In the first round of the Evian Championship, Patty Tavatanakit from Thailand shot a 7-under 64, achieving seven birdies and securing a share of the lead with Ingrid Lindblad from Sweden and Gemma Dryburgh from Scotland. Tavatanakit previously won the ANA Inspiration in 2021 and the LPGA Thailand in February this year. Following closely behind, one stroke back, are Lauren Coughlin from the United States, 2014 Evian champion Hyo Joo Kim from South Korea, 2015 champion Lydia Ko from New Zealand, Hye-Jin Choi from South Korea, Gaby Lopez from Mexico, and Ayaka Furue from Japan.
Nelly Korda from the United States struggled through a 2-under 69, landing her at 21st place alongside defending champion Céline Boutier of France, 2022 Evian champion Brooke Henderson from Canada, Women’s PGA Championship winner Amy Yang, and other competitors. The picturesque Evian Resort Golf Club, situated between Lake Geneva and the French Alps, hosted the players for the fourth major tournament of the year, offering a total purse of $8 million with $1.2 million going to the Evian winner.
The current top earner on the tour, Korda, boasted six titles and $2,943,708 leading into the tournament. With six birdies, two bogeys, and a double bogey on the 16th hole, her round was marked by fluctuations. Notably, two holes-in-one were achieved in the morning session: Jodi Ewart Shadoff from England aced the par-3 16th hole using a 9 iron, winning a car sponsored by Porsche, while Chun-Wei Wu hit a hole-in-one on the par-3 5th hole, exclaiming excitement at her first major hole-in-one achievement.
