Since 1994, women’s golf tours have been traveling to Lake Geneva in eastern France for The Amundi Evian Championship. Since 2013 it has officially been one of the five major championships on the LPGA Tour.
Probably the most unique major in all of golf, it makes the LPGA the only professional American golf league with two majors in Europe. Played every year at The Evian Resort Golf Club, the tournament has a mixed reputation. Some praise it for its incredible beauty, with it being one of the most scenic golf venues in the world. Others have criticized the course for being too quirky and sometimes in poor shape. Because of the criticisms, prominent players have elected not to play in the event, most notably, Lexi Thompson.
For the polarizing nature of the event, it generally is thrilling and won by a great player. In 2024, it was arguably the most exciting major, as Stephanie Kyriacou, Lauren Coughlin and eventual winner Ayaka Furue all traded blows throughout the back nine. Furue won the event with an eagle on 18. Since becoming a major, The Evian Championship has had perhaps the best group of champions, including Brooke Henderson, Minjee Lee, Jin Young Ko, Anna Nordqvist, In Gee Chun and Lydia Ko among others.
This year’s Amundi Evian Championship takes place from July 10-13, once again kicking off the LPGA Tour’s European swing that also includes the Scottish Open and the AIG Women’s Open. It is the fourth major on the schedule. This one generally airs very early in the morning, but that also means it usually gets good quantity of coverage even for major championship standards.
PREDICTION: While Jeeno Thitikul missed the cut at the 2024 Evian Championship, she has generally played well in this event. Before last season, Thitikul had finished top 10 at this major three years in a row, including a top-five finish in 2021. Thitikul is one of the most talented rising stars in the world and gets her first major championship in France.
