2024 Amundi Evian Championship: How Did an LET Event Turn Into One of LPGA Tour’s Biggest Golfing Majors?

They call it the youngest major in golf! Even so, the aura that laces the event is anything but simple. This weekend, meanwhile, we will witness the best players in the realm of women’s golf converging at the tournament in a bid to find out who amongst them is the best. What better venue than a major tournament to determine the winner? Interestingly, the 2024 Amundi Evian Championship didn’t always have the tag of a major attached to it!

The contest began in 1994 as the Evian Masters, per the LPGA Tour’s records, which saw Sweden’s Helen Alfredsson emerge victorious. However, back then, the tournament wasn’t part of the LPGA Tour but was held on the European circuit, or the LET. However, this situation was soon to change.

Six years after its inception, the tournament at Evian-les-Bains became a co-sanctioned event with the LPGA Tour in 2000. Fast forward thirteen years, and it became the iconic fifth major championship that the community sees today, in 2013. The contest now holds a special place in every golf enthusiast’s heart, especially Mike Whan, the former LPGA Tour commissioner who played a big role in it turning into a major.

“Since its inception as a women’s golf event,” said the ex-commissioner, “Evian has pushed the boundaries for building a golf tournament that is simply like no other.” He also made sure to point out the vital role that Jacques Bungert, the VC of the event, and Franck Riboud, the Hon. Chairman of Danone (Evian’s parent company), played in turning it into a special event.

Since its inception, the major has also seen a gradual increase in its prize purse. Moreover, ever since it gained the ‘major’ recognition, the dollar bills set aside for the contest have now grown to over 146%, with a $3.5 million increase since 2021. The Amundi Evian Championship now boasts a whopping $8 million, out of which $1.2 million is kept aside for the champion who will be crowned at the Evian Resort Golf Club.

An iconic venue for the iconic Amundi Evian Championship

The upcoming major tournament has, since its inception, taken place at the Evian Resort Golf Club’s Champions Course. The par-72, 6030-meter layout is, at present, an 18-hole course that was initially founded as a 9-hole course in 148 acres of wooded parkland. Surrounded by stunning natural beauty, the scenic landscape offers ‘unrivaled viewpoints’ of Lake Geneva and the Alpine summits.

The course has, meanwhile, seen the likes of many golfers, including Seve Ballesteros, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Viktor Hovland, Annika Sörenstam, and Céline Boutier, clinch glory by beating the challenge it offered. While the presence of these names does give the history of the course its own highlight, many would be eager to know the next name that would be added to the list. Well, the fans need only wait a bit more to find out!