Cosmopolitan! A fitting word for The Amundi Evian Championship, where the world's finest players gather each year. Driven by the continued rise of Asian golf, players from Japan, Korea and China set the pace from the opening round, claiming half of the Top 14 positions on the leaderboard. Yet the tournament is far from decided. Energised by home support, France’s Perrine Delacour showed the way. An intense and resolutely international opening act, perfectly reflecting the only Major championship held in continental Europe.

Thrilling breakthroughs, tough setbacks, moments of brilliance and calculated course management: Round 1 of The Amundi Evian Championship delivered plenty of drama. Further strengthened by its latest strategic enhancements, the Champions Course showed little mercy to the 132 world-class players in the field. From the very first groups out, the Asian contingent made its presence felt. A true birdie-making machine, Japan’s Aki Iwai seized the clubhouse lead midway through the day with a superb 8-under-par 63. Close behind, Korea’s Hae Ran Ryu, buoyed by her recent victory at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, quickly found her stride. She sits tied for third at 3-under par alongside Mao Saigo (JPN), Jin Hee Im (KOR), Charley Hull (ENG) and Maja Stark (SWE).

The biggest emotion of the day, however, came from the French camp. Playing in front of her home crowd, Perrine Delacour produced a standout performance featuring an eagle at the 15th, six birdies and just two bogeys. Her impressive opening round leaves her alone in second place on the leaderboard. It was a more difficult day, however, for several pre-tournament favourites, including Nelly Korda (USA), Céline Boutier (FRA) and defending champion Grace Kim (AUS). Without a strong response, they could find themselves on the wrong side of the cut line by the end of play today.

The Round 2 Gazette is available here.