The low scores came early on a soft day in Evian-les-baines, France, where the fourth major of the LPGA season is underway. Freshly-minted pro Ingrid Lindlbad is among a trio tied for the lead at 7 under, along with major winner Patty Tavatanakit and Gemma Dryburgh.
This marks the 30th edition of the event, though the Amundi Evian Championship has only been a major since 2013.
Defending champion Celine Boutier, the first Frenchwoman to win the event, opened with a 2-under 69 with bogeys on two of her last three holes.
“I thought it was very heartwarming to see all the people show up and cheering for me, so I tried to play the best I could,” said Boutier, who won by six last year.
Here are five things to know from Day 1 in France:
Hall of Fame watch back on
Lydia Ko tees off on the 11th hole during the first round of the Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club on July 11, 2024 in Evian-les-Bains, France. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)
Lydia Ko loves Evian, and her play shows it. The 2015 Evian champ finished runner-up as an amateur in 2013 and took a share of third in 2017 and 2022. On Thursday, she opened with a 65 and put the LPGA Hall of Fame spotlight back on her shoulders. A victory in France would put Ko in one of the most elite Halls in all of sports.
“I feel good,” said Ko, who has struggled midseason after a rip-roaring start.
“Golf is strange. You can have a really good day today and tomorrow you don’t know where the clubface is … it keeps you on your toes and I think that’s why it’s a game where you feel like you’re so close to perfect, but at the time you feel miles away. That’s the beauty of it, and I think that’s probably the crazy reason I’m still playing to this day.”
No. 1 notes
Nelly Korda of the United States tees off on the 11th hole during the first round of the Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club on July 11, 2024 in Evian-les-Bains, France. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)
World No. 1 Nelly Korda comes into the Evian off three missed cuts and an unfortunate dog bite. It was tough to guess how she’d fare. So far, she’s still in it, posting a 2-under 69 on Thursday that included a double-bogey on the par-3 16th. Korda hit 11 fairways and 16 greens in her opening round and took 32 putts.
The 14-time winner has finished in the top 10 in her last two Evian starts.
Conquering the hills
Lauren Coughlin of the United States tees off on the second hole during the first round of the Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club on July 11, 2024 in Evian-les-Bains, France. (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)
Lauren Coughlin has never made the cut at the Evian Championship, but she opened with a 65 this time around and credited a number of changes. First, she addressed the fact that she’s never been comfortable playing off uneven lies. She worked with her longtime coach, John Lewellen, during the off week and felt more confident going into her fourth appearance at the event.
“Just a lot of it is just don’t try to fight it, don’t try to fight the slope,” she said. “I figured out that I need to almost like not thin it but a little bit, like when it’s above my feet, and then like below my feet, just squat a little bit more to get down to it.”
A second aide came in the form of Annika Sorenstam’s longtime caddie Terry McNamara, who has been on the bag for the last five weeks.
“He was like, everything goes to the lake, not just the lake, the town, especially city center where we’re staying,” she said.
“So really trying to make sure I’m taking that into account when I’m looking at what I a seeing and just trusting it. I’ve heard it in the past, but it’s a lot harder to put into practice.”
Coughlin, 31, is making a fine push to make her first U.S. Solheim Cup team. She’s currently eighth on the points list (the top seven qualify) and is ranked 56th in the world.
Looking ahead
Brooke M. Henderson of Canada looks on during the first round of the Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club on July 11, 2024 in Evian-les-Bains, France. (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)
It’s been almost a year now since Brooke Henderson started wearing glasses and while she hasn’t won yet with them, she feels they’ve “definitely” improved her game.
“I’ve always had trouble with my eyesight,” she explained earlier this summer at the U.S. Women’s Open. “I’ve never really been able to see the ball land or certain things since the start of my career, but I was a feel player, so I just really leaned into that feel, and then I would just ask my sister, like is that on the green, or is it in the apron, or where is it? So I was really dependent on her for a while.
“Then I decided I wanted to be able to see where the ball was going and I wanted to maybe have a little bit better feel around the greens, which I think the glasses really help because I can see it a little clearer.”
Henderson, who won this event 2022 and finished second last year to Boutier, shot 69 in the afternoon wave, when scores were higher, and trails by five.
Tough starts
Ashleigh Buhai of South Africa plays her third shot on the first hole during the first round of the Amundi Evian Championship at Evian Resort Golf Club on July 11, 2024 in Evian-les-Bains, France. (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)
Ashleigh Buhai broke a toe during the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, taped it up and still made the cut. It didn’t go as well at hilly Evian, however, as Buhai withdrew after playing a handful of holes on Thursday.
“I was optimistic, but unfortunately, my toe didn’t hold up on the hills here in Evian,” Buhai wrote on Instagram.
Charley Hull was forced to withdraw from last week’s LET event in London due to a shoulder injury. While Hull did complete Round 1 at Evian, she struggled to an opening 79.
