There are five major championships in women's professional golf. Four of them are played in the United States. One is played in France, in a town that produces the world's most recognized bottled water, on a course positioned between Lake Geneva and the French Alps, in a setting that no other major championship, men's or women's can come close to replicating.
The Amundi Evian Championship is the only major golf tournament in continental Europe.It runs July 9-12, 2026 at Evian Resort Golf Club in Évian-les-Bains, France — and in a season that has already produced dramatic major results, this fourth major of the women's calendar arrives with a storyline that could define the year.
For golf fans tracking the full picture of what is happening in the women's game in 2026, this is the week that demands attention. Here are five reasons why the Amundi Evian Championship stands apart — not just from the other women's majors, but from any major championship in professional golf.
Reason 1: It Is the Only Major Played in Continental Europe, and the Setting Is Unlike Anything Else in Golf
Most golf majors are defined by their course. Augusta National, St Andrews, Shinnecock Hills, Muirfield — the venue is the story. At Evian, the venue is one part of a larger sensory experience that makes the championship genuinely unlike any other week in professional golf.
Its location between Lake Geneva and the Alps gives the tournament a unique appeal. From the fairways of Evian Resort Golf Club, players and spectators look out across one of the most recognizable Alpine landscapes in Europe — a backdrop that television cameras capture partially but that only makes complete sense in person. The elevation changes on the course itself are not incidental to this geography: they are built into it, with holes that climb, descend, and redirect against a panoramic context that has no equivalent at any other tournament site on the world golf calendar.
The course plays as a par 71 at 6,504 yards, with a 72-hole stroke play format and a halfway cut to the top 70 and ties after two rounds. That par 71 layout — shorter than a typical LPGA major venue but positioned at altitude with complex green undulations and elevation-driven distance distortions — demands a specific type of precise, imaginative golf that straight power-based players consistently underestimate on first encounter.
This tournament is the first major in continental Europe and is a member of the highly select club of five major tournaments on the women's world golf tour. It was elevated to major status in 2013, which means the Evian Championship is still the newest major in women's golf — young enough that each year adds to its developing championship identity, old enough that a generation of top players now defines their careers partly by what they have or have not achieved here.
For continuing coverage of major championship golf through the 2026 season, golfaq.com covers every major tournament from preview through final round — a useful reference as the women's and men's calendars converge this July.
Reason 2: Nelly Korda Is Chasing History, and Evian Is the Stage for It
If there is one storyline that elevates the Amundi Evian Championship 2026 from "significant major" to "potentially historic week," it is this: Nelly Korda has won two of the three majors already staged in 2026.
World No. 1 Nelly Korda continues her pursuit of another major victory against one of the strongest fields of the season. A third major in a single calendar year would place Korda in extraordinarily rare company. The calendar Grand Slam — winning all five women's majors in a single year — has never been achieved in modern professional golf. Three in a year is itself exceptional. Four would be unprecedented in the modern era.
Korda's combination of length, elite iron play and improved putting makes her the obvious player to beat at a venue that demands quality from tee to green. The analytical case for Korda at Evian is straightforward: the course rewards precision approaches and consistent ball-striking, both of which are hallmarks of her game at its best. The psychological case is even simpler — she is playing the best golf of her career in a major season, and nothing in the field suggests the momentum is slowing.
The specific challenge Evian presents is the green complexes. The venue's tricky greens and elevation changes have historically produced results that diverge from what the pre-tournament odds suggest, because reading Evian's putting surfaces in conditions affected by mountain weather requires experience that some first-time visitors simply do not have yet. Korda, who knows this course well, has that experience. Whether she converts it into a third major trophy in 2026 is the defining question of the week.
Reason 3: The Defending Champion Has the Longest Odds in the Field, and That Is Exactly What Makes Evian Interesting
In 2025, with her victory at The Amundi Evian Championship, Grace Kim became the third consecutive player to earn her first major at Evian Resort Golf Club in France, joining Ayaka Furue and Celine Boutier.
Read that sentence again: three consecutive Evian champions, all winning their first major at this specific venue. Not their first Evian. Their first major anywhere. The pattern is not a coincidence — it is a statement about what Evian does as a course and as a championship environment. It has a history of producing surprise champions from players who arrive without major experience but with precisely the game the course rewards: patience, creativity around elevated greens, and the composure to handle a setting that is unfamiliar in almost every way.
Defending champion Grace Kim returns looking to retain her title after a playoff triumph last year.The defending champion is Australian Grace Kim, who triumphed in 2025 with a spectacular finish. The fact that bookmakers have Kim at significant odds to retain is not a slight — it reflects both the depth of the 2026 field and the historical rarity of back-to-back Evian champions. But Kim's presence in the field as the defending champion adds a specific dimension to the week: can the course that turned her into a first-time major champion also support a defense against the deepest field the tournament has ever assembled?
This year's top-calibre field includes 29 players from the top 30 in the world rankings, which is a remarkable concentration of talent for any major. The Amundi Evian Championship field is headlined by Nelly Korda, Jeeno Thitikul, Lottie Woad, Hannah Green and more, competing in this 72-hole event. The combination of established stars, rising players, and a defending champion who proved that Evian can make careers as much as it tests them makes the 2026 field one of the most narratively rich in the championship's short major history.
Reason 4: A Record $9.1 Million Purse Signals Where Women's Golf Is Heading
The Amundi Evian Championship purse has increased to $9.1 million, making this the richest edition of the championship in its history. The winner will take home approximately $1.365 million under the LPGA's standard prize-money distribution.
The number matters beyond the headline. The Amundi Evian Championship was elevated to major status just over a decade ago in 2013, and the trajectory of its prize fund since then reflects the broader arc of investment in women's professional golf. A $9.1 million purse at a tournament that was not even a major thirteen years ago is a data point in an ongoing story about where the LPGA and its sponsors see the women's game heading.
With the cut falling to the top 70 and ties after two rounds, the week should reward precise iron play, imaginative scoring and the ability to handle one of the most picturesque but demanding setups in women's golf. That cut structure 132 players entering, 70 surviving means two days of authentic qualifying pressure before the weekend's final act, which consistently produces compelling Thursday and Friday storylines as the leaderboard separates.
Alongside the prize money, the on-site experience carries its own significant endorsements. Porsche AG is once again Automotive and Mobility Partner and will offer a range of special experiences for players, guests and visitors during the major tournament. A highlight of the on-site presence is the Porsche Cayenne Turbo Electric as the hole-in-one prize. The combination of a record purse and premium partnership signals a tournament that has successfully positioned itself as more than a regional showcase — it is now a global destination event for women's golf's most significant week in Europe.
Reason 5: The Contender Pool Beyond Korda Makes This the Most Open Major of the Year
History-chasing headlines tend to flatten the field narrative when one player is this dominant, coverage sometimes forgets that 131 other players also teed it up. At Evian 2026, the contender pool beyond Korda is genuinely deep and genuinely interesting.
Jeeno Thitikul sits next in the market and remains one of the most complete all-round players in women's golf. Her precise ball control and smart course management make her an especially persuasive fit for Evian Resort Golf Club, where creativity and patience are often just as important as pure power. Thitikul has finished close at majors without converting, and Evian's specific demands, technical rather than overpowering, may suit her more than courses where raw distance is the primary separator.
Haeran Ryu proved herself to be a genuine major contender when winning the KPMG Women's PGA Championship last month. Her rise has been built on an excellent tee-to-green profile, and that strength should translate well to a championship where precision approaches and steady composure matter greatly. A player arriving at a major with a recent major win in her recent memory is one of the most dangerous variables in any week's field, the confidence that comes from knowing you can close is not something form tables capture.
Lottie Woad rounds out the leading group and continues to attract major interest whenever she appears in elite events. Her rapid rise and fearless attitude have already shown that she can compete against the best, and a venue like Evian should suit a player comfortable shaping shots and taking on a strategic challenge. Woad is already being priced as a genuine contender rather than simply an exciting prospect.
And then there is the Evian wildcard effect - the pattern of first-time major champions that the course has established over three consecutive editions. Whatever the odds say on Thursday morning, the history of this specific venue suggests that at least one name on the Sunday leaderboard will not be the one the pre-tournament consensus expected.
How to Watch the Amundi Evian Championship 2026
Viewers in the United States can watch all four rounds live on Golf Channel, with additional streaming coverage available through NBC Sports' digital platforms. Thursday: Golf Channel from 6am ET. Friday: Golf Channel from 6am ET. Saturday: Golf Channel from 4am ET. Sunday: Golf Channel from 4am ET.
The early morning start times for US viewers reflect the six-hour time difference between France and the US East Coast — peak afternoon play at Evian lands in the morning hours stateside, which makes the Saturday and Sunday rounds particularly compelling for fans willing to set an early alarm for a major Sunday finish.
For European viewers, the Amundi Evian Championship is the major with the most accessible broadcast window of the year — mid-afternoon tee times in France translate to reasonable viewing hours across the continent, and the one-hour difference from Central European Time means no overnight commitment required.
Quick Reference: Amundi Evian Championship 2026
Everything you need before the first round tees off on Thursday, July 9:
Dates: July 9-12, 2026 Venue: Evian Resort Golf Club, Évian-les-Bains, France Course: Par 71, 6,504 yards Format: 72-hole stroke play, cut to top 70 and ties after round two Field: 132 players, including 29 of the world's top 30 Purse: $9.1 million (record high for the championship) Winner's share: Approximately $1.365 million Defending champion: Grace Kim (Australia) Betting favorite: Nelly Korda (USA, world No. 1, two majors won in 2026) TV (US): Golf Channel — Thursday/Friday from 6am ET, Saturday/Sunday from 4am ET Status: LPGA Tour and Ladies European Tour co-sanctioned major since 2013
For full tournament coverage, round-by-round analysis, and player profiles throughout the 2026 major season, visit golfaq.com.
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