Évian (France) (AFP) – The Evian Championship tees off by the lake in Evian on Thursday with Nelly Korda chasing a third women’s major of the season and Grace Kim returning to the scene of her dramatic win last year. Kim, who beat Jeeno Thitikul on the second playoff hole last year, said on Wednesday that a first major title had given her added self-confidence.
“You know, golf can really humble you quite quickly, so in the times where it does get tough I think I do handle myself a lot better,” the 25-year-old Korean-Australian told reporters. Last year, Kim chipped in from under a tree off the 18th green to save herself on the first playoff hole. Organisers have put in a little blue plaque to commemorate the shot. “I saw it for the first time yesterday and it was really cool,” she said. “And hearing those people that come to play Evian and trying it out themselves, yeah, kind of makes me feel nice about it,” she added.
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Last year, Thitikul missed a short putt on the 18th in regulation that would have clinched her first major. Then Kim chipped in to stay alive in the playoff and then holed an eagle putt to win as the pair played the 18th again. “I knew it’s short but if you looked up to it you’re really grateful for that because have a chance to get in contention,” said the 23-year-old Thai on Wednesday.
“You can’t let it go… because if you really don’t and then tell yourself not to, it’s always going to be stuck in your mind,” said Thitikul, who has dropped to No.2 in the world behind Korda. “It’s made me who I am today, so it’s just stick to the positive one then.”
– Busy schedule –
The Evian is the fourth of the five women’s majors. American Korda won the Chevron Championship by five shots in Houston in April and then clinched the US Open in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, in June. The championship in the Alps comes in the middle of a busy schedule as the second of three majors in the space of six weeks, with the British Open starting on July 29 in Royal Lytham and St Annes, England. South Korean Ryu Hae-ran opened the sequence by taking the PGA in June at Hazeltine in Minnesota.
“It’s a lot definitely,” Korda said. “A lot mentally, physically, and with it being a week and a half ago we were in Minnesota. And then this week we’re in France and then kind of travelling all over, it can get a lot. So making sure that you’re prioritising your body, your rest, and not overdoing it. I think that at this point in the season sometimes resting is actually more beneficial,” Korda said.
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