10 years of the Evian Championship — The countdown to Solheim — Must-click women’s golf links
By Addie Parker
The IX: Golf Thursday with Addie Parker, July 27, 2023
Happy Golf Thursday and happy Evian week! The Amundi Evian Championship is celebrating 10 years as a major this week — kicking off a four-week leg in Europe, that also includes the Scottish Open, the AIG Women’s Open, and the ISPS Handa World Invitational.
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As the youngest major in women’s golf, the Evian Championship has gone to great lengths to make the tournament a thing of beauty. The Evian Resort Golf Club is nestled alongside Lake Geneva in close proximity to the Alps. The picturesque layout of the par-71 isn’t the only remarkable thing about this course or this tournament (though it’s an excellent start) — the sponsorships have elevated this tournament unlike any other.
The Women’s U.S. Open hosted by the USGA has garnered attention for consistently increasing its prize fund over the last few years, making it the money benchmark for all other majors. The prize fund this week sits at $6.5 million, significantly lower than the $11 million offered at the USWO but still a jump from the $4.5 million the event offered just two years ago. Despite the numbers, Evian has done an excellent job of elevating the experience not just for the players but for everyone involved including us at home.
Yeah, Evian, the views are spectacular. The golf course is a demanding golf course and it’s a major championship, so it’s going to test every part of your game.
The views aren’t shabby, and I think it’ll be a fun week ahead.
Nelly Korda, on what it’s like to be back at this course and this major.
With sponsors and partners like Amundi (Europe’s leading asset manager), Evian, and Rolex the tournament has created gala nights, a high-profile pro-am that invites influencers and lovers of the game, and world-class chefs all while being at a lush golf resort that does French opulence like no other. I mean seriously, it just doesn’t get better than that.
And though we can’t enjoy the delicious cuisine, we can enjoy some pretty fresh merchandise from the brand Malbon. If you’re unfamiliar with Malbon, it’s an LA-based golf and lifestyle brand and since its inception in 2017, Malbon has become notoriously known for its neverending collaborations with other brands like Nike, adidas, Lusso Cloud, Undefeated, and for the third year in a row the latest Malbon X Evian collab has dropped ahead of the tournament.
This type of collection and collaboration is rare in the world of women’s golf. In my short time at Golf Digest, I can’t begin to tell you all how many brands make up special edition drops for the PGA Tour for non-major events, let alone the number of apparel releases that occur around major championships. So for a successful, popular brand such as Malbon to use its bandwidth and clout to draw attention to a women’s golf major is huge, especially when a big chunk of Malbon’s consumer demographic are streetwear enthusiasts. It’s a whole new market of potential fans to finally get exposure to women’s golf and it’s done so through clothes — which is such a cool concept.
This week of championship golf will make for excellent TV, with all Rolex top-10 players in the field this week, plus all 15 of this season’s winners so far — with Brooke Henderson ready to defend her title. Here’s how to watch the 2023 Amundi Evian Championship.
So I hope you grab a good croissant or two, make a charcuterie board with friends, and tune in this weekend — I know I will!
This week in women’s golf
If you have links you wish to share for Golf Thursday, sources for golf news, or want to talk about anything at all, you can email me at addieparker25@gmail.com ! Discussion of any kind is always welcome…I mean it…MESSAGE ME!
LPGA News
With the first round of Evian already underway — click here for leaderboard updates!!!
Five things to know about the Amundi Evian Championship
Players to Watch: The Amundi Evian Championship
By the Numbers: The Amundi Evian Championship
Field Breakdown: The Amundi Evian Championship
What makes the most sense when picking the winner of The Amundi Evian Championship
Tranquil Evian setting evokes heart-pounding drama
The Amundi Evian Championship celebrates 10 years as a major
The top 25 players competing at the 2023 Amundi Evian Championship, ranked
Celine Boutier returns to France with new strategy
This story about LPGA player Jane Park and her daughter will warm your heart
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Catch up on my stories from Golf Digest
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Five at The IX: Players and USA Captain Stacy Lewis talk Solheim Cup
We are eight weeks and six LPGA events away from the 2023 Solheim Cup at Finca Cortesin in
Andalucia, Spain. This week, during pre-tournament conversations players Allisen Corpuz (who has secured her spot on the US team), Rose Zhang, and Linn Grant discuss how they’re feeling about this upcoming European leg leading up to Spain. Plus comments from Team USA’s captain Stacy Lewis.
ALLISEN CORPUZ (currently No. 3 in the U.S. Solheim Cup points standings and locked for the team)
Backing that up with that Dana Open performance helped you solidify a spot on the United States Solheim Cup team, another life-changing experience coming for you in a month or two. What did it mean to clinch that spot and how excited are you to tee it up at Finca Cortesin?
Even more than I think first win, first major, the Solheim Cup was on my radar this year. I knew I was kind of on the bubble and that was one of my major goals, so it’s really special. Definitely looking forward to the week in Spain and being able to represent the U.S. and the team and Stacy. Really looking forward to it.
Captain Stacy Lewis calls players to let them know they clinched those spots. When you got that phone call, what was the reaction? Did you sit there and stare at the phone?
Yeah, she texted me asking for a phone call and I was like, I wonder what this is going to be about. Yeah, really excited. A bit shocked. I hadn’t expected that. I didn’t know they had mathematically calculated it and everything. So really happy, and took a few minutes to let it sink in.
ROSE ZHANG (currently qualified for the U.S. Team via the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings)
Being in Europe kind of makes everybody think about later this fall, Solheim Cup coming up in Spain. I know that’s on every young American’s radar. How much is it on yours right now? I know bounced around in the Rolex Rankings and moving up quite a bit. How much are you thinking about that and what would it mean to qualify for that team?
It would be a dream just because back in, I’ve played two Junior Solheim Cups, one in Des Moines, Iowa, and one in Gleneagles. Nothing is better than representing your own country with amazing people, having teammates to celebrate and enjoy playing for the honor of the red, white, and blue.
It’s a different format as well. I always loved team formats. I will say that of course it’s a radar that a lot of people have to qualify for this event, and the prestige is absolutely incredible.
But I don’t really think about the Rolex Rankings a lot. I haven’t looked at it at all actually. I feel like if my game is there, by by-product I’ll be able to qualify.
LINN GRANT (currently No. 2 in the European Solheim Cup points standings)
We don’t do a lot of clinching on the European Solheim Cup team, but how much are you looking forward to that week and now that you’re back in Europe, does it get you more excited to be in Spain in a few months?
Yeah, I was there in January so I’ve seen the course. It’s a beautiful place. I am really excited to play in a team event, especially the Solheim Cup obviously. It’s been a dream of mine since I was a kid. So I think it’s going to be great. It’s going to be — going to have a great team. Suzann as a captain will be perfect I think. Yeah, just really looking forward to it.
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