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2015 Evian Championship Preview and TV Schedule

By Elizabeth Bethel

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Depending on how you count, this is the 21st edition of The Evian — or the third edition of the Evian Championship, that most elegant golf of golf’s annual events.

A Short History of The Evian

The Evian premiered as the Evian Masters in 1994, the dream child of Antoine and Franck Riboud to create a stunning 78 player, 72-hole no-cut showcase for European golf talent. It quickly became the Number 1 event in Europe and by 1998 had grown in popularity and strength of field to one of the top 10 golf events in the world.

In 2000, the year Annika Sorenstam collected her first Evian victory, the LPGA Tour joined with the Ladies European Tour to co-sanction the event — just to keep the record straight, Sorenstam would win the Evian again in 2002.

In 2007, to accommodate a growing field, The Evian changed from its original format to the more typical 72-hole tournament with a cut at the 36 hole mid-point.  In 2010 the field was expanded again.

To the delights of the players, the Evian Masters was renamed the Evian Championship in 2013 and designated as a Major by the LPGA.

"I think Evian is a beautiful place, one of the most beautiful places in the world, and what a fantastic stage to host the fifth major. . .  Karrie Webb, 2006 Evian Masters Champion"

2015 Dream Pairings

The top six players in the world rankings are placed together in two dream groupings for the first two rounds of the Evian Championship 2015, on Thursday and Friday.

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CME Group Tour Championship countdown at Tiburón
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ForeGals

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    • Inbee Park, Lydia Ko and Stacy Lewis, respectively ranked number 1, 2 and 3 by Rolex, will play together on Thursday and Friday, during the first two rounds of the Evian Championship. The supreme trio will go out on Thursday from hole 10 at 8.40 am and from hole 1 on Friday at 1.20 p.m.

    Inbee Park, twice-champion this year at Grand Slam events (KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and Ricoh Women’s British Open) has won six of the last fourteen majors. Lydia Ko, the 18-year-old New Zealand star is still on the hunt for her first major title. Stacy Lewis will be looking to end her jinx in Evian where she has notched up podium finishes in recent years without managing to take the title.

    Another top-level group (teeing-off on Thursday from hole 1 at 1.20 pm and from hole 10 on Friday at 8.40 am) will see Korean So Yeon Ryu, world ranked 4th, her compatriot and defending champion Hyo-Joo Kim, and 2013 Evian Champion Suzann Pettersen, playing together.

    While the oddsmakers are giving Inbee Park a slight edge of the other five top-seeded players going into the Evian, these six are very closely matched.  I’m looking for some highly competitive golf to be played among them from the first tee shot to the last putt.

    2015 Solheim Cup Preview Pairings

    All USA and European Solheim Cup team members are in the Evian Championship field, and two first and second round pairings are composed entirely of players who will be going on to Germany and the Solheim Cup next week.

    Read More about the 2015 United States Solheim Cup Team

    Read More about the 2015 European Solheim Cup Team

    Michelle Wie (USA), Anna Nordqvist (Sweden), Cristie Kerr (USA) tee off at 8.51 am Thursday morning from hole 10 and 1.31 pm from hole 1 on Friday.

    Lexi Thompson (USA), Sandra Gal (Germany), Paula Creamer (USA) at 8.18 am Thursday morning from hole 10 and 12.58 pm from hole 1 on Friday.

    Expect these pairings to give us a preview of what will unfold next week in Germany.

    Hot Evian Rookies

    There are 27 players making their Evian Championship debut this year and all are superb athletes.  I’m focussing on three who seem particularly promising and will be following them through their first and second rounds:

    Leona Maguire, paired with Klara Spilkova and Belen Mozo, tees off from hole 1 Thursday morning at 7:56am and from hole 10 Friday afternoon at 12:36pm

    Brooke Henderson, paired with Karrie Webb and Yani Tseng, tees off  from hole 1 Thursday at 1:09pm and from hole 10 Friday morning at 8:29am.

    Alison Lee, paired with Mi Jung Hur and Kris Tamulis, tees off from hole 10 Thursday at 1:31pm and from hole 1 Friday morning at 8:51am.

    Media Coverage

    Golf Channel and NBC will provide Evian Championship coverage for United States audiences.  Thursday, September 10 & Friday, September 11: Golf Channel, 5-8am & 9;30am-12:30pm; Saturday, September 12: Golf Channel, 6:30-11:30am; Sunday, September 13: Golf Channel, 8:30am-12:30pm; NBC, 12:30-2pm.  All times ET.

    BBC Sport will broadcast the Evian Championship for UK and European audiences.  Check your local listings for broadcast times.

    ProGolfNow will provide ongoing updates throughout the Evian and fans can always follow the action live on the LPGA and LET electronic leaderboards.

    Next: Evian Championship Hot Rookies

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