From our special correspondent in Evian,
To discover
The world ranking of the best golf players
To the delight of the ladies.
Without wind and with very receptive greens, the Champions Course of the Evian Resort, crushed by the heat, is conducive to birdies this year.
On Moving Day, however, there were fewer of them than on Friday.
With devilishly placed flags, the course was actually quite well defended.
The fabulous score of the Korean In Gee Chun, a -21 (263) (record in Major men and women combined) posted in Evian in September 2016, remains however in danger.
Author of two 64 (-7) in two days with only two bogeys conceded over 36 holes, the Canadian Brooke Henderson continued her march forward this Saturday with a very solid card of 68 (-3).
Still as solid, the 24-year-old player is indeed at -17 (196) after three rounds.
"
It wasn't as good as the first two days, but yeah, I really stuck with it,"
said the Canadian.
I managed to save a few pars on the last nine holes.
I felt like the course was a bit tougher for me today.
It can be very tricky if you start missing shots.
If you can keep them in the right areas then you can make some birdies.
Hopefully I can continue to hit the ball well tomorrow and get in some putts.
The current 10th player in the world, winner of a Major, the KPMG Women's PGA Championship 2016, who has never done better than 9th place at the Evian Resort Golf Club in 2016, remains the best placed to succeed Australian Minjee Lee.
Read alsoAmundi Evian Championship: Brooke Henderson takes power, Nelly Korda on the hunt
But the gap is narrowing with its competitors.
After 54 holes, she is two strokes ahead of South Korean So Yeon Ryu (-15), who with a 65 (-6) made the second best card of the day this Saturday, and four over American Sophia Shubert (-13).
She also remains under threat from the Spaniard Ciganda Carlotta and another Korean Sei Young Kim (-12).
World number one Jin Young Ko, as well as American Nelly Korda, are also in the game at -11.
The Olympic champion, however, had a very disappointing day with a card in par.
The youngest of the Korda sisters is the only player in the top 20 not to have played under par this Saturday...
Evian, that's all!
It was on this golf course that my parents met.
Albanne Valenzuela
The best card of the day was posted by the Swiss Albane Valenzuela with a fantastic 64 (-7).
The 24-year-old Genevan, who is taking part in her seventh Haut-Savoyard Grand Slam, managed a rich card of eight birdies to propel her from 30th place to the gates of the top 10 with a total of 203 (-10): "
I I finally had a good lap on this course,
smiles the 122nd player in the world.
I am a slightly different player now than the one who walked the fairways of Evian at the age of 18
(in 2015).
I enjoy.
I have matured.
I also enjoy having my friends around.
I can only smile when I see familiar faces behind the ropes.
The Swiss, with four passports (her father is Mexican, her mother is French) plays at home on the shores of Lake Geneva: “
Evian, that's all!
It was on this golf course that my parents met.
I came from the age of 8 to the Evian Masters.
I was waiting for the 18th to get autographs from the players.
I didn't have the game to perform on this demanding course but now I hit a lot harder.
I'm more comfortable in a Major tournament."
Having turned pro in 2020, the former Stanford student in the United States is on track to achieve her best result at Evian (37th in 2019).
At the start of 1, I was a little stressed.
Perrine Delacour
The French Perrine Delacour, who had not crossed the cut during her two previous participations (2017, 2021) has already done better.
In the top 5 after two laps, the native of Laon fell a little this Saturday.
Still as solid, however, she had difficulty in enquiller the birdies.
With a card of 70 (-1), she now occupies 13th place with a total of 204 (-9).
“
It was a slightly more difficult day,
” she breathes.
There was more pressure because it is a Moving Day.
Playing under par is a satisfaction.
This is the first time that I have been so well placed after two rounds in Major.
At the start of 1, I was a little stressed.
There was a lot of applause from the audience, it's nice but it puts a lot of pressure.
Then I did a lot of breathing work.
It relaxed me.
I was not afraid.
I relaxed.
The flag positions were more complicated than the first two days.
It's often like that on Saturdays when the organizers want to make a difference.
But I'm glad I stuck with it.
I will do my best on Sunday and keep the same pace.
I don't want to think about taking more risks or less risks.
I'm really going to play exactly the same.
We'll see where it takes us."
If the Picardy may have trouble playing for the win, she can mark the history of French women's golf by doing better than Karine Icher, 20th in 2015 in Evian in a major configuration.
The two other French survivors of the cut, Pauline Roussin-Bouchard, (65th, +1 total) and Agathe Laisné (72nd, +5 total), are now very far in the standings.
They will try to end on a good note on Sunday.
On the roller coaster, Roussin-Bouchard finished strong with three birdies on his last three holes.
“
I still had trouble with the speed of the greens.
There is therefore a little frustration,
slips the Drômoise.
There were good shots and two or three bad ones... That's golf.
I hope to let go a little more on the face-offs in particular.
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