2026 Amundi Evian Championship: 9 players to watch

Nelly Korda didn’t have the week she wanted at Hazeltine National. The 27-year-old arrived at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship having won the first two majors of the season. Had she won a third straight, she would have earned the last two points she needs to get into the LPGA Tour’s Hall of Fame—one of the most difficult halls in sports to gain entry to.

Korda left Minnesota tied for eighth, but at this week’s Amundi Evian Championship, the same possibility and more are available to her. Major wins are worth two points, so if Korda can claim victory at Evian, she’ll earn that Hall of Fame spot. She would also have claimed the career Grand Slam. The LPGA, with its five majors, says that if you win any of four, you have the career Grand Slam. (Win all five, and you’ll complete the “super” career Grand Slam.)

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Korda has won four times thus far in 2026, so she’s of course going to be a player to watch at every tournament she enters. And there are more golfers to keep an eye on in France, too. Here are nine players to watch at the 2026 Amundi Evian Championship, from highest world ranking to lowest.

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Helen Briem

NurPhoto

Age: 20 Rolex Ranking: 84 Amundi Evian starts/Cuts made: 1/1 Best finish: T-56, 20252025 finish: T-56

The Ladies European Tour hosts another tournament at the Evian Resort: the Jabra Ladies Open de France. In May, Briem won that tournament by seven(!) shots. The German is easy to spot—she’s 6-foot-3 and one of the best ball-strikers on tour; she’s ranked No. 1 in strokes gained/approach. This is a crucial stat at the Evian, which features much undulation, requiring even more precision than usual on approach shots. She’s played just three women’s majors, but is a sneaky long-shot this week.

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Ayaka Furue

Matthew Lewis

Age: 26 Rolex Ranking: 46 Amundi Evian starts/Cuts made: 5/5 Best finish: Win, 20242025 finish: T-59

Furue won the 2024 title at Evian to confirm her presense on the LPGA Tour after winning eight times prior in Japan. The 26-year-old isn’t a long hitter (only ranked 132th in driving distance, but she compensates for hit with accuracy (75.88 percent fairways hit, 11th on tour) and being one of the best putters on tour.

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Allisen Corpuz

Sarah Stier

Age: 28 Rolex Ranking: 37 Amundi Evian starts/Cuts made: 4/3 Best finish: T-26, 2024 2025 finish: T-49

The American is playing well in the majors in 2026. She finished T-8 at the U.S. Women’s Open and T-5 at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. She also has a major title to her name already with her 2023 U.S. Women’s Open win at Pebble Beach. Her best finish at the Evian is T-26, but her steady demeanor is a match for any major championship venue.

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Grace Kim

Thananuwat Srirasant

Age: 25 Rolex Ranking: 31 Amundi Evian starts/Cuts made: 3/2 Best finish: Win, 2025 2025 finish: Win

Kim is the defending champ, after an electric performance a year ago that came down to a playoff. The Aussie’s going to need that same spark this year as she’s had one top-10 in 2026 and hasn’t finished inside the top 20 outside of that. Her long-game stats are strong, but she’s losing 1.35 shots to the field with her putter. If her putter cooperates, she’ll be a factor in France.

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Brooke Henderson

Kate McShane

Age: 28 Rolex Ranking: 19 Amundi Evian starts/Cuts made: 12/12 Best finish: Win, 20162025 finish: T-3

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Prior to the KPMG Women’s PGA, Henderson wasn’t talked about as a contender, but she finished T-3 and seemed to remind everyone she can still play with the best when her game is solid. She’s ranked sixth on tour in strokes gained/putting and 10th in driving. With good momentum from Hazeltine, she could factor at the Evian, especially given she has six top-six finishes in the event in 12 starts, including her win in 2016.

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Minjee Lee

NurPhoto

Age: 30 Rolex Ranking: 11 Amundi Evian starts/Cuts made: 11/10 Best finish: Win, 2021 2025 finish: T-3

In her title defense at the KPMG Women’s PGA, the Aussie missed the cut. As disappointing as that was, she is always a player to watch at the Evian. In 2021, she won the tournament, marking her first major victory. She also finished tied for third in 2025. With three majors and 11 wins, she’s a veteran presence that gets other players attention when her name is on a leaderboard.

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Haeran Ryu

Andrew Wevers

Age: 25 Rolex Ranking: 7 Amundi Evian starts/Cuts made: 4/2 Best finish: 5, 2024 2025 finish: MC

The winner two weeks ago at the KPMG Women’s PGA is hoping the compressed LPGA major schedule (with three majors happening from the end of June to the beginning of July) can be to her benefit. She finshed fifth at Evian in 2024 and is ranked second on tour in strokes gained/driving.

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Jeeno Thitikul

NurPhoto

Age: 28 Rolex Ranking: 2 Amundi Evian starts/Cuts made: 6/5 Best finish: P-2, 2025 2025 finish: P-2

The story remains the same for Thitkul; she knows how to win on the LPGA Tour (nine victories), but hasn’t had the breakthrough in a major. She came as close as ever last year at Evian, finishing second to Grace Kim, who went eagle-birdie-eagle on the 18th in regulation and a playoff to claim the title. It was her fourth top-10 at Evian in the last five years. The former World No. 1 set the all-time single-season LPGA scoring record in 2025 at 68.68, beating Annika Sorenstam’s decades-old mark. And she has won twice in 2026, along with finishing T-8 at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. Her long game has been strong all season, but she isn’t gaining on the field with her putter … yet.

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Nelly Korda

Harry How

Age: 27 Rolex Ranking: 1 Amundi Evian starts/Cuts made: 8/7 Best finish: T-8, 2022 2025 finish: T-43

The best player in the world. Winner of four tournaments in 2026, including two majors. She’s the player to watch every time she picks up a club. Her best finish at the Evian was a T-8 in 2022. If she were to win in 2026, she’d earn her spot in the LPGA Hall of Fame and complete the grand slam.