Nellie Korda didn’t get to spend the week she wanted at Hazeltine National. The 27-year-old comes to the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship having won the first two majors of the season. Had she won three in a row, she would have earned the final two points needed to enter the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame, one of the most difficult halls of fame in the sport.
Korda left Minnesota tied for eighth, but this week’s Amundi Evian Championship gives her a chance to be as good or better. A major win is worth two points, so if Korda can pull off a win at Evian, he’ll earn a spot in the Hall of Fame. She would have won a career grand slam as well. The LPGA has five major tournaments, and winning any one of the four will earn you a career Grand Slam. (Win all five and you’ll complete a “super” career grand slam.)
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Korda has won four times so far in 2026, so he will naturally be a player to watch in every tournament he plays. And there are a growing number of golfers in France who should be paying attention. Here are nine players to watch at the 2026 Amundi Evian Championship, from highest to lowest in the world rankings.
Golf Digest Details
Sibling showdown Chakara brothers beat each other within a week…and this isn’t the first time it’s happened
Solheim Cup She wants to be the first Dutch golfer to play in the Solheim Cup. This rule has become a big deal
LPGA Tour heats up at KPMG Women’s PGA: Rain postponement ends Nellie’s major winning streak and rising star caps historic comeback Helen Briem
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year: 20 Rolex ranking: 84 Amundi Evian started/cut: 1/1 Best finish: T-56, 2025Ending in 2025: T-56
The Ladies European Tour will host another tournament at the Evian Resort, the Jabra Ladies Open de France. In May, Briem won that tournament by seven strokes (!). This German is easy to spot. She is 6 feet 3 inches tall and one of the best ball strikers on tour. She ranks No. 1 in strokes gained/approach. This is an important point on Evian, which has many ups and downs, and approach shots require more precision than usual. She’s only played three games in the women’s major tournament, but she’s aiming for a sneaky long shot this week.
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Ayaka Furue
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Matthew Lewis
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year: 26 Rolex ranking: 46 Amundi Evian started/cut: 5/5 Best finish: Victory, 2024Ending in 2025: T-59
Furue has won eight times in Japan and won the 2024 title at Evian to confirm his presence on the LPGA Tour. The 26-year-old isn’t a long hitter (he ranks only 132nd in distance rankings), but he makes up for it with his accurate hitting (75.88 percent fairway hit rate, 11th on tour) and one of the best putters on tour.
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Arisen Corpus
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sarah steer
year: 28 Rolex ranking: 37 Amundi Evian started/cut: 4/3 Best finish: T-26, 2024 Ending in 2025: T-49
The American player has a strong showing at the 2026 major tournament. She finished T-8 at the U.S. Women’s Open and T-5 at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. She also already has a major title under her belt, winning the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach. Her best result at Evian is T-26, but her steady demeanor is second to none at any major championship venue.
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grace kim
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Tananuwat Silasant
year: twenty five Rolex ranking: 31 Amundi Evian started/cut: 3/2 Best finish: Victory, 2025 Ending in 2025: win
Kim became the defending champion after a great performance that made it all the way to the playoffs a year ago. The Australian will need similar brilliance this year, having cracked the top 10 once in 2026, but has yet to finish inside the top 20 elsewhere. Her long game stats are strong, but she loses 1.35 shots to the field with her putter. If her putter cooperates, she could do well in France.
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Brooke Henderson
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Kate McShane
year: 28 Rolex ranking: 19 Amundi Evian started/cut: 12/12 Best finish: Winner, 2016Ending in 2025: T-3
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Before the KPMG Women’s PGA started, Henderson wasn’t being talked about as a favorite to win, but she finished T-3 and seemed to remind everyone that she can still play with the best if her game stays consistent. She ranks 6th on tour in strokes gained/putting and 10th in driving. Hazeltine’s momentum could put her in consideration for a win at Evian, especially considering she has six top-six finishes in 12 races at this event, including a win in 2016.
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Minjee Lee
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year: 30 Rolex ranking: 11 Amundi Evian started/cut: 11/10 Best finish: Victory, 2021 Ending in 2025: T-3
The Australian missed out on a spot in her title defense at the KPMG Women’s PGA. That was disappointing, but she is always a player to watch at Evian. He won the 2021 tournament and achieved his first major victory. In 2025, he tied for 3rd place. He is a veteran with 3 wins and 11 wins in major tournaments, and when his name appears on the leaderboard, he attracts the attention of other players.
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Heran Ryu
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andrew weavers
year: twenty five Rolex ranking: 7 Amundi Evian started/cut: 4/2 Best finish: May 2024 Ending in 2025: MC
The KPMG Women’s PGA winner two weeks ago is hoping the condensed LPGA major schedule (three majors are held in late June and early July) will be beneficial for her. She finished fifth at Evian in 2024 and ranks second on tour in strokes gained/driving.
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gino titicle
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year: 28 Rolex ranking: 2 Amundi Evian started/cut: 6/5 Best finish: P-2, 2025 Ending in 2025: P-2
For Thitkul, the story is no different. She knows how to win on the LPGA Tour (nine wins), but has yet to break out in the majors. She came as close as ever at Evian last year, finishing second to Grace Kim, who won the title with an eagle, birdie and eagle in regulation and a playoff on the 18th. It was Evian’s fourth top 10 in the past five years. The former world No. 1 set the single-season LPGA scoring record with 68.68 points in 2025, breaking Annika Sorenstam’s decades-old record. And she won twice in 2026, finishing T-8 at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. Her long game has been strong all season, but her putter still hasn’t improved on the field.
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nelly korda
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harry howe
year: 27 Rolex ranking: 1 Amundi Evian started/cut: 8/7 Best finish: T-8, 2022 Ending in 2025: T-43
The best player in the world. In 2026, he won four tournaments, including two majors. She is a player to watch every time she picks up a club. Her best finish at Evian was T-8 in 2022. If he wins in 2026, he will earn a spot in the LPGA Hall of Fame and complete a Grand Slam.
