Korda Chases History at Evian With Hall of Fame and Grand Slam in Sight
Nelly Korda arrives at the 2026 LPGA Amundi Evian Championship on Thursday carrying arguably the most consequential two-week stretch of her career. The World No. 1 American already owns the Chevron Championship and the U.S. Women's Open titles from earlier this season, and a victory at the Evian Resort Golf Club in France would make her only the fifth woman in history to win three major championships in a single calendar year - a feat last achieved by South Korea's Inbee Park in 2013.
The stakes extend well beyond the season record books. A win at Evian would simultaneously complete Korda's career grand slam and push her into the LPGA Hall of Fame at the age of 27, two milestones no American woman has claimed together since Juli Inkster in 1999. Korda currently sits on 25 Hall of Fame points - two short of the 27 required - though she has deliberately chosen not to track the figure. For those following every detail of her pursuit, SapphireBet offers comprehensive coverage of the women's game and the wider sporting landscape. "Some people may think it's a lot of pressure," Korda said on Wednesday. "I'm just really proud of myself for even putting myself into that position and it being talked about."
A Season of Peaks and One Sharp Dip
Korda's 2026 campaign opened at pace. She claimed the Chevron Championship in April and the U.S. Women's Open in June, becoming a four-time major champion in the process. Those victories placed her in direct conversation with the sport's all-time greats and set up the possibility of a calendar-year hat-trick heading into the Women's PGA Championship. That tournament, however, exposed a vulnerability: her short game faltered under pressure and she finished tied for eighth, ending any chance of a three-peat at that venue. The stumble was significant but not fatal to the broader ambition, and Evian now provides the reset.
Korda's Complicated History With Evian
If the Women's PGA was an uncomfortable test, Evian represents Korda's most difficult assignment in the majors calendar by her own record. She finished 43rd at the same venue last year, and her best results here - eighth in 2022 and ninth in 2023 - were competitive but never championship-level. The Evian Championship also falls as the third major in roughly six weeks, a condensed schedule that Korda has addressed head-on. "The scheduling of three majors in a short amount of time is definitely a lot mentally, physically," she said. "At this point in the season, sometimes resting is actually more beneficial." Managing the physical toll of back-to-back transatlantic travel while peaking for a round that could define her legacy is a challenge that goes beyond shot-making.
The Field, the Purse, and a Rival With Fresh Confidence
Korda tees off at 7:36 a.m. ET Thursday alongside England's Lottie Woad and South Korea's Haeran Ryu - and Ryu's presence adds an intriguing dynamic to the pairing. Ryu won her first major championship at the Women's PGA last month, becoming the first player since Carol Mann in 1964 to overcome a first-round deficit of at least 10 strokes to claim a major title. She arrives in France liberated rather than burdened. "After winning a major, I feel more free," Ryu said. "It's less stressful for me." The 132-player field includes 10 past Evian champions, reigning titleholder Grace Kim of Australia among them, and 23 of the top 25 players in the Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings are competing for a share of the $9.1 million purse. The quality of the field underscores what a victory here would truly mean - not just statistically, but in terms of the competition Korda would have had to overcome to get there.
