For the 29th time an Australian enters a Major championship as the defending champion and for Minjee Lee, it is the first of two inside the next 12 months.

Lee’s victory at the 2021 Amundi Evian Championship was remarkable not only for the time it took to achieve but the manner in which she did it.

Ten strokes back after 36 holes. Seven strokes adrift with one round left to play.

It was not the obvious occasion to break her Major duck yet a closing 64 and a two-putt birdie at the first playoff hole saw her become Australia’s 15th Major winner, a feat she would repeat at this year’s US Women’s Open in commanding fashion.

Evian Resort Golf Club in the south-east of France has proven to be fertile ground for Australian winners, dating back to before it was elevated to major championship status.

Originally played as the Evian Masters from 1994 on the Ladies European Tour, it became a LPGA Tour co-sanctioned event in 2000, Rachel Hetherington the first to taste victory in 2001.

Wendy Doolan and Karrie Webb were champions in 2004 and 2006 respectively before becoming the Evian Championship in 2013 and declared the year’s final women’s Major.

It now sits as the fourth of the five women’s Majors and is this year worth $US6.5 million in total prizemoney, an increase of $2 million since Lee’s victory 12 months ago.

There are five Australians in the field this week with Hannah Green, Su Oh and Sarah Kemp all boasting prior top-30 finishes in the championship.

Lee has been paired with fellow 2022 Major winners In Gee Chun and Jennifer Kupcho and begins her opening round at 4.27pm AEST.

The Amundi Evian Championship
Evian Resort Golf Club
Evian-les-Bains, France
Defending champion: Minjee Lee
Past Aussie winners: Rachel Hetherington (2001), Wendy Doolan (2004), Karrie Webb (2006), Minjee Lee (2021)

Round 1 tee times (AEST)
4.15pm*             Lydia Ko (NZ), Jin Young Ko, Anna Nordqvist
4.27pm*             Minjee Lee, In Gee Chun, Jennifer Kupcho
4.51pm Stephanie Kyriacou, Frida Kinhult, Yealimi Noh
8.27pm Su Oh, Brittany Altomare, Amy Yang
8.51pm*             Hannah Green, Ayaka Furue, Hyo Joo Kim
9.51pm Sarah Kemp, Lauren Coughlin, Esther Henseleit

Live TV coverage

Thursday
7pm-10pm and 11.30pm-2.30am on Fox Sports 503

Friday
7pm-10pm and 11.30pm-2.30am on Fox Sports 503

Saturday
7.30pm-11pm on Fox Sports 505; 11pm-12.55am on Fox Sports 503

Sunday
7.30pm-1am on Fox Sports 503

Aussies in the field

Minjee Lee
World ranking: 2
Age: 26
Major wins: 2 (2021 Evian Championship; 2022 US Women’s Open)
LPGA Tour wins: 8
Best finish at Evian Championship: Won in 2021
Best finish in 2022: Won Cognizant Founders Cup; Won US Women’s Open

Hannah Green
World ranking: 18
Age: 25
Major wins: 1 (2019 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship)
LPGA Tour wins: 2
Best finish at Evian Championship: T30 in 2019
Best finish in 2022: Won Vic Open; Won TPS Murray River

Stephanie Kyriacou
World ranking: 106
Age: 21
Major wins: 0
LPGA Tour wins: 0
Best finish at Evian Championship: T65 in 2021
Best finish in 2022: T6 at Saudi Ladies International

Su Oh
World ranking: 116
Age: 26
Major wins: 0
LPGA Tour wins: 0
Best finish at Evian Championship: T14 in 2017
Best finish in 2022: Won Australian WPGA Championship

Sarah Kemp
World ranking: 184
Age: 36
Major wins: 0
LPGA Tour wins: 0
Best finish at Evian Championship: T19 in 2021
Best finish in 2022: T10 at Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational

Championship site

https://amundi.evianchampionship.com/

Social Media

Twitter: @EvianChamp

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/evianchamp/

Hashtag: #EvianChamp