The Evian Championship, The Magnificent Seven (Video)

From the flamboyant and volatile Helen Alfredsson to the icy-cool and controlled Hyo Joo Kim, the winner of The Evian Championship annually stands out as the player who has mastered golf at its highest level.  The Evian is golf played on the most picturesque but also the most treacherous of tracks, winding carelessly through the French Alps, relentlessly demanding both mental focus and technical precision.  Only the best will lift the trophy at The Evian.

It’s a highly charged golf tournament, to be sure, but there’s also a soccer match, an endless supply of fine food, opportunities for French picnics in the mountains, and the trappings of a medieval fair in pink and white.

Annika Sorenstam described her feelings of terror and exhilaration during the 2000 Evian Championship, her first win:

"“I was very nervous, my hands were sweating, I was talking fast, walking fast . . . It was tough to control my nerves. . . . but my caddie kept reminding me to breathe, breathe. What a memorable finish! Going head to head with the best players in the world down the stretch is what it is all about."

The list of Evian champions is a veritable Who’s Who in Women’s Golf: in addition to Alfredsson and Sorenstam, that list also includes, among others, Dame Laura Davies, Juli Inkster, Paula Creamer, Rachel Heatherington, Karrie Webb, Inbee Park, Suzann Pettersen, and Hyo Joo Kim.

And this year?  In a field of 120 there appear to be no weak players.  The Evian is always a tightly contested championship.  Paula Creamer won The Evian in 2005 by eight strokes, the largest margin of victory in the history of the Championship.  Since 2000 there have been four playoffs, and the average winning margin over the past 10 years has been 1.2 strokes.

At The Evian one player will gain mastery over a field of equals.

That said, I do have a short list of seven players I think are most likely to get out in front of the field and stay there, and I’m willing to share that list, although there is no particular order or ranking to it.

Next: Inbee Park: Finishing the Job