every year, the theater of excellence in women's play in an enchanting setting, overlooking Lake Geneva, between lake and mountains.
Don't call it Evian Championship anymore.
The tournament was renamed The Amundi Evian Championship with its new title partner, linked to the Haut-Savoyard Grand Slam for five years.
Thanks to this sponsor, the endowment increased by 400,000 dollars to reach 4.5 million. It is now the second most endowed women's tournament in the world, just behind the US Women's Open, tied with the AIG Women's Open. A new cycle in the life of the tournament has opened. In 2021, the qualification criteria have been tightened a bit.
“Until now, any winner of a LET event has qualified for the Evian Championship, regardless of the size of the tournament,”
explains director Steve Brangeon.
It will no longer be systematic. The winners of the most important events of the LET are now qualified because there are big differences between a small category tournament on the European Tour and any event on the LPGA Tour.
"
A very high level
The stars of women's golf are obviously in the game in Haute-Savoie.
Among the 126 entered, the sisters Korda, Nelly, 22 (world number 1 and two victories to her name in 2021) and Jessica (13th world player), as well as the 2019 title holder, the South Korean Jin Young Ko ( v
See page 32
), should play the leading roles.
Also watch the new Asian wave embodied by the Thai Patty Tavatanakit, 21, winner this year of the ANA Inspiration.
The world elite is getting younger and a breath of fresh air will blow over Évian.
Invited to join the very closed circle of Major tournaments in world golf in 2013, the Evian Championship regained its original date in 2019 in the heart of summer. In a busy schedule with the Tokyo Games (golf from August 5 to 8) and the British Open (from August 19 to 22), and with current health constraints (
see page 30
), some stars of women's golf have been worn blade. In order to protect themselves for the Olympic golf event in Tokyo, the Americans Danielle Kang (6th world) and Lexi Thompson (11th), the Japanese Nasa Hataoka (9th), the Australian Hannah Green (17th) or the Chinese Shanshan Feng (19th) decided to ignore it. The absent are always wrong and, despite these last minute packages, the field remains, as always, impressive.
Five Frenchwomen for a feat
In this very difficult context, five French women will attempt the feat of unlocking the tricolor counter at home.
Céline Boutier, Perrine Delacour, Céline Herbin, Lucie Malchirand and the amateur Pauline Roussin-Bouchard.
Boutier, the best Frenchwoman in the global ranking (57) is present for the fifth time on the fairways of Evian.
She hopes to do better than her 29th place in 2014. Lucie Malchirand, recent winner of the Italian Open, who benefited from the financial support program of Amundi Women Talent (
see page 33
) was invited by the organizers, as was the former world number 1 in the amateur ranking, Pauline Roussin-Bouchard, who is taking part in her second Grand Slam in Haut-Savoyard. Thanks to a recent top 10 on the LPGA, Céline Herbin, 8th in the WPGA Championship, gleaned her place among the elite, just like Perrine Delacour. Ready to take on the sacred challenge. Tame the Evian course, its devilishly placed water obstacles and its tortuous and always well-defended greens.
“The course
(par 71 of 5,970 meters, editor's note)
was redesigned in 2013 by European Golf Design, when it became a Major course, but it evolves every year,
confides Adrien Petrocelli.
This year it has been lengthened a bit with back tees at holes 13 and 15. The start of 7 has also been redone.
With now as justice of the peace, hole 18 (par 5) of 443 meters which offers the possibility to the players to attack it in two and to try birdies, even eagles. Let the show (re) begin!
