Takeaways from Evian — What’s next for women’s golf?
By Addie Parker
The IX: Golf Thursday with Addie Parker, July 18, 2024
Happy Golf Thursday, friends! With one more major left on the schedule, Solheim Cup less than eight weeks away, and the Olympics just around the corner—the summer golf season is winding down right before our eyes. And though it feels like a gigantic toaster oven has been placed across the eastern seaboard, we’re not in the business of wishing away time and we have plenty of women’s golf news to break down, so let’s dive right in.
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Evian Recap
Last Thursday served as a brief recap of the opening round in Evian, and from the get-go, we knew it’d be another exciting week abroad.
The week started off hot with two hole-in-ones from Chun-Wei Wsu and Jodi Ewart Shadoff during round one, and the third and final coming from Peiyun Chien on the par-3 16th during her final round.
And perhaps less exciting than winning a new Porsche, but exciting nonetheless, Evian was quite the birdie fest, with runner-up Stephanie Kyriacou and Jenny Shin (finished T-12) leading the field with a final tally of 22 birdies over four rounds.
But one player rose above the rest to capture the championship and it was none other than Ayaka Furue. In dramatic fashion (sporting even more fashionable socks), Furue drained an eagle putt on the 18th green to take the Amundi Evian crown.
At the beginning of the fourth round, it appeared that it could be anyone’s to win, with a slew of players bunched up atop the leaderboard, including Furue, Lauren Coughlin, and Kyriacou.
Taking a step back: for this to be Furue’s second LPGA Tour win is almost shocking — she’s unbelievably consistent, with so many close calls over the years. In 2024 alone, she has only one missed at the DOW Championship and has recorded nine top-10 finishes.
Before her victory on Sunday, she had earned four top-10 finishes in major championships, but for these players, close calls and near wins aren’t enough…they crave winning. After her final round, Furue explained what this major means to her.
“I didn’t believe that I can get the major win…I’m so happy right now.”
But she didn’t stop there, she admitted to having another bit of motivation willing her to win coming down the stretch. “I became a Star Wars fan like a month ago, and then I love the sentence, ‘May the force be with you.
Then I believe that sentence on the 15th hole. The sentence came up in my mind, and I was just keep going on with that quote. Obviously, I had fear, and I was really nervous toward getting 18. I was getting nervous and nervous when I walk through the 17th, 18th.”
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Solheim Cup Media Day
Across the pond, on Monday was the official media day for the Solheim Cup, where USA captain Stacy Lewis and Solheim vet Lexi Thompson spoke to the media and played the Robert Trent Jones track, and we got this fun social snapshot as a result.
Solheim is a little less than eight weeks away and another member of Team USA was confirmed.
Ally Ewing joins Nelly Korda and Lilia Vu as official members of the squad so far.
Lauren Coughlin moved into the top seven of the U.S. Solheim Cup Team rankings for the first time following her fourth-place finish at the Amundi Evian Championship. Alison Lee jumped from 11th to ninth after her tie for 22nd at Evian.
Team USA will comprise the top seven players in the U.S. Solheim Cup points standings, the top two players in the Rolex Rankings not already eligible, and three captain’s picks. The team will be finalized after the AIG Women’s Open.
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What’s next on the schedule
This week the LPGA Tour is in Sylvania, OH for the Dana Open, where Swedish golfer Linn Grant is set to defend. See the full breakdown of the field, and get the scoop from Grant in links and today’s Five at The IX.
The next two events take place in the Pacific Northwest for the CPKC Women’s Open and Portland Classic before the Olympic break.
We round out the August schedule in Scotland for the Women’s Scottish Open and AIG (the final major of the year)…at the home of golf St. Andrews!!!!!! (Can you tell that I’m excited about that one?)
Summer may be fleeting, but who can be sad about it when a lineup like this exists? See you next week, golf fans.
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@theixsports.com ! Discussion of any kind is always welcome…I mean it…MESSAGE ME!
LPGA News
Five things to know about the 2024 Dana Open
How to watch the 2024 Dana Open
Field Breakdown: 2024 Dana Open
Tearful Angela Stanford, 46, closes out record-setting major championship career at 2024 Evian
Lexi Thompson hopes to help U.S. reclaim the Solheim Cup in her last year as a full-time player
LPGA’s 2024 Dana Open set to celebrate ‘Lexi Thompson Day’ with F-16 flyovers
LET News
Five things to know about the Dutch Ladies Open
All the sustainable efforts taking place this week at the Dutch Ladies Open
Epson Tour News
The 40th playing of the Twin Bridges Championship is set to take place
Field Breakdown: 2024 Twin Bridges Championship
Daniela Iacobelli wins fifth career Epson Tour title at the Hartford HealthCare Women’s Championship
Amelia Lewis had a special guest on the bag last week en route to her second-place finish
Five at The IX: Linn Grant is ready to defend her Dana Open title
On Tuesday, defending Dana Open champ Linn Grant spoke about her memories of her first LPGA victory, her new caddie for the week, the Olympics, and more!
Q: All right here with Linn Grant, our defending champion at the Dana Open. Linn, can you just take us through some of what you remember from last year’s Dana Open and what it felt like to earn your first victory here?
LINN GRANT: Obviously I just have a lot of good memories. I remember that I really like this course. It reminded me a lot of playing at home as a junior. Just the same grass type, just layout looks very familiar, so gives me a good feeling coming back.
Yeah, other than that, just some good memories. I’m glad to have my brother on the bag this year, kind of show him the grounds, and hopefully we’ll be ready this year as well.
Q. Any specific memories you can think of, putts, shots that really stick out in your mind?
LINN GRANT: Obviously that eagle I made on 11 last year; holing an 8-iron was pretty dramatic I guess. Also I very cool memory to have. I think also because I’ve seen it on Instagram so many times now it’s stuck in my mind forever.
But other than that, I just played really solid golf that week, especially that minus-9 round. Was just, I mean, a really, really good day.
Q. Yeah, it was. I know you’ve been playing well recently, especially on the LET. Just had another win. Can you just take us through what your game is feeling like right now?
LINN GRANT: Yeah, I think the whole year I feel like I’m playing really solid. Even on a bad week I’m not playing terrible golf. Still waiting to have kind of that momentum week where everything just goes my way, but I think coming back here, I mean, I hope this week could be it again.
Q. What about this course — obviously a lot of low scoring each year. What about this course excites you the most about playing here?
LINN GRANT: Like you said, there is a lot of birdie opportunities like if you can be good off the tees. Greens are very small, so if you are good from the tees to the green you’ll have a lot of short birdie putts, which I think is fun to have that in mind. Even if you have a bad hole, you make a bogey, there is also a lot to catch up on, which gives a nice feeling.
Q. You’re obviously going to be in the Olympics in just a couple weeks. Congratulations. How excited are you for that opportunity, and what are you doing to prepare?
LINN GRANT: Thank you.
I’m very excited. I’m not playing next week unfortunately. I really love the Canadian Open. I’m going to be home for the two weeks prior and prep and rest a little bit and feel like I’m mentally ready to go to the Olympics.
And then we fly over a couple days early to watch some other sports, be in the environment, watch the guys play. To me, I think that week, the best thing for me would probably be to be a little bit more relaxed and just really enjoy the experience.
I think it’s just every fourth year. So few people get to go to the Olympics. I don’t want to feel like I was there and didn’t take the opportunity to actually be there.
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