Evian Championship Preview: Debating the LPGA’s Fifth Major
As we look ahead to the action at the Evian Championship this week, is its status as the fifth major of the ladies game truly warranted?
The game of golf is one of the most tradition-oriented sports in the world, so when a disturbance interrupts the status quo it’s bound to lead to some debate.
In 2011, commissioner Mike Wahn and the LPGA declared the fan and player-friendly event formerly known as the Evian Masters would officially become the Evian Championship, transforming to become women’s golf’s fifth major after completed renovations rendered the Evian Resort Golf Club playable again in 2013.
The event takes place in Evian-les-Bains, France with breathtaking views of the Alps and Lake Geneva at nearly all points on the golf course. In its Evian Masters days, it offered fans a tournament with an elite, abbreviated field with no cut, ensuring the big names were there to stay for the weekend. Players competed for a major-caliber purse and received top of the line accommodations, to boot.
The tournament had the trappings of a major, but can it just be declared out of thin air? Who has the authority to make such a decision? Is it blasphemy to break from the tried and true number of four majors in a season, a limit existing in the men’s game and in professional tennis?
Some key figures in the game like Dottie Pepper still pose the questions of what truly defines a major .
“Is it the field? The purse? The course? The traditions? The position on the schedule? The way the players are treated? Television coverage? What is it?,” Pepper said in an article on Excelle Sports.
Pepper by no means is outlandish in her skepticism, but it’s no surprise a former player, particularly a successful one like Pepper, would take exception. The value of a major is obviously devalued.
I think few could argue against Wahn’s heart usually being in the right place in his leadership of the tour since taking over at the beginning of the decade. He’s shown a desire to think outside the box in rebuilding a declining brand. He seems to always have an open ear to players’ feedback. Many current players aren’t going to turn down the opportunity for more money, more prestige and more exposure by competing in a tournament they would likely have played in regardless of its major status. Older players aren’t typically ready to give up tradition nor introduce an advantage to younger players looking to break their records though.
Comparing golfers from different generations can be an arduous process and this will surely pose a conundrum for historians and statisticians of the game. As time goes on, having a fifth major will normalize. Time will tell if the concept of a fifth major is a concept that all walks of the game can get behind.
A look at this year’s tournament
No matter how much significance you choose to bestow on this tournament, it’s got the right ingredients to provide some excitement. That’s especially true if this week stays true to form from 2016’s first four majors.
Two majors ended in playoffs (PGA Championship, US Open), one with a one-stroke margin (ANA Inspiration) and a fourth seeing Ariya Jutanugarn nearly slip on Sunday before rallying for a three-stroke victory at the British Open.
World No. 2 Jutanugarn has narrowed the gap between her and No. 1 Lydia Ko, who also seeks her second major of the year (ANA Inspiration), as well as a repeat victory in France. A win could go a long way in the Player of the Year race.
In the Evian’s 22-year history, the likes of Paula Creamer, Juli Inkster, Laura Davies and Inbee Park have emerged victorious at this event, including Suzann Pettersen and Ko who did so in the major era.
The top five in the world have dominated on tour this season, leading many to believe the Evian will remain a challenging place for someone to pick up her first major. If the big three of 19-year-old Ko, 20-year-old Jutanugarn and 19-year-old Brooke Henderson don’t get it done, the veteran 21-year-old Lexi Thompson is a popular pick to jump up and take the trophy.
The sweet swinging golfer perhaps would’ve hoped for more than one major on her resumé by now, but at No. 4 in the world she has still had a productive and already lengthy career. Coming off a runner-up finish in Ko’s romp here last year should give Thompson confidence to potentially make a good season great with a win.
Former Evian winner, world No. 5 Inbee Park will be sidelined with a thumb injury.
Karrie Webb is the lone player in the field with the distinction of searching for a sixth different major. She has won the other four on the current schedule, as well as the du Maurier Classic.
In the US, first through third round coverage is on the Golf Channel and Sunday features split coverage between Golf Channel and NBC.
Notable groups:
- Yani Tseng, Michelle Wie, Mirim Lee
- Ariya Jutanugarn, Julia Engstrom, In Gee Chun
- Brittany Lang, Eun Jeong Song, Brooke Henderson
- Karrie Webb, Ha Na Jang, Brittany Lincicome
- Lydia Ko, Hyo Joo Kim, Suzann Pettersen
- Gerina Piller, Stacy Lewis, Amy Yang
- Shanshan Feng, Lexi Thompson, Sung Hyun Park
Next: Ryder Cup: How Davis Love and His Team Made Their Picks
Will another top-five player win a major, or can we see another Brittany Lang type steal the show at the LPGA’s fifth major? Share your thoughts in the comments and stay with Pro Golf Now to keep up with the action in France.