American Amy Olson (-14) holds a two-stroke advantage over Sei Young Kim (-12) of the Republic of Korea heading into the final round of the Evian Championship today at Evian Resort Golf Club in France. Olson leads at an LPGA event through 54 holes for the first time in her career and is looking for her first career victory in the fifth major.
Kim, a 12-time professional tournament winner and seven-time LPGA champion, is looking for her first major championship victory.
“My big goal is to win a major tournament,” Kim said. “I have seven wins but there is no major tournament, so I wish I could win the major tournament. But I don’t know what’s going to happen.”
The 2014 Ricoh Women’s British Open champion Mo Martin is alone in third at 10-under par. Starting five strokes back at 9-under par are seven-time major winner Inbee Park, Angela Stanford, looking for her first major and Georgia Hall, going for back-to-back majors.
PARK LOOKING FOR EIGHTH MAJOR
Park’s wins include the U.S. Women’s Open (2008, 2013), ANA Inspiration (2013), KPMG Women’s PGA Championship (2013, 2014, 2015) and the Ricoh Women’s British Open (2015).
With a win at The Evian Championship, the 2016 Olympic gold medallist would join Karrie Webb as the only players to win five different majors.
“Every time I play Evian I kind of think about it,” Park said. “If it happens, it happens; if it doesn’t, it doesn’t. I’m just trying to play better golf every day and that’s what I’m trying to focus on.”
MATTER OF TIME
2015 Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year Sei Young Kim is in just her fourth season on the LPGA Tour, but after looking at her results it seems surprising that she has yet to find the winner’s circle in a major championship. With seven LPGA titles to her name, Kim has the most wins among active LPGA players who have not won a major title.
Not only that, but seven of Kim’s 35 career top-10 finishes have come in major championships, including a runner-up finish at the 2015 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. Kim will have a chance for a major breakthrough.
Angela Stanford, meanwhile, has been a staple on the LPGA Tour since her rookie season in 2001. Like Kim, Stanford has come close in major championships but hasn’t been able to break through for the big win. The five-time LPGA winner has 13 top-10 finishes in major championships, including a runner-up finish where she lost by one stroke in an 18-hole playoff at the 2003 U.S. Women’s Open.
Stanford has put herself in a good position for that breakthrough major title sitting just five shots off the lead at The Evian Championship, where she has three top-18 finishes since the event became a major.
BACK-TO-BACK GLORY
In 2015, Lydia Ko won the season’s final major, The Evian Championship, and the following season she won the season’s first major championship, the ANA Inspiration. 2018 Ricoh Women’s British Open winner Georgia Hall is trying to become the next back-to-back major winner this week as she sits T4 heading into the final round of The Evian Championship.
Inbee Park is the last player to have won two major championships in one season, when she won the 2015 Ricoh Women’s British Open and the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
In Gee Chun (2015 U.S. Women’s Open, 2016 Evian Championship) and Se Ri Pak (1998 McDonald’s LPGA Championship, 1998 U.S. Women’s Open) are the only women to win majors as their first two LPGA titles.
PLAYER NOTES
Rolex Rankings No. 89 Amy Olson
• Olson, 26, is from Oxbow, North Dakota and attended North Dakota State University where she broke the NCAA record for most career victories with 20 wins
• Olson holds the 54-hole lead for the first time in her LPGA career
• Olson’s 54-hole score of 199 bests her previous career-low by six strokes (2018 ANA Inspiration)
• Olson’s career-best finish is T7 at the 2014 LPGA Lotte Championship, one of four career top-10 finishes on the LPGA – she has two top-10s this season including T9 at the ANA Inspiration (best in a major)
• Formerly Amy Anderson, married Grant Olson on June 6, 2017 – her husband is currently the Linebackers Coach for the Indiana State University football team
• Olson graduated from North Dakota State University in 2013 with a degree in Accounting
Rolex Rankings No. 19 Sei Young Kim
Kim, 25, is from Seoul, Republic of Korea
• Kim is a seven-time LPGA winner – she has the most wins of any active LPGA player without winning a major championship (was runner-up at the 2015 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship)
• Kim’s 54-hole total of 201 is her lowest in a major championship in her career
• Kim has finished T11, fifth and T6 in three starts at The Evian Championship (2015-17)
• Kim finished at 31-under par in her win at the 2018 Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic, breaking the all-time LPGA 72-hole scoring record by four strokes – she had previously held the record of 27-under par (2016 JTBC Founders Cup) alongside Annika Sorenstam (2001 Standard Register PING)
• Kim and Brooke Henderson are the only players with wins in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018
Rolex Rankings No. 99 Mo Martin
• Martin, 35, is from Pasadena, Calif. and went to UCLA
• Martin’s 54-hole of 203 ties her career-low mark
• Martin’s second-round 66 was her career-low round in a major championship
• In 2018, Martin has made 18 cuts in 22 starts with a season-best T12 finish at the Volunteers of America LPGA Texas Classic
• At majors in 2018, Martin missed the cut at the ANA Inspiration and the U.S. Women’s Open, finished T33 at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and T39 at the Ricoh Women’s British Open
• Martin became one of 35 LPGA players who have won their first LPGA title at a major championship when she won the 2014 Ricoh Women’s British Open
• Martin has a career-best T26 showing in 2017 at The Evian Championship
Rolex Rankings No. 8 Georgia Hall
• Hall, 22, is from Wimborne, England
• Hall is the most recent major champion winning the 2018 Ricoh Women’s British Open in her home country
• Hall is one of six players with a chance to win the Rolex ANNIKA Major Award this week, but must win the tournament
• Hall currently ranks second in the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year point standings, with 678 points, 308 points behind leader Jin Young Ko.
• Hall is making her second start at The Evian Championship after finishing T10 in 2017
• Hall, a 2018 LPGA rookie, finished first on the Ladies European Tour Order of Merit in 2017 and leads the rankings again in 2018 after her British Open win
Rolex Rankings No. 4 Inbee Park
• Park, 30, is from Seoul, Republic of Korea
• Park is an LPGA Hall-of-Famer with 19 career LPGA wins and 7 major championships
• Park needs a win at The Evian Championship to join Karrie Webb as the only players in LPGA history to complete the Super Career Grand Slam (five different major wins)
• Park won the 2012 Evian Masters – her best finish since the event became a major in 2013 is T8 in 2015
• Park won the gold medal representing the Republic of Korea at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games
Rolex Rankings No. 76 Angela Stanford
• Stanford, 40, is from Fort Worth, Texas
• Stanford has made 12 career starts at The Evian Championship, since the event became a major in 2013 she has two top-10 finishes but has not cracked the top five
• Stanford’s career-best finish in a major championship came at the 2003 U.S. Women’s Open when she lost to Hilary Lunke in an 18-hole playoff
• Stanford finished T10 at the 2018 U.S. Women’s Open, one of four top-10 finishes in 22 starts this year
• Stanford is a five-time LPGA winner, with her most recent win coming at the 2012 HSBC Women’s Champions
OF NOTE
Juli Inkster (2003), Paula Creamer (2005) and Natalie Gulbis (2007) are the only American winners of this event; all three winning prior to The Evian Championship becoming a major championship.
An American has won at least one major championship in every season since 2013; with Danielle Kang’s 2017 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship being most recent.
During the 2018 LPGA season, both Pernilla Lindberg (ANA Inspiration) and Georgia Hall (Ricoh Women’s British Open) have become Rolex First-Time Winners at major championships.
Defending champion Anna Nordqvist is T52 after the third round of her title defence.
American Ryann O’Toole posted an 8-under par 63 on moving day; her career-best round by two strokes and the. lowest round of the field this week.
ROLEX RANKINGS NO. 1 SCENARIOS
With Rolex Rankings No. 1 Sung Hyun Park missing the cut at the season’s final major, it leaves the door open for a change at the top of the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings. Rolex Rankings No. 2 Ariya Jutanugarn, No. 3 So Yeon Ryu and No. 4 Inbee Park each have a shot to return to the top based on their finishes on Sunday.
Through the third round of The Evian Championship, Ryu is T16, Inbee Park is T4 and Jutanugarn is T48.
Projected scenarios are below:
Rolex Rankings No. 2 Ariya Jutanugarn
• Jutanugarn would move to No. 1 with a win.
• If Jutanugarn finishes second, she would need So Yeon Ryu and Inbee Park to not win.
• If Jutanugarn finishes third, she would need Inbee Park to finish fourth or worse and So Yeon Ryu to not win.
• If Jutanugarn finishes fourth, she would need Inbee Park to finish third or worse and So Yeon Ryu to not win.
• If Jutanugarn finishes fifth, sixth or seventh she would need Inbee Park and So Yeon Ryu to finish third or worse.
Rolex Rankings No. 3 So Yeon Ryu
• Ryu would move to No. 1 with a win.
• If Ryu finishes second, she would need Ariya Jutanugarn to finish fifth or worse and Inbee Park to finish third or worse.
Rolex Rankings No. 4 Inbee Park
• Park would move to No. 1 with a win.
• If Park finishes second, she would need Ariya Jutanugarn to finish third or worse and So Yeon Ryu to not win.
