The Evian Championship, The Magnificent Seven (Video)
Fifth ranked Hyo Joo Kim is having a standout rookie year on the LPGA Tour, a year she began with the 2014 Evian Championship victory on her resume.
Kim’s lived up to the expectation for excellence that 2014 Evian victory established. With 18 Tour starts this year she’s recorded 8 top-10 finishes that include her victory over Stacy Lewis at the JTBC Founders Cup.
Although she missed the cut at the US Women’s Open Kim finished the ANA Inspiration T11 and the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship T9. I don’t get the feeling that she’s intimidated by the pressure cooker environment of major championships.
In terms of player stats, Kim’s game looks remarkably like Stacy Lewis’s. She’s not especially long off the tee but she keeps herself in the short grass and gets to the green in good order. She ranks 3rd on the Tour in putts per GIR (1.76) and 7th in putting average (29.06 putts per round).
Kim is playing against the odds as she attempts back-to-back victories at The Evian. There have been only four multiple champions: Dame Laura Davies (1995, 1996), Helen Alfredsson (1994, 1998, 2008), Annika Sorenstam (2000, 2002), and Ai Miyazato (2009, 2011). No player after Dame Laura has succeeded in achieving back-to-back wins.
Kim will be in the mix and she’ll challenge the top of the board, but history is against a victory for her this year.
Next: Yani Tseng, The Comeback Kid