Lucrative Evian Masters wide open
IN: News | LPGA | Evian Masters (2007) | Preview | by Bruce Young | 24 Jul 2007
The best women golfers in the world are in France this week for the Evian Masters, which boasts the tag of being the second most lucrative event in women’s golf behind the US Women’s Open.
The Evian Masters is into its eighth year and has been held at the Evian Masters Golf Club in Evian Le Bains in the mountains close to the French and Swiss border on each occasion. The area is perhaps best known for its world famous mineral water but the Resort is also very popular as a gambling destination, attracting visitors from around the world and from neighbouring Switzerland, which is a non gambling nation.
The golf course at the Evian Masters Golf Club was first constructed in 1904 with a nine hole course as an additional resort facility but was increased to eighteen holes in 1922. In 1988 the American designer Cabel Robinson was engaged to redevelop the course and it is now a 7,000 yard layout although for the women in this week’s event it will measure just 6200 yards.
Karrie Webb narrowly defeated Laura Davies and Michelle Wie in this event last year, recovering from two shots behind Wie at one stage during the final round to become the third Australian to win the event. Wendy Doolan and Rachel Hetherington had been other perhaps surprise winners of the event.
Despite the fact that the tournament is co-sanctioned with the Ladies European Tour, fields do not come much stronger than this, the huge purse proving very attractive and also that the Women’s British Open will be played for the first time at St Andrews next week.
Lorena Ochoa, the game’s leading player, finished 5th in this event last year and finished runner up to Paul Creamer in 2005. Apart from her second round loss at the unpredictable HSBC Championship last week she has been in the most remarkable form in 2007 and her first win at the Evian Masters may just be a few days away.
Annika Sorenstam is a two time winner at Evian but since her return to tournament golf after injury last month she has not been at her best. It appears she may yet need further competitive golf before being a contender again.
Webb is struggling in 2007 more especially over the last month or so and she will need a significant turnaround if things are to change this week especially with so many of the inform youngsters teeing it up.
Cristie Kerr might not be a youngster but she is definitely in form. Her US Open win now behind her, Kerr can be expected to again be a contender in an event where she recoded a brilliant last round of 65 last year.
Paula Creamer has won here previously and although this event is one of the few on the LPGA Tour that has not been won by a Korean, that statistic might not remain intact by the end of the week. Mi Hyun Kim and Seon Hwa Lee are both in good enough form to feature this week but this appears to be one event that is very open in terms of potential winners.
Michelle Wie finished runner up this year but she is a long way, both mentally and physically, from the Michelle Wie who finished runner up last year.
Australians in the field are Webb, previous winners Rachel Hetherington and Wendy Doolan, Lindsey Wright, who became somewhat of a giant killer last week at the HSBC Match Play and Nikki Garrett while New Zealander Lynn Brooky is also looking to give her 2007 season a boost and Gold Coast based Korean teenager, Amy Yang, gets a start.
