Law gains a late lift at the Evian
Briton birdies on last green but Koreans dominate Tournament seen as a highlight in women’s sport
At the Evian Championship, the mantra is that “the course is the king, while nature is the queen”. That was certainly true for Bronte Law yesterday as the Stockport woman made a sublime chip from the gnarly rough at the edge of the 18th green to snatch a birdie and become the best-placed British player going into the final round in 16th.
The fifth women’s major is yet to garner the same attention as the US Masters but the Evian Golf resort, nestled between the Alps and the shores of Lake Geneva, shares a unique identity and beauty with the Augusta National. While the Masters revels in heritage, the Evian is all about embracing change.
Even in this bumper summer of women’s sport, it will be the World Cup final held 120 miles away in Lyon that will define it in years to come. Yet the golf tournament has one of the most sophisticated infrastructures in women’s sport. The grandeur of the chic tented village would put many men’s European Tour events to shame, while there are facilities to support not just players, partners and families but even their pets. At the Evian Championship, they pride themselves on being ahead of the curve in women’s sport.
Franck Riboud, co-founder and former chairman of the multi-billion dollar Danone corporation, which owns the Evian water brand, told The Sunday Telegraph this was a venture with a specific marketing goal. “Everybody is talking about equality in sport now and women’s sport is fashionable but 25 years ago everybody thought we were crazy and it wasn’t fashionable. We made a gamble. There was no big vision, we felt that women’s golf fitted well with the Evian brand.”
In 1994, Riboud and his late father Antoine, also a former Danone chairman, were inspired by the then director of the Evian Golf Resort Valerie Pamard, who wanted a tournament for her fellow female pros in France. What began as an event on the Ladies European Tour then became a joint venture with the Ladies Professional Golf Association before being granted major status in 2013.
Riboud says: “We talk about the power of women’s sport now to attract sponsors but 25 years ago when we had the idea to hold a ladies’ golf tournament in the middle of nowhere in France, people thought it was a joke and we were crazy.”
Middle of nowhere or not, the Evian is the only major held on continental Europe and this is something Riboud and his collaborator Jacques Bungert believe can make a serious difference to the women’s game. “The Tour is weak in Europe and we want to make sure that European female players are promoted,” says Bungert. The winner nets just under £500,000, huge when you consider many top players still have to pay for their own equipment, as demonstrated by England’s Melissa Reid sporting a logo-free cap.
Those who have visited either or both of Augusta and Wimbledon will notice some similarities. The organisers are happy to admit that they “steal ideas”. So, just as in Augusta, the French course has chairs at the 18th green rather than a grandstand.
Wimbledon has provided much inspiration around branding and also the strategic planting of hydrangeas. It also shares a celebrity factor. Previously Hugh Grant and France 1998 World Cup winners including Zinedine Zidane have joined the crowds. Yesterday, Swiss three-time tennis major winner Stan Wawrinka, who hails from Lausanne just across Lake Geneva, watched on as the Koreans dominated the course, as the narrow fairways tend to suit their efficient straight driving.
However, Riboud is keen to emphasise that the Evian Championship “is not snobby, it is about having an ambience that everybody can enjoy”.
An Asian winner is looking most likely as 24-year-old Korean Hyo Joo Kim leads on 15 under heading into the final round. The 2014 champion is followed by three of her compatriots: Park Sung-hyun in second a shot behind, while 2016 Rio gold medallist Inbee Park and Jin Young Ko are tied for third at eleven under.
The best of the Europeans is Swede Caroline Hedwall in seventh at nine under. Law, who endured a relatively difficult opening day, has grown as the focus had been on Reid and Charley Hull, who are now both tied for 27th on three under. Law said: “I told my caddie we need to get better each day after the first day.”