The LPGA Tour’s season of majors saves one of its most glamorous for last. The Amundi Evian Championship returns to the Evian Resort Golf Club in Évian-les-Bains, France, from 9–12 July 2026 — and Australia’s Grace Kim will arrive as defending champion, tasked with protecting a crown she claimed in dramatic fashion twelve months ago. As the fifth and final women’s major of the year, it is the last chance in 2026 to add a major title before the season’s run-in.
What’s Happening
The field is assembling for the fifth major on the 2026 LPGA calendar, played on the lakeside slopes above Lake Geneva. Grace Kim headlines the entry list as the woman to beat after her 2025 breakthrough, and organisers have again raised the stakes: the championship confirmed its purse has grown to $9.1 million, cementing Evian’s status as one of the richest and most prestigious events in the women’s game.
Unlike the links tests and parkland setups earlier in the major season, Evian offers something different — an alpine-flavoured course with severe elevation changes, quick greens and holes that reward precise iron play and imaginative shot-making rather than raw power. It is a venue where local knowledge and a sharp short game count for as much as distance off the tee.
Why It Matters
Evian sits at a fascinating point in the women’s golf calendar. With the CME Group season finale and the year’s remaining events still to come, a strong week here can transform a player’s campaign, reshaping the Race to the CME Globe and the world rankings in a single stroke. For a first-time major winner it is career-defining; for an established star it is a chance to underline dominance on one of the sport’s biggest stages.
There is a broader story, too. Women’s golf has enjoyed surging prize funds, television interest and grassroots participation, and Evian’s $9.1 million purse is part of that upward trajectory. As the strength of recent major fields has shown, the depth of talent chasing these titles has arguably never been greater, which makes predicting a winner harder — and the drama richer — than ever.
The Contenders to Watch
Grace Kim is the obvious starting point. The defending champion returns with the confidence of a player who has already proven she can handle Evian’s unique demands under pressure, and she will want to become one of the rare golfers to go back-to-back at the event.
Céline Boutier carries the hopes of the home crowd. The Frenchwoman is one of the most accomplished players of her generation and knows the region intimately; few things would electrify the galleries more than a French champion lifting the trophy on home soil.
Minjee Lee, the 2021 Evian champion, is almost always in contention at this course, her all-round game and steady temperament ideally suited to the venue. And Lottie Woad, the former world No. 1 amateur who nearly stunned the field in 2025, arrives as a professional this time — one of the most closely watched young talents in the sport after her recent run of form, including a heartbreakingly narrow miss on the LPGA earlier this season.
First staged in 1994 and elevated to major status in 2013, the Evian Championship has grown into one of the marquee weeks of the women’s season. The blend of a picturesque alpine setting, a demanding course and a swelling prize fund has drawn the deepest fields in the sport, and the list of past champions reads like a who’s-who of the modern game.
Beyond the headline names, the American contingent led by the world’s top-ranked players will be desperate to close out the major season on a high, while a wave of young international talent keeps blurring the line between favourite and outsider. On a course where a hot putter can erase a power deficit, do not be surprised if a name outside the pre-tournament favourites lands in Sunday’s final group.
Evian’s recent editions have been defined by low scoring and late charges; the greens hold approach shots and invite aggressive putting, which historically produces bunched leaderboards and dramatic back-nine swings. That combination is exactly why the championship has become appointment viewing — and why the margin between lifting the trophy and finishing runner-up is so often razor-thin.
What This Means For Your Game
You may never tee it up at Evian, but the way the world’s best attack this course holds lessons for every golfer. Evian rewards control over chaos: precise distance control with the irons, disciplined course management on sloping lies, and a reliable putting stroke on fast, contoured greens. Those are exactly the skills that lower scores at your home club, too.
Start with the greens. The champions at Evian rarely three-putt, and much of that comes down to aim and start line — our guide to aiming the putter and starting putts on line is a simple place to sharpen that skill. From the fairway, the sidehill and downhill lies that define Evian demand solid contact, which is where drilling a flat lead wrist for cleaner ball striking pays off. And if you tend to lose your strike under pressure, learning to stop early extension in your swing will help you hold your posture on those awkward stances.
The bigger takeaway is strategic. Evian’s best players pick conservative targets, accept that some pins are simply off-limits, and trust their short game to save par. Adopting that patient, percentage-based mindset is one of the fastest ways for amateurs to shave strokes without changing a single thing about their swing.
There is a mental-game lesson worth stealing, too. Evian’s closing stretch has produced some of the most nerve-shredding finishes in major golf, and the players who prevail are usually those who stay committed to their routine when the pressure peaks. Building a repeatable pre-shot routine and picking a clear target for every swing is something any weekend golfer can practise long before it ever matters.
For fans, the appeal is simple: a world-class field, a stunning venue and a title that can define a career, all condensed into four days above Lake Geneva. When the first tee shots are struck on 9 July, the women’s game will have one last major stage on which to crown a champion in 2026.
Ranking points and prize money are only part of the equation. A major title carries outsized weight for tour exemptions, endorsement value and a player’s place in the sport’s history, which is why the intensity ratchets up noticeably once the majors arrive. Expect the world’s elite to peak for this one — and expect Europe’s best to relish a rare chance to win a major on their side of the Atlantic.
Key Takeaways
- The Amundi Evian Championship runs 9–12 July 2026 at Evian Resort Golf Club in France — the fifth and final LPGA major of the year.
- Grace Kim returns as defending champion after her 2025 victory.
- The purse has grown to $9.1 million, among the richest in women’s golf.
- Watch for home favourite Céline Boutier, 2021 champion Minjee Lee, and rising star Lottie Woad.
- Evian rewards iron precision, smart course management and sharp putting — skills that lower scores for amateurs, too.
Source: tournament details via the LPGA and the Amundi Evian Championship.
