Grace Kim gives a thumbs-up to the new plaque at Evian.
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There’s a new plaque by the pond near the 18th green at Evian Resort Golf Club which celebrates the chip-in that helped Grace Kim claim victory in the Evian Championship 12 months ago.
As good as the shot was – and it was exceptional – the plaque also implicitly commemorates one of the greatest runs to the finishing line by any player in a major championship.
Because the Australian had to make an eagle-3 on the 484-yard par-5 18th hole in the final round to have any hope of winning. She duly found the green in two blows and drained the putt to do just that.
Playing the 18th again in the playoff, her approach found water whereupon she executed that chip-in for a birdie that extended the playoff. She then made another eagle-3 to defeat Jeeno Thitikul.
The then 24-year-old had played the same hole, three times, in about 60 minutes, in 5-under par, including one penalty shot and just two putts.
Safe to say, the plaque was deserved.
“I saw it yesterday for the first time and it was really cool,” she said when it was unveiled. “It makes it feel like a bit of a legendary moment. But as much as I enjoy reliving those moments on the golf course, I would like to create new ones. Hopefully I can do that.”
Nelly Korda has often struggled at Evian.
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Evian is one of the great beauty spots on any tour. The spa town sits at the bottom of the French Alps looking out across Lake Geneva to the Swiss city of Lausanne on the far side of the water.
Players spend every evening strolling along the lake or taking dinner at a pavement bistro or cafe on the pedestrianised streets of the town centre.
Like the rest of the field, Nelly Korda is a fan of this relaxed French ambience and who would not be? The problems start, however, when she takes a shuttle up the hill to the golf course.
Because one of Korda’s great strengths is from the tee and Evian is the sort of fiddly test that has always tripped up elite drivers of a golf ball.
The tee shots are visually awkward, the sloping landing areas kick the ball into rough, distance is often neutered.
It might explain why Korda has struggled with the examination. Ahead of last week she had played the tournament eight times, recorded just two top-10s and had a best finish of T8 (in 2022).
Moreover, her cautious words told quite the story pre-tournament.
“Evian is special in itself,” she said before adding: “It’s Evian, that’s all I’m going to say. I’ve hit some really good shots and ended up in some really bad places, and hit some bad places and ended up in good places.
“I’m still figuring it out. Every year I learn something new about this place. So, yeah, it’s just Evian.”
With rounds of 74-69, Korda missed her first cut in two years last week.
Frenchwoman Nastasia Nadaud’s life has changed greatly over the past few months.
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The final weeks of last year transformed the life of Frenchwoman Nastasia Nadaud. In the first instance, she won the Spanish Open, the final event of the Ladies European Tour season, to end the year ranked third on the Order of Merit.
Shortly afterwards, buoyed by confidence, she emerged from the LPGA’s Q-Series with a card and an entirely new schedule for 2026.
A whirligig of new destinations and courses has followed. “I didn’t have much time to adapt to it, but I’ve found a good group of people to travel with which has been helping a lot,” she said ahead of last week’s first round.
Her experience is not unique, of course. But it is unusual that a rookie who hails from another continent finds the itinerary takes her home mid-year.
Because Nadaud is from Chambéry, a 90-minute drive south from Evian.
“I came back to my parents’ house last week,” she said. “It was nice to enjoy good food. I got to go see my friends and coaches and being in a familiar environment was really nice. It feels good to be back. One year ago, I would have never thought I would come back here and say I’m playing on the LPGA. It happened so quick, it’s hard to soak it in sometimes.”
Nadaud was on the first page of the leaderboard after opening rounds of 68-68 and finished T-22 after a 74-67 weekend.
The 18th hole at Evian Resort received some changes prior to last week’s event.
Marco Goncalves, Hans Lucas, AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
Ahead of last week’s championship changes had been made to the course.
Two new bunkers on the right and left of the landing area on the final fairway add to the difficulty of the drive meaning that what was previously a rather simple drive now places a higher demand on accuracy. The greens at Nos. 1 and 5 have also been extended.
“I think we’re in a pretty good sweet spot right now,” said John Miller, the LPGA’s agronomist. “We wanted to put money into the course to adapt it into a true major championship golf course.”
It is a reminder that the Danone company, which owns Evian, is determined to keep boosting the player experience. Danone’s honorary chairman, Franck Riboud, is particularly proud of what the event has achieved in raising the profile of golf in France and Europe, but also increasing the prize fund.
Indeed, its $9.1 million purse is more than double the 2021 figure.
Laura Davies is shown in 1996, the year she was fined for watching football during the Evian Masters.
Barry Batchelor, PA Images Via Getty Images
There has always been history when it comes to Evian and the game of football. In the pre-major championship era of the tournament, when it was known as the Evian Masters, players and caddies would play in an annual charity football match.
Mel Reid, now an impressive commentator on television, was a keen participant who, in football terms, was “hard tackling with a good engine.” Laura Davies, meanwhile, played her football like she played her golf: enigmatically and with a touch of class.
The fact that last week’s tournament coincided with football’s World Cup also prompted memories of a legendary tale about Davies, who was irked to discover that the final round of the 1996 Evian Masters would clash with England’s quarterfinal against Spain in that year’s European Championship.
Davies held a two-shot lead after a third-round 65 and opted to pack a portable TV in her golf bag before leaving the first tee. When play allowed, Davies and her caddie would watch the football.
The bad news is that she was fined for her behaviour.
The good news? “It was 50 euros so it wasn’t a real problem,” she said. Moreover, England won on penalties and, unaffected by the distraction, Davies doubled her advantage to win the tournament by four strokes.
Matt Cooper
