Thirty years ago, the idea sounded crazy.
A women’s golf tournament in Évian-les-Bains?
Now, the Amundi Evian Championship – at one time the biggest party on tour – is the fifh LPGA major, with a purse of $8 million and a champions list that reads like a who’s who. It’s an annual celebration of the best women in the world, with champagne toasts, knock-your-socks-off views and a fireworks show that lights up the night sky.
“When we start at the beginning, the only vision we have was to year after year deliver the best tournament we can with the money we have every year,” said Franck Riboud, the event’s chairman, who along with Jacques Bungert, has been involved in every aspect of the Evian since Helen Alfredsson won the first edition in 1994.
It hasn’t been the smoothest of rides, with controversy surrounding the quality of the course – is it good enough to host a major? – and the time of year it was held. The dates switched from July to September when it became a major and then back to July in 2019, after two editions were reduced to 54 holes due to weather. Not to mention the idea of whether or not the tour should even have a fifth major, though at the time the Evian was elevated, several LPGA championships were in distress.
For many of the young stars on tour today, they don’t know a time when the Evian wasn’t a major. Though Lexi Thompson certainly does, and once again chose to skip out.
But no matter how much the Evian has changed over the years in terms of its weight in the game, they’ve held tight to the feeling of connection.
“When we know we became major,” said Riboud, “the only thing we trust in and we fight with Jacques was to try to keep the ambience we had at the beginning with family and friends around the green.”
So as the tour goes from the high heavenly ground of Sahalee to the shores of Lake Geneva, here are five things to look for at the Amundi Evian Championship beyond the chocolate croissants and breathtaking views: