EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France — Ally Ewing is at it again.
The three-time LPGA Tour winner rolled into the fourth major of the season fresh off four consecutive top-five finishes – tying for third at the U.S. Women’s Open presented by Ally, finishing solo fourth at the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give, tying for fifth at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and finishing solo second at the Dow Championship alongside Jennifer Kupcho.
And now, after the third round of The Amundi Evian Championship, Ewing will again be looking to add a victory to her already stellar 2024 resume.
She carded a pair of 70s in the first and second rounds at Evian Resort Golf Club to sit in a tie for 35th through the first 36 holes of the major championship. But after that quiet start, Ewing made the most of Moving Day in Evian-les-Bains, France, vaulting up the leaderboard and into a tie for fifth after blitzing the field with a 7-under 64 on Saturday at The Amundi Evian Championship.
Starting her third round on the par-4 10th hole, Ewing grabbed her first birdie of the day on the par-3 14th hole and quickly followed that with another birdie on the par-5 15th hole. She picked up a third birdie on the par-5 18th hole to turn in 33 and sit at 5-under for the tournament, making another on the first hole to get to 6-under total.
After a par on the second, Ewing then rattled off three consecutive birdies on holes three, four and five to move to 9-under overall, ultimately parring out to post a 64, her career-low round in this major championship. The 7-under effort also ties her second-lowest career round on the LPGA Tour and is just Ewing’s sixth round of 64 or better since becoming a member in 2016.
“I think any time you get an under-par score at a major, it feels really good,” said Ewing, who last shot 64 or better during the second round of the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give, carding a 63 at Blythefield Country Club. “Evian is very unique in terms of our major championships, so you probably see more lower scores here and there here at this golf course. I had some really fortunate bounces today on a couple of shots that led to good birdies.
“But on a different golf course, they might have ended up in the bunker or something like that. So good (indiscernible) is good occasionally, but certainly good golf takes care of itself out here.”
This is Ewing’s 13th start on the LPGA Tour this season, and in addition to those four consecutive top-five results, the 31-year-old has two other top-15 finishes to her 2024 credit, tying for fourth at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions and tying for 12th at the T-Mobile Match Play presented by MGM Rewards.
This week marks her eighth start in The Amundi Evian Championship, and in her seven previous appearances, Ewing has earned two top-15 results, finishing solo 13th in 2017 and tying for 11th in 2019, a pair of performances she will be looking to better on Sunday in Evian-les-Bains, France.
At a tricky venue like Evian Resort Golf Club, virtually anything can happen in the final round, and even though Ewing is sitting five shots back of 54-hole leader Steph Kyriacou, no lead will be safe on day four of the year’s fourth major championship. And if you consider just how well Ewing has been playing in majors as of late, it just might wind up being the Mississippi native’s turn to step into the winner’s circle, joining elite company as an LPGA Tour major champion.
But Ewing isn’t getting too far ahead of herself and will continue trusting that the hard work she has been doing will keep on paying off as she once again pursues major championship glory on Sunday at The Amundi Evian Championship.
“It took me a long time to win on Tour,” said Ewing. “Took me probably even a long time to feel comfortable and settle in. I would probably even say I was a late bloomer for college golf, too. I think it's just trusting my game and knowing what that looks like. Not trying to be someone else. Not feel like I have to do more than I have. It's knowing what my game is capable of and then just (letting) it happen. Don't try to force anything.
“I've been playing great golf. I think that's just fact. I acknowledge that, so that doesn't guarantee a good score tomorrow. Each day is going to be completely different. Certainly carry(ing) a lot of confidence into tomorrow.”
)
)
)
)
