First round summary

Furue puts on a great show, Korda and Henderson hot on her heels

Carding a brilliant first round of 63 (-8), Ayaka Furue (JPN) has established herself at the very top of the leaderboard. The finalist from the last Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play electrified the crowds with an impressive first round punctuated by nine birdies over the course of play. Arriving on the LPGA Tour this season, she demonstrated how at ease she was and mastered The Champions Course better than anyone. A course that has definitely been very successful for her since last year she finished 4th during her very first participation in Haute-Savoie. In 2021, her rounds fluctuated between 66 and 68…

Nelly Korda (USA) is finally in the game at Evian, after her long putts that dropped on 2 and 8 and her miraculous par on the 18th after a ball in the water, which she was able to play out of the obstacle. She played remarkably well and did not have to try too hard to finish her first round with a bogey-free 64 (-7). The American world n° 3 has never finished in the top 10 at Evian, although she has in all the other majors. Will this be the week? We’ll find out on Sunday evening!

As for Brooke M. Henderson (CAN), she could not have dreamed of a better start to her week in Evian. With two consecutive birdies for her first two holes (10 and 11), the 24-year-old Canadian gave a preview of a day which will definitely have put a smile on her face. The current world number 10 made par after par until she achieved four further birdies on the first five holes on the back nine (1, 2, 3 and 5). In the end, she carded the second best round of the day (64, -7), masterfully secured with a magnificent eagle on the 9th.


Knight in ambush, the favourites all present and correct!

Also starting from hole 10, Cheyenne Knight (USA) immediately set about demonstrating to her co-competitors that her 4th place last week at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational was no accident. The 2019 rookie on the LPGA Tour got her first round off to the perfect start with four birdies on the first five holes, concluding her front 9 four strokes under par. She then added three birdies to her card on the back 9 and finished her first round on 65 (-6), which puts her two shots behind the leader.

After a poor performance at the 2021 event (60th), the South Korean Jin-Young Ko (KOR) wanted revenge on her return to Haute-Savoie this year. This she has achieved, having taken no blows on the course, coming in at 66 (-5) without a bogey, putting her in provisional 5th place. On great form this season (see: Jin-Young Ko, world number 1) , the 2019 champion is still chasing her third major, she who has not won a Grand Slam since her first and only victory in Evian 3 years ago.


Lydia Ko (NZL) and In Gee Chun (KOR), winners in 2015 and 2016 respectively, are also used to being the leaders in the elite of women’s world golf. Once again, they’ve lived up to expectations. The first carded 66 (-5) and the second a solid bogey-free 67 (-4).


Snippets of news

- The young 19-year-old American Rose Zhang carded a first round 70 (-1), giving herself every chance of making the cut tomorrow evening. Among the amateurs, Anna Davis (USA) and Rachel Heck (USA) also finished one shot under par.

- 3rd in the 2021 tournament, Yealimi Noh (USA) was unable to reproduce last year’s start to the competition (65 ; -6) and finished her first day with a 73 (+2) crowned with just one birdie on 11.

- The Jutanugarn sisters, Ariya and Moriya, who were playing together today, had a very different day. While Moriya shot a first round 70 (-1), Ariya experienced a complicated Thursday to card 77 (+6).
- One of the players with a “French Touch”, Perrine Delacour performed brilliantly in front of her home crowd with an excellent 66 (-5), while Céline Boutier had to settle for a timid 72 (+1), with her putting lacking a little “aggressiveness” as she explained after her round. Agathe Laisné also carded 72 (+1), Pauline Roussin-Bouchard shot par.

- As usual, Hyo-Joo Kim (KOR) tranquilly took her place in the top part of the leaderboard (T19) with a first-round 68 (-3), in keeping with her outstanding performances in Evian.

- The winner on the Ladies European Tour last Sunday, Anna Nordqvist (SWE) confirmed her excellent form and provisionally takes 8th place in the event (67 ; -4). As a reminder, she won the 2017 edition of The Evian Championship.