Out of the Rough: The Amundi Evian Championship (2026)

The World’s best female golfers turn their attention to the fourth major of the LPGA season in this week’s The Amundi Evian Championship.

This is the only major event for both the men and women to be held within Continental Europe.

Evian Resort Golf Club in Evian-les-Bains, France plays host and has done so since the event’s inception in 1994.

Although the event has been on-going for 31 years, it has had major status beginning in 2013.

Previously known as the Evian Masters, this co-sanctioned event between the LPGA and LET tours has plenty of history.

This event was previously held as the final major of the season for the LPGA between 2013-and-2019 but was moved to the penultimate slot in 2019.

This year, an increased purse of $9.1 million will be on the line as well

The Field

Being a major event, all of the World’s best will be in attendance this week.

That includes World No. 1 Nelly Korda, who won both The Chevron Championship and the U.S. Women’s Open this season. Korda has never won The Amundi Evian Championship and will look to knock the fourth-of-five majors off of her chance for the career grand slam.

France’s own and 2023 The Amundi Evian Championship champion Celine Boutier will look to claim her second major title and once again, claim victory on home soil.

Grace Kim, who had a 0.3-percent chance of winning this event late on Sunday a season ago, comes in as the defending champion. Kim chased down the leader late on Sunday, ultimately topping then World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul in a play-off to claim her maiden major title.

Other former of The Amundi Evian Championship teeing it up this week include Ayaka Furure (2024,) Brooke Henderson (2022,) Minjee Lee (2021,) Jin Young Ko (2019,) Anna Nordqvist (2017,) Lydia Ko (2015) and Hyo-Joo Kim (2014.)

The Course

The Evian Resort Golf Club is one of the most stunning pieces of golf that the world has to offer.

Located in Evian-les-Bains, Haute-Savoie in southeast France, this stunning venue offers dazzling views of the nearby Alps and Lake Geneva. It makes it one of the most picturesque venues in the world.

This venue ranks as one of the best golf resorts in Continental Europe.

It plays as a par-72 at 6,693 yards.

It was opened in 1904 as a nine hole course. It was expanded and re-designed in the late 1980’s by Cabell B. Robinson.

Off-the-tee, golfers will need to find the fairways, as this venue is known for its thick rough. Golfers will often need to hack their way out-of-the-rough (no pun intended) to find the fairway as reaching, let alone holding the green from such locations, will be darn near impossible.

The fairways are narrow and tight as well, adding to the need of being accurate off-the-tee.

The greens are a bentgrass/poa hybrid and run between 11.5-to-12 on the Stimpmeter.

There are many straight forward and bland holes on this golf course. In terms of majors, this is the easiest venue the World’s best women will see.

The Evian Resort Golf Club underwent a $8 million renovation in 2012-2013, spearheaded by architect Steve Smyers and European Golf Design, enhancing the tees, fairways, greens and bunkers.

Despite the recent work, this course also continues to struggle with drainage, so pay attention to the weather reports as any form of precipitation will change how this venue is played.

The Weather

As of the time of writing this, Thursday is calling for a zero-percent chance of precipitation as Friday is calling for a ten-percent chance. Saturday is calling for a 25-percent chance of precipitation as Sunday is calling for a 15-percent chance. Temperatures will exceed 90-degrees across all four days. Thursday’s temperatures are set at 90-degrees as Friday is calling for 91-degrees, Saturday 90-degrees and Sunday 92-degrees. Winds will be the highest on Thursday at nine miles-per-hour before settling to six miles-per-hour on Friday. Winds will settle at five miles-per-hour across both days of the weekend.

Key Stats

• Strokes Gained: Driving (SG: Driving)

• Total Driving

• Strokes Gained: Approach (SG: APP)

• Ball Striking

• Greens in Regulation when miss the fairway (GIR% when missing the fairway)

• Scrambling

• Strokes Gained: Putting (SG: PUTT)

• Par Five Average Scoring

• Birdie or Better Percentage

• Strokes Gained: Around the Green (SG: ATG)

Betting Card

Jeeno Thitikul (+1200)

I came into this week knowing I was going to bet Thitikul and having her at 12/1 leaves enough meat on the bone. She is currently second on Tour in ball striking, third in total driving, tenth in birdie-or-better percentage, 23rd in ball of SG: DRIVE, GIR% when missing the fairway and par-five average scoring, 39th in SG: PUT, 43rd in SG: APP, 54th in SG: ATG and 70th in scrambling. She placed eighth at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. Prior to that she missed the cut at the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give but placed 28th at the U.S. Women’s Open, seventh at the Kroger Queen City Championship and won the Mizuho Americas Open. She placed second at this event a season ago. She missed the cut here in 2024, placed ninth in 2023, eighth in 2022 and fifth in 2021. 

Hye-Jin Choi (+4000)

This feels like a great number for Choi. She placed 24th in her latest outing at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. Prior to that she placed second at the Dow Championship and 49th at the U.S. Women’s Open. She withdrew from the ShopRite LPGA Classic but placed 21st at the Kroger Queen City Championship and third at the Mizuho Americas Open. Choi has also been great at this event over the past four seasons. She placed 14th here a season ago, seventh in 2024, 48th in 2023 and 22nd in 2022. Choi is currently fourth on Tour in par-five average scoring, tenth in ball striking, 13th in birdie-or-better percentage, 17th in SG: PUTT, 21st in total driving, 23rd in SG: APP, 24th in SG: DRIVE, 101st in scrambling, 104th in GIR% when missing the fairway and 122nd in SG: ATG. 

Brooke Henderson (+6600)

Henderson was the 2022 winner of this event and also was the runner-up in 2023. She placed 31st here a season ago, 24th in 2024 and 25th in 2021. She’s also found some form as of late. She placed third at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, 48th at the Meijer LPGA Classic for SimplyGive, 22nd at the U.S. Women’s Open and 40th at the ShopRite LPGA Classic. Henderson is currently fifth on Tour in total driving, sixth in both SG: PUTT and par-five average scoring, 16th in ball striking, 22nd in GIR% when missing the fairway, 25th in scrambling, 65th in SG: DRIVE, 76th in birdie-or-better percentage, 79th in SG: APP and 138th in SG: ATG. 

Chizzy Iwai (+6600)

Iwai is currently 23rd on Tour in par-five average scoring, 24th in total driving, 34th in scrambling, 46th in both ball striking and SG: PUTT, 51st in SG: ATG, 56th in SG: DRIVE, 63rd in birdie-or-better percentage, 72nd in GIR% when missing the fairway and 80th in SG: APP. She missed the cut at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship but placed 12th at the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give and seventh at the Dow Championship. She missed the cut at the U.S. Women’s Open but placed fourth at the ShopRite LPGA Classic. Iwai also placed 14th at this event a season ago and missed the cut in 2023.

2025 Betting Card

• Somi Lee (+2800) - T14th

• Jin Young Ko (+5500) - T35th

• Nasa Hataoka (+7000) - T59th

• Lindy Duncan (+12500) - WD

2024 Betting Card

• Atthaya Thitikul (+1400) - MC

• Ally Ewing (+2500) - T10th

• Hannah Green (+4000) - T44th

• Patty Tavatanakit (+6600) - 3rd

• Gabriela Ruffels (+9000) - T55th