Japan’s Aki Iwai lit up the opening day of the 2026 Amundi Evian Championship, firing an eight-under-par 63 to take a commanding first-round lead at Evian Resort Golf Club. Her round set the tone for a low-scoring start to the penultimate major of the LPGA season — while world number one Nelly Korda and defending champion Grace Kim both stumbled out of the gate.
What Happened
Iwai was flawless around the picturesque course above Lake Geneva, carding eight birdies and no bogeys to open a two-shot cushion over home favourite Perrine Delacour of France, who delighted the local galleries with a six-under 65. It was a statement start from Iwai, who has been building steadily on the LPGA and now finds herself in the driver’s seat at one of the tour’s most prestigious events.
A five-strong group sits three off the lead at five under: England’s Charley Hull, recent KPMG Women’s PGA champion Haeran Ryu, Sweden’s Maja Stark, Japan’s Mao Saigo and Jin Hee Im. England’s Lottie Woad kept her name near the top with a four-under 67, capped by an eagle at the last — a timely reminder of the form that has made her one of the sport’s brightest young talents.
The headlines at the other end of the leaderboard belonged to the biggest names. As Sky Sports reported, Korda laboured to a three-over 74 to leave herself with plenty of work to do, a far cry from the dominant golf that carried her to the Chevron Championship title earlier this season. Defending champion Grace Kim, whom we tipped in our Evian Championship preview, saw her title defence wobble with a triple-bogey on the par-four 12th en route to a two-over 73.
Why It Matters
The Evian Championship rewards aggressive, birdie-hungry golf, and Iwai’s bogey-free 63 is exactly the kind of round that can win a major here. But with the leaderboard so tightly bunched and heavyweight names lurking, the tournament is far from decided. A three-shot gap over a chasing pack that includes Hull, Ryu and Woad can evaporate quickly on a course where low numbers are always available.
For Korda and Kim, the opening round underlined how unforgiving major golf can be. Korda remains the game’s most talented player, but a 74 in a 72-hole major leaves little margin for error, and she will need something special over the weekend to climb back into contention. Kim’s title defence, meanwhile, hangs by a thread after a single blow-up hole — proof of how one loose swing can derail an entire round at this level.
What This Means For You
Iwai’s round is a masterclass in the fundamentals that separate good scores from great ones — and most of them have nothing to do with raw power. A bogey-free major round is built on tidy course management and, above all, a reliable putter. The world’s best routinely convert their birdie looks and, just as importantly, avoid the three-putts that quietly wreck a card.
You can borrow the same blueprint. Sharpen your speed control and eliminate the costly three-jack with our guide on how to stop three-putting, and learn to see the subtle slopes that decide long putts with our walkthrough on how to read a green. Watching a leaderboard like this is a reminder that scoring is won on and around the greens — the amateur who tidies up their putting will shave more strokes than the one chasing a few extra yards off the tee.
What’s Next
Round two gets underway with Iwai looking to protect her lead and Delacour aiming to keep the French crowd roaring. Korda and Kim, meanwhile, must find early birdies to avoid the cut line. The 2026 Amundi Evian Championship runs through Sunday, 12 July, at Evian Resort Golf Club in Evian-les-Bains, France.
Key Takeaways
- Aki Iwai shot a bogey-free eight-under 63 to lead Round 1 of the 2026 Evian Championship by two.
- France’s Perrine Delacour sits second at six under, with Charley Hull, Haeran Ryu, Maja Stark, Mao Saigo and Jin Hee Im tied at five under.
- Lottie Woad eagled the last for a four-under 67.
- World No. 1 Nelly Korda (74) and defending champion Grace Kim (73) both struggled on day one.
- The takeaway for amateurs: strong putting and course management, not extra distance, are what build low rounds.
