Five Players to Watch at the 2026 Amundi Evian Championship and Why

The Amundi Evian Championship has a knack for producing the kind of moments that can change a career overnight.

As the LPGA’s youngest major championship returns to France, the spotlight is on a group of players with everything from history and redemption to momentum and opportunity on the line. Whether it’s a chase for golf immortality, a chance to defend a breakthrough victory, or the next amateur star looking to announce herself on the biggest stage, Evian is packed with storylines worth watching. These are the five players who have our attention this week.

RELATED: C'est Magnifique! Evian Brings The Flair a Major Should Have

Nelly Korda: The Grand Slam Chase Is On

There are major championship weeks, and then there are weeks where history is sitting right in front of us. After capturing the first two majors of the year, including a U.S. Women’s Open title, Korda is one win away from completing the Career Grand Slam.

A victory at Evian would check that box, while also setting her up with a chance to complete the Super Slam at the AIG Women’s Open later this month and secure the final two points needed for the LPGA Hall of Fame.

Getty Images

But the road to history won’t come without a few challenges.

Korda arrives in France looking to bounce back after a quieter week at Hazeltine, where she wasn’t able to find the same rhythm that defined the first half of her season. She’ll also be chasing a breakthrough at Evian, a championship where she has yet to truly contend, with her best finish coming in 2022 when she tied for eighth. Still, if there’s one thing Korda has proven this season, it’s that she thrives when the spotlight gets brighter. The combination of a challenging layout, major pressure and a chance to make history sets the stage for another defining moment in the career of the world’s No. 1 player.

Grace Kim: Can the Champion Defend Her Crown?

A year ago, Grace Kim became the unlikely hero at Evian, leaving with the biggest win of her career after defeating then top-ranked player Jeeno Thitikul. Now she returns to the shores of Lake Geneva with an entirely different challenge: trying to prove she belongs among the game’s elite by doing something incredibly difficult—defending a major title.

Philippe Millereau/Amundi Evian Championship

Major championships have a funny way of changing a player’s trajectory, and Grace Kim’s breakthrough at Evian last year was the kind of moment that can unlock an entire career. The dramatic playoff battle between Kim and Jeeno Thitikul was one of the defining moments of the 2025 season, delivering the kind of major championship theater that instantly put Kim’s name among the game’s rising stars.

Since then, Kim’s 2026 season has been more steady than spectacular. She enters Evian with just one top-10 finish in 10 starts, but she has also missed only one cut — a sign of the consistency that has helped her remain in contention week after week. Now, she returns to the site of her biggest career victory with a chance to prove last year wasn’t a one-week flash, but the beginning of something much bigger.

Jeeno Thitikul: A Redemption Opportunity at the Scene of the Heartbreak

Getty Images

Few players know just how quickly a major championship can swing between triumph and heartbreak better than Jeeno Thitikul. Last year at Evian, she looked destined for maiden major title before watching the trophy slip away in dramatic fashion. Now she returns with unfinished business and a chance to rewrite the ending.

Thitikul has long been viewed as one of the most complete and consistent players in the game. This year, Evian represents more than another major opportunity, it’s a chance to turn last year’s disappointment into the kind of defining moment that can shape a career.

Brooke Henderson: With Momentum on Her Side, Can She Capitalize?

After a strong performance at Hazeltine during the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, Henderson heads to Evian with renewed confidence and the feeling that her game is trending in the right direction.

Getty Images

A two-time major champion already (one of which coming at the 2022 Evian Championship) Henderson knows exactly what it takes to handle the pressure of these weeks. The question has never been whether she can win on golf’s biggest stages—it’s whether she can put four rounds together at the right time. With momentum on her side, Evian could be another opportunity for one of the game’s biggest stars to add another chapter to her legacy.

Kiara Romero: The Next Amateur Making a Run at History

Last year, Lottie Woad turned the Evian Championship into her own coming-out party, proving an amateur could not only compete against the world’s best but make a legitimate run at an LPGA card. Now, Kiara Romero has a chance to follow a similar path.

The top-ranked women's amateur has already built a reputation as one of the most exciting young players coming up the pipeline, and Evian presents an opportunity that goes beyond a leaderboard position. If Romero can make the cut this week, she has a chance to earn her LPGA membership through the Tour’s LEAP pathway program. She has 19 points heading into the week and needs only 20 to get it done.

USGA/Getty Images

How to Watch/TV Schedule

Thursday, July 09

6-11:00 a.m. (Golf Channel)

11:00 a.m.-12 p.m. (Golf Channel Digital)

Friday, July 10

6-11:00 a.m. (Golf Channel)

11:00 a.m.-12 p.m. (Golf Channel Digital)

Saturday, July 11

4-10 a.m. (Golf Channel)

Sunday, July 12:

4-10 a.m. (Golf Channel)