At the Amundien Championship (total prize money of $8 million), the fourth major tournament of the U.S. LPGA Tour, players who understand mountain courses and holes well and find their way are expected to have an advantage.
The LPGA Tour analyzed the highlights of the competition, which will be held at the Evian Resort (par 71, 6,523 yards) in Evian-Levin, France on the 11th (Korea time), and introduced players with excellent par 3 holes and iron shots.
The course itself is a mountainous course with severe up-downs. I can see Lake Lehman in the distance, and there are five par-3 holes, four par-5 holes, and nine par-4 holes. Hannah Green (Australia), Kim Se-young, Ally Ewing (USA), and Lee Min-ji (Australia), who have won two games this season, have displayed outstanding skills in par-3 holes. When Lee Min-ji won the title in 2021, she had a sharp target at par-3 holes.
The Evian Golf Club has many par-4s ranging from 331 to 437 yards, and there are many uphill and downhill runs. Therefore, the number of strokes from the tee to the green is very important. Previous winners of the event have always excelled in the data on stroke gains. The LPGA Tour’s current leader in this category is Megan Kang of the U.S., while Yoo Hae-ran, Rose Jean, Nelly Koda of the U.S., and Lee Min-ji of Australia are in the top five.
Evian 1st Round Pin Witch [Handout =LPGA]
The 18 greens also struggle with players with subtle undulations. Outstanding players in putts will be in the spotlight. Lilia Bu (U.S.), who won the Meyer Classic after her recent return to No. 2 in the world golf rankings, is ahead of her, followed closely by Ko Jin-young, Kim Hyo-joo, and Furue Ayaka (Japan), the champion of the 2019 event. 안전놀이터
Also, Celine Butier (France), who is defending the title, is a likely favorite. As there are many holes where the mountain course is 480 meters above sea level and is bent along uneven valleys, Korean players have won five times in total. The LPGA Tour has not mentioned it, but it should also pay attention to three of the top five prize money players (Lee Ye-won, Park Ji-young and Hwang Yoo-min) of the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA).
Among the 18 Korean players, Lee So-mi will tee off at 2 p.m., Hwang Yoo-min will start at hole 1 at 2:24 p.m., and Park Ji-young will start at hole 1 at 3:24 p.m. World No. 3 Ko Jin-young will tee off at 7:48 p.m., while LPGA Tour rookie Sung Yu-jin will start at hole 1 at 8 p.m. as the last group, and Lee Ye-won, who won three KLPGA wins, will also start at hole 10 at 8 p.m. as the last group.
The first round will be broadcast live on JTBC Golf from 7 p.m. tonight. The second round will be broadcast live on Friday at 6:45 p.m. and the weekend round will be broadcast live on Friday at 4:45 p.m.
