Players to compete for additional $300,000
The prize fund for the 2017 Evian Championship, the season’s final major, has been raised to $3.65 million and will continue to be the highest purse on the European women’s golfing calendar in 2017.
“We are extremely delighted and proud to announce this increase in our prize money,” said Franck Riboud, chairman of The Evian Championship. “This development once again resonates with our desire to position The Evian Championship as a platform to aid the promotion and growth of women’s golf.”
The LET players have been part of Evian for 23 years, since the inaugural Evian Masters in 1994 and the tournament continues to prosper as the fifth Major.
In 2013, the ‘Evian Masters’ became ‘The Evian Championship’ and the event produced a European winner in Suzann Pettersen of Norway, who ended two strokes ahead of the young amateur Lydia Ko from New Zealand, with the exciting American Lexi Thompson in third.
The year after its debut, the 2014 championship exceeded all expectations when a 19-year-old Korean Hyo Joo Kim opened with an all-time Major record of 61 (-10) and went on to claim the trophy.
In 2015, Lydia Ko claimed the title at just 18 years, four months and 20 days and became the youngest winner of a women’s major in golf history.
In 2016, the event produced yet another all-time Major record – the third in three years – when South Korean In Gee Chun led from start to finish to post 21-under-par 263 for 72 holes. It was her second Major title following the 2015 US Women’s Open (which boasts the highest purse in women’s golf at US$5 million).
The 2017 Evian Championship will be conducted Sept. 14-17 at Evian Resort Golf Club in Evian-les-Bains, France.
