The Evian Championship Needs a Win This Week

The Amundi Evian Championship tees off on Thursday smack dab in the middle of a seven-week stretch that will see three major champions crowned. Our major cup runneth over indeed. The setting this week, a picturesque mountainside resort on Lake Geneva, couldn't be more of a contrast to the eyesore of last month's major at Fields Ranch East. Expect the mood of players to be much improved. No one's going to be bored with Evian's views, and triple-digit temperatures are nowhere to be found in the forecast.

Something else to keep an eye on will be if another big-name winner comes out on top on Sunday. While the other women's majors have all seen unexpected (sometimes virtually unknown) winners in recent years, Evian has been immune to the game's parity. The average ranking of its winners is 16.6, the lowest of the five majors. Losing its stature as the highest-paying event in women's golf, as well as a series of missteps during its first years as a major, hasn't affected its track record of champions.

Without a top-notch venue, purse money has always been what the event has hung its hat on. This year's total purse is $8 million, the exact same as last year and a significant drop off from the U.S. Women's Open, the KPMG Women's PGA Championship, and the AIG Women's Open. It's not just the purse where the Evian is lacking, though. There will be no network TV coverage of the championship, as well as no advanced statistics or ShotLink technology.

Last year in a pre-tournament press conference, Franck Riboud, Chairman of the Amundi Evian Championship, was asked about the return on his investment. "I confirm to everybody here that the economics of ladies sports is not aligned on the prize of the cost you have to do an event like this one. To find the return, it's going to be tough." Merde, even the French would consider that blunt. It's an apparent dilemma as he will "lose [his] shirt" if he tries to keep up with increasing purses. To be fair, there does not seem to be any hesitation from Riboud in continuing the Evian in its current state, but as the gap grows wider, the scrutiny of the event will only increase.

A victory from Nelly Korda, Jeeno Thitikul, or Lydia Ko would cover up some of the blemishes of the youngest major. Blemishes that are getting more and more difficult to hide.

‍This piece originally appeared in the Fried Egg Golf newsletter. Subscribe for free and receive golf news and insight every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.