LPGA HEADS TO FRANCE

The Evian Championship

Evian Resort Golf Club

Evian-les-Bains, France

LPGA HEADS TO FRANCE FOR SEASON’S FINAL MAJOR

Four majors down and one to go. The LPGA Tour moves on to Evian-les-Bains, France, and The Evian Championship, the final major of the 2017 season. The field includes 92 of the top 100 players on the LPGA Money List, as well as a combined 51 major victories. All four players who have claimed this major championship – Suzann Pettersen (2013), Hyo Joo Jim (2014), Lydia Ko (2015) and In Gee Chun (2016) – are in the field this week.

In 2016, In Gee Chun captured her first Evian Championship title by four strokes over Sung Hyun Park and So Yeon Ryu. Chun’s 72-hole score of -21 is the lowest major championship score in the history of men’s and women’s golf, and she went on to win the year’s Rolex Rookie of the Year honors.

Chun recently spoke with LPGA.com about her memories of her 2016 victory, saying, “My memories from last year’s Evian Championship are still vivid – my shots went in the direction I wanted and my putter felt great that week. During the four days of the tournament, everything worked out beyond my expectation. Every day spent in the town of Evian was new, different and meaningful, so it’s difficult to say that I had just one single memory from that week.”

After The Evian Championship, the LPGA Tour will take a week off before heading to Auckland and the MCKAYSON New Zealand Women’s Open. It’s then on to seven consecutive weeks in Asia, with the Tour visiting the People’s Republic of China, the Republic of Korea, Chinese Taipei, Malaysia and Japan, before heading back to the United States of America for the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship, in Naples, Fla.

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE EVIAN CHAMPIONSHIP

• Since 2013, The Evian Championship has been played as a major on the LPGA Tour
• From 1994-2012, the event was played as the Evian Masters and was a stop on the LPGA and Ladies European Tours
  • From 1994-1999, the event was part of the Ladies European Tour only
• Past Evian Masters winners in the field are Laura Davies (1995, 1996), Juli Inkster (2003), Paula Creamer (2005), Karrie Webb (2006), Natalie Gulbis (2007) and Ai Miyazato (2009, 2011)
• Hyo Joo Kim’s first-round 61 in 2014 is the lowest round in LPGA major history
• In Gee Chun’s 72-hole score of 21-under 263 is the lowest major championship score in the history of men’s and women’s golf

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT DEFENDING CHAMPION IN GEE CHUN

• In 18 starts this season, Chun has five runner-up finishes and three other top-10 finishes
• Currently No. 5 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings
• She has two LPGA victories, with both coming at majors – the 2015 U.S. Women’s Open Championship and the 2016 Evian Championship

ROLEX ANNIKA MAJOR AWARD UP FOR GRABS

The Rolex ANNIKA Major Award recognizes the player who, during a current LPGA Tour season, had the most outstanding record in all five major championships. Points are awarded at all five major championships to competitors who finished among the top 10 and ties. To take home the award, a player must also win at least one of the five majors.

With the first four majors complete, So Yeon Ryu (ANA Inspiration), Danielle Kang (KPMG Women’s PGA Championship), Sung Hyun Park (U.S. Women’s Open Championship) and In-Kyung Kim (Ricoh Women’s British Open) have staked their claim to the 2017 RAMA title. Ryu currently leads the race with 78 points, followed by Kang, Kim and Park with 60 points apiece. The winner of this week’s Evian Championship will also be eligible to win RAMA honors.

WHO’S IN THE FIELD

2017 LPGA Winners (17):

Brittany Lincicome (Pure Silk Bahamas LPGA Classic), Amy Yang (Honda LPGA Thailand), Anna Nordqvist (Bank of Hope Founders Cup), Mirim Lee (Kia Classic), So Yeon Ryu (ANA Inspiration, Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G), Cristie Kerr (LOTTE Championship presented by Hershey), Haru Nomura (Volunteers of America Texas Shootout presented by JTBC), Sei Young Kim (Citibanamex Lorena Ochoa Match Play presented by Aeromexico and Delta), Lexi Thompson (Kingsmill Championship presented by JTBC, Indy Women in Tech Championship presented by Guggenheim), Shanshan Feng (LPGA Volvik Championship), In-Kyung Kim (ShopRite LPGA Classic presented by Acer, Marathon Classic presented by Owens Corning and O-I, Ricoh Women’s British Open), Ariya Jutanugarn (Manulife LPGA Classic), Brooke Henderson (Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give), Danielle Kang (KPMG Women’s PGA Championship), Katherine Kirk (Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic), Sung Hyun Park (U.S. Women’s Open Championship, CP Women’s Open), Mi Hyang Lee (Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open)

2017 Solheim Cup Participants (21)

Team USA (9): Paula Creamer, Austin Ernst, Danielle Kang, Cristie Kerr, Brittany Lang, Brittany Lincicome, Gerina Piller, Lexi Thompson, Angel Yin

Team Europe (12): Carlota Ciganda, Georgia Hall, Charley Hull, Karine Icher, Caroline Masson, Catriona Matthew, Anna Nordqvist, Florentyna Parker, Emily K. Pedersen, Mel Reid, Madelene Sagstrom, Jodi Ewart Shadoff

2017 LPGA Rookies (12):

Aditi Ashok, Nicole Broch Larsen, Peiyun Chien, Laura Gonzalez Escallon, Nelly Korda, Olafia Kristinsdottir, Bronte Law, Sung Hyun Park, Emily K. Pedersen, Mel Reid, Madelene Sagstrom, Angel Yin

MIYAZATO PLAYING IN FINAL LPGA EVENT BEFORE RETIREMENT

This week marks two-time Evian Masters champion and nine-time LPGA Tour winner Ai Miyazato’s final appearance as a member of the LPGA Tour. In May, Miyazato announced her intention to retire at the end of the season, and she decided to make the Evian Championship her final event.

“I started golf when I was 4,” Miyazato said in May at a press conference in her native Japan. “It’s over 20 years. I have received many supports from many people. So I would like to repay from my position.”

She added, “I received many messages from many people, that you have done well. Many players, older and younger, told me that they will miss me. But now I am very thankful. Friends, players, family were very warm and accepting about my retirement.”

Over her 12-year LPGA Tour career, Miyazato has amassed nine victories, 62 top-10 finishes and more than $8 million in career earnings. She spent 11 weeks in the No. 1 spot on the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings in 2010, and became the most beloved Japanese golfer since Ayako Okamoto.

THE FINAL STRETCH IN THE RACE TO THE CME GLOBE

The Evian Championship is the 26th event in the season-long Race to the CME Globe. This week could provide a major shakeup to the Race standings, as the five LPGA major championships carry 25% more value and this week’s winner will receive 625 Race to the CME Globe points.

World No. 2 Lexi Thompson currently leads the standings with 3,192 points, followed by World No. 1 So Yeon Ryu (2,652 points) and World No. 3 Sung Hyun Park (2,563 points).

In 2017, the reset points for the Race to the CME Globe will be modified slightly. As a result of these modifications:

• The top five finishers entering Naples will control their own destiny at the CME Group Tour Championship
  • If a player in the top five wins in Naples, she will also win the $1M CME Globe
• The top 12 finishers entering Naples will have a mathematical chance to win the $1M CME Globe
• Please note that previously, the top three controlled their destiny and top nine had a mathematical chance

CME GROUP CARES WEEKENDS EAGLES UPDATE AFTER IWiT CHAMPIONSHIP

CME Group Cares Weekend is a season-long charitable giving program that turns eagles into donations.  For each eagle recorded during weekend play (Saturday and Sunday) throughout the 2017 LPGA Tour season, CME Group donates $1,000 to the program’s total donation count. The money raised will go towards a charitable pool and be split evenly between Wounded Warrior Project® and Bright Pink®.

Players scored four eagles over the weekend at the 2017 Indy Women in Tech Championship presented by Guggenheim, raising another $4,000 for charity. This brings the total to 238 eagles on the year, which translates to $238,000 raised.