The women’s major championship season for 2024 resumes this week with The Amundi Evian Championship, featuring seven Australians and one New Zealander, in France, starting on Thursday.

Here is all you need to know about the fourth women’s major of the year.

DEFENDING CHAMPION: Celine Boutier (FRA)

PRIZEMONEY: US$8 million

LIVE SCORES: www.amundi.evianchampionship.com/en

TV COVERAGE: The Amundi Evian Championship is live on Fox Sports, available on Foxtel and Kayo.

*All times AEST.

Round 1: Thursday 8pm – Friday 2am (Fox Sports 505/Kayo)

Round 2: Friday 8pm – Saturday 2am (Fox Sports 505/Kayo)

Round 3: Saturday 6pm – 9:20 pm (Fox Sports 507/Kayo), Saturday 9:15pm - Saturday 12am (Fox Sports 505/Kayo)

Final Round: Sunday 6:30pm – Monday 12am (Fox Sports 505/Kayo)

AUSTRALASIAN PLAYER PROFILES

HANNAH GREEN

World ranking: 7

Age: 27

Professional wins: 12

Best finish at the Evian Championship: T30 (2019)

The lowdown: As she has shown over the course of her career, and repeatedly in 2024, Green is a world-class player and major winner, however, this is without question her least happy hunting ground of the majors.

Sharing 24^th at the KPMG Women’s PGA after a bumpy start, Green will arrive rested and revitalised after a visit home as she prepares for her second Olympics at nearby Le Golf National, and her ball striking will again be on full display around this testing layout.

Finding more fairways will be a key for the West Australian this week, however, she as the current leader in Putts per Green in Regulation (GIR) and hitting nearly 72 percent of greens, it won’t take much for Green to find herself right in contention for a third win of the year.

SARAH KEMP

World ranking: 149

Age: 38

Professional wins: 12

Best finish at the Evian Championship: T19 (2021)

The lowdown: Although failing to make the weekend in her last three starts, Kemp will be buoyed by the familiarity of an event she has played eight of nine times since it became a major back in 2013.

Recording her best ever major championship finish at The Evian, Kemp has shown signs of her career-best form of last year so far in 2024 and is well-equipped with the occasionally frustrating nature of this week’s host venue.

Having a good year with the putter and scrambling, Kemp’s accuracy off the tee should hold her in good stead this week.

GRACE KIM

World ranking: 70

Age: 23

Professional wins: Four

Best finish at the Evian Championship: MC (2023)

The lowdown: It was another made major cut, and valuable experience, for Kim at the KPMG Women’s PGA, with her share of 60^th sandwiched by a T2 and T5 at the Dow Championship teams event.

Making her debut here last year, Kim’s noted straight driving and GIR percentage are the perfect fit for the course on the banks of Lake Geneva, with her short game the most important aspect of the game to avoid big numbers that can derail hopes here.

Making plenty of birdies and eagles so far in 2024, as well as a hole-in-one, Kim’s honesty about the state of her game and Tour life recently suggests she is on a good path to a successful second half of the year.

LYDIA KO

World ranking: 19

Age: 27

Professional wins: 28

Best finish at the Evian Championship: Win (2015)

The lowdown: It is almost 10 years since Ko won this title during her run to world No.1, yet the Kiwi remains a contender on the LPGA Tour, and especially at the majors where her renowned short game is of high value.

A mid-field finish at Sahalee ended a run of missed cuts, while playing a part in a 62 and a 63 at the Dow Championship bodes well for the state of her game.

Winning the first event of the year and being runner-up at the next shows what Ko is capable of, particularly at courses that a familiar and suit her eye as well as this one.

STEPH KYRIACOU

World ranking: 100

Age: 23

Professional wins: Two

Best finish at the Evian Championship: T16 (2022)

The lowdown: Kyriacou has improved each year across her three starts at The Evian, where she finished in the top-20 last year and has enjoyed multiple moments sitting higher on the leaderboard.

Heading into the weekend at the KPMG as the leading Aussie, Kyriacou will have learnt plenty from a weekend where things didn’t continue to go her way, while her ball striking and putting have steadily improved of late.

Keeping the ball in play, and scorable positions, off the tee is vital this week, and the Sydneysider is very adept in this department.

MINJEE LEE

World ranking: 11

Age: 28

Professional wins: 13

Best finish at the Evian Championship: Won (2021)

The lowdown: Claiming her first major win here three years ago, Minjee will no doubt be happy to be returning to France before she comes back again for a medal tilt alongside Hannah Green at the Olympics.

Only missing the cut at Evian once, and with five top-20s, it is clear the course suits the West Aussie and her world renowned ball striking.

Bouncing back from a tough Sunday at the US Women’s Open with a share of 24^th at Sahalee, where she was extremely consistent, it will be the putter that determines Lee’s chances of lifting the trophy here for a second time this week.

HIRA NAVEED

World ranking: 107

Age: 26

Professional wins: One

Best finish at the Evian Championship: Debut

The lowdown: Another major debut for Naveed this week, two top-20s in her last three starts surely boosting her confidence as the West Australian continues to get used to life on the biggest stage in the women’s game.

Chasing a first made cut at the biggest events, Naveed is another to gain valuable experience despite not playing the weekend at the KPMG, while her putter continues to be the standout performer in her bag week in, week out.

GABI RUFFELS

World ranking: 40

Age: 24

Professional wins: Three

Best finish at the Evian Championship: Debut

The lowdown: The final piece of the puzzle for Ruffels in terms of major starts occurs this week, however, the now LPGA regular will be far more concerned with challenging for the title than simply teeing it up.

Making the cut at all three majors so far this year, the Victorian will know she only needs one or two things to go her way to lift from the middle of the pack where she has finished at the big events this year.

Missing the cut at the low scoring teams event last start, Ruffels has owned one of the hottest putters on Tour this year, and is a quality ball striker who has proven time and again she is built for the major stage.

THE COURSE

The Evian Resort Golf Club in Evian-les-Bains welcomes the game’s best players again this week as it has done since 1994, with the tournament moving from the Ladies European Tour to co-sanctioned in 2000 before becoming a major 13 years later.

Sitting at the foot of the French Alps and overlooking Lake Geneva, the course lies some 480 metres above sea level and received a significant renovation before its major debut at the hands of European Golf Design and Steve Smyers, who designed Cypress Lakes Resort in New South Wales’ Hunter Valley.

Sometimes criticised by players for the bad breaks they believe come following “good shots”, The Champions Course will measure just under 6000 metres this week with the challenge coming in various forms.

Tree-lined fairways are narrow in part, especially on the front nine, with the undulations on the short grass providing both uneven lies and balls that will feed into the healthy rough. On top of the terrain, bounding and rolling shots off the tee aren’t to be expected, while bunkers commonly surround the greens, which typically own an hourglass shape and are far from easy to putt on.

Despite its proximity to the famous Lake Geneva, the only real view the players will get of the body of water comes on the downhill par-3 second hole that is without doubt the facilities signature.

INTERNATIONAL HEADLINERS

Nelly Korda – World No.1 and six-time winner in 2024

Celine Boutier – Defending champion world No.6

Amy Yang – 2024 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship winner

Lilia Vu – Two-time major champion and KPMG Women’s PGA runner-up

Jin Young Ko – KPMG Women’s PGA runner-up and 2019 Evian Championship winner

Ruoning Yin –Major champion and world No.5

Yuka Saso – 2024 US Women’s Open champion

Brooke Henderson – 2022 Evian Championship winner and 2023 runner-up

Charley Hull – World No.9 with three top-25s at the majors in 2024

Rose Zhang – World No.8 and two-time LPGA Tour winner