The Evian Championship exemption committee has announced the final three players who will receive an invite for the final Major of the season, taking place at the Evian Resort Golf Club on 15-18 September 2016. Bronte Law (England), the winner of the Annika Award by 3M, which honours the top US college player of the year, will be joined by world n°1 amateur Hannah O’Sullivan (USA) and Albane Valenzuela (Switzerland) in the field of the top 120 players.
Continued building of the champions of tomorrow
Hannah O’Sullivan (aged 18, amateur world n°1) distinguished herself in 2015 among the professional ranks by winning the Gateway Classic, becoming the youngest player in history to earn a victory on the Symetra Tour.
World no.11 amateur Albane Valenzuela, 18, is another exciting talent who is extremely close to qualifying for the Olympic Games in Rio.
These three amateurs had everything needed to attract the attention of the organizers, who are keen to support and guide future talent and offer them the opportunity to play top-level golf as part of a Major field. “We are still in pursuit of the goal we have set,” said Franck Riboud, Chairman of Danone and Chairman of the Evian Championship. “Using the Evian Championship platform and ecosystem to foster the development of young talent and bring alive the connection between the elite of women’s world golf and a new generation of champions is more than ever our greatest ambition.”
Albane Valenzuela pointed out at last year’s Evian Championship: “Being part of the Evian Championship galaxy is a really special feeling. What Franck Riboud has created here is just amazing. Giving young hopefuls their chance on challenging courses like a Major course sends out a real message to young players and thus to the future.”
About the players:
Hannah O’Sullivan – USA – Age 18 (11 May 1998)
Hannah O’Sullivan is no stranger to records. Aged 12, the American became the youngest player to win the State Junior Girls Championship in its 62-year history.
Aged 16, following 3 wins at prestigious American Junior Golf Association tournaments, she was victorious at the Gateway Classic and distinguished herself as the youngest Symetra Tour winner (16 years, 9 months and 11 days). Her title at the US Women’s Amateur Championship 2015 gave her the chance to compete in last year’s Evian Championship at which she made the cut and finished in 50th place. She also made the cut at the ANA Inspiration at the start of the 2016 season where she finished 65th, joint top amateur at the tournament with Albane
Valenzuela. The world number 1, who leads a group of 25 amateurs at the US Women’s Open, has everything needed to also make an impact in Evian this September.
Albane Valenzuela – Switzerland– Age 18 (11 December 1997)
It’s a dream come true for Albane. With her Olympic sights set on Tokyo 2020, she has had to change her schedule. It’s looking like it will be Rio 2016. The young Swiss player has produced some excellent performances during a year devoted entirely to golf prior to attending the prestigious Stanford University (like Tiger Woods!) Twice a winner in the USA last December at the Doral Publix Junior Golf Classic and prestigious Orange Bowl Junior, she secured her qualification for the US Women’s Open thanks to her fifth place finish at the Massachusetts qualifiers. Very much at home among the pros (joint top amateur with Hannah O’Sullivan at the ANA Inspiration, 5th and 4th on the European Tour 2016, in Morocco and then the Czech Republic), Albane will be giving it her best in her second appearance in the Evian Championship in 2016.
Bronte Law – England – Age 21 (12 March 1995)
Bronte Law is riding the wave of success. This year, the young English player, a student at UCLA in California, has been getting a lot of coverage in amateur world golf circles. Particularly praised following her double title at the English Women’s
Amateur Championship in 2014 and 2015, in May Bronte Law was named 2016 Ping WGCA Player of the Year with a total of three wins over the year (6 during her college career). Her season’s average score of 70.61 is the lowest since Lorena Ochoa (70.13) in 2002! Honored in June by the Annika Award by 3M, awarded to the top college player of the year, she receives an exemption for the Evian Championship where she will attempt to improve on her 33rd place finish at a
Major (Ricoh Women’s British Open 2012). In the meantime, she is smashing records with her noticeable participation in the last Curtis Cup at which she greatly contributed to the victory by Great Britain and Ireland up against the USA (5 matches won).
