Thread Tools

Display Modes

**truebluefan** · 05-26-2008, 03:25 AM

Evian-les-Bains, France $3,000,000

**truebluefan** · 07-25-2008, 09:49 PM

It took nearly six years on the LPGA Tour before Natalie Gulbis tasted victory. But when she did at the 2007 Evian Masters, how sweet it was. Overcoming a back injury that had hampered her season, Gulbis defeated two-time winner Jeong Jang in a one-hole, sudden-death playoff for the win. As a result, she was awarded $450,000 and punched her ticket to the LPGA's season-ending ADT Championship.

This week's winner will have to overcome a talent-ladened field of 90 players who represent 21 countries. Among LPGA members, 46 have combined for more than 300 victories on Tour, including 46 major championships. The Evian Masters celebrates its 15th anniversary in 2008 and ninth year on the LPGA schedule. Since 2000, seven players have captured the trophy, including Annika Sorenstam holding the notoriety as the only player to win the event multiple times.

While this week's champion remains to be determined, the list is long for contenders, including the four multiple winners that the LPGA has seen this season in Rolex Rankings' number one Lorena Ochoa (six), Sorenstam (three), 2005 champion Paula Creamer (three) and Seon Hwa Lee (two). All four were named the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year for their respective rookie class. Determined to follow in their footsteps, the current leader for 2008 Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year honors, Yani Tseng is making her first appearance at the Evian Masters with the experience of five top-10 finishes this season, including a major championship victory at the McDonald's LPGA Championship Presented by Coca-Cola. Meanwhile, fellow rookie Momoko Ueda, of Japan, is serving in her second year as an ambassador for the tournament. Ueda, who competed in the 2007 Evian Masters based on her performance on the LPGA of Japan (JLPGA) won the 2007 Mizuno Classic to earn her 2008 LPGA Tour card. Ueda has notched two top-10 finishes, but her first official victory as a member of the LPGA has eluded her.

The Evian Masters has developed into one of the Tour's premier stops and kicks off back-to-back events in Europe. It is the first of three consecutive Winner Events in the second half of LPGA Playoffs 2008 and just last week announced its purse increase to $3.25 million. The purse total matches the U.S. Women's Open as the highest purse on the 2008 schedule.

**truebluefan** · 07-25-2008, 09:50 PM

Seventy players fired a 4-over-par 148 or better through two rounds at the 2008 Evian Masters to advance to weekend play. The mark also means those 70 players are guaranteed a portion of the Tour's largest purse (matched only by the U.S. Women's Open) of US$3.25 million. That total guarantees the winner will bring home $487,500 for their efforts this weekend, in addition to automatically qualifying for the 2008 ADT Championship, where they'll be able to play for a $1 million first prize.

**truebluefan** · 07-25-2008, 09:50 PM

Evian Masters' two-time champion Helen Alfredsson (1994, 1998) was bogey-free and carded nine birdies during the second round for a new tournament record 9-under-par 63. The performance boosted her from a first-round tie for 41st at even par to sole possession of second place with her 72-63=135 (-9). Alfredsson teed off at 9:27 and, when the lead group of Lorena Ochoa (then -7, 65), Sun-Ju Ahn (-6, 66) and Angela Park (-6, 66) started exactly three hours later, Alfredsson had pulled into a tie for second a 6-under-par cumulative total through 11 holes. Alfredsson kept going with more birdies on holes 14, 15 and 18 for her mark, which also matched the best round of her 17-year LPGA Tour career, which she set in the opening round of the 1994 U.S. Women's Open. She went on to win the first edition of the Evian Masters later that season.

Her tournament record eclipsed the 8-under-par 64 set by Susie Redman (2000), Laura Davies (2001, 2004), Se Ri Pak (2002) and Juli Inkster (2003).

**truebluefan** · 07-25-2008, 09:51 PM

The 2007 Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year Angela Park remains the only player who has managed to remain bogey free on the 6,347-yard Evian Masters Golf Club. Through 36 holes, Park is 10-under-par (66-68=134) and, of her 10 birdies, only two have come on the front nine – holes six and nine. On the back nine, she has posted a birdie on every hole except the renovated 13th and 15th holes and the 16th hole – a 311-yard, par 4, ranked the fifth most difficult this tournament (13 and 15 are ranked second and 10th, respectively). Park, who already owns four top-10 finishes this year, has birdied the 11th and 18th holes each round so far.

She holds just a one-stroke lead over Helen Alfredsson (72-63=135, -9) and is two strokes ahead of five players tied at 8-under-par 136: Cristie Kerr (70-66), In-Kyung Kim (67-69), Juli Inkster (67-69), Candie Kung (66-70), and Meena Lee (67-69).

**truebluefan** · 07-25-2008, 09:51 PM

After getting out of the blocks to a one-stroke, 18-hole lead on Thursday at 7-under-par 65, Lorena Ochoa had an up-and-down second round to enter the weekend tied for eighth at 6-under-par 138 (65-73). The 23-time Tour winner notched two bogeys on holes one and three before a birdie-bogey-birdie trio on holes five through seven. She made the turn at even par thanks to a birdie on the ninth hole. Ochoa built some momentum with a birdie on the 10th hole before two bogeys on the 14th and 16th holes to drop back to 1-over-par 73 for the day and a two-day 6-under-par 138 and tie for eighth.