More Memories In The Making?

Rolex Rankings No. 1 Inbee Park has a soft spot for the Evian Championship and has a clear memory of her victory here in 2012, her second career victory and a win that snapped a four-year winless streak.

“You know, Evian has been a very special place to me. I won here in 2012, and this is the first time I’ve won since 2008,” said Park. “Since I started traveling with my husband, this was the first tournament I actually won, so it’s still in my mind, and yeah, it was a very special moment. So I still remember like yesterday how I felt.”

Park won the event the year before it was designated as a major and said she’s hoping to make more memories here this week. Park has a chance to become only the second player in LPGA Tour history to complete the Super Career Grand Slam, to win five different major championships. Karrie Webb is the only player to achieve the feat when she won the 2002 Women’s British Open.

“It feels pretty special to actually have a crack at it, and I will for the rest of my life if I come to Evian,” said Park. “It’s good that I have an opportunity, but I mean, the main goal this year was just to win the British Open, which just I did, and I’m happy to play in Evian. I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself, but if I can do something special this week, that’ll be definitely very memorable. This is already a memorable place to me, so if I can do something like that again, it’ll be great, perfect.”

Park completed the Career Grand Slam last month after a three-shot victory at the RICOH Women’s British Open.

Queen Of The Majors

Inbee Park has separated herself from the rest of the world when it comes to major performances. Park has won six of the last 14 dating back to the 2013 Kraft Nabisco Championship and no other player has won more than one during that span. Park can’t necessarily spell out her recipe for success on golf’s biggest stages but she does know she fully devotes herself to those five weeks of the year.

“I don’t know. I really can’t explain why I am good at major tournaments, really, because if I look at the number of wins, I won 16 events is it, and seven of them is majors, so it’s a really big percentage compared to other players,” said Park. “I don’t know, just maybe I am just comfortable when I play the major championships. I feel like I have 100 percent concentration when I play the major championships. It really feels like a real golf tournament. I think just the success that I’ve had in the past, that gives me a lot of confidence going into the major championships.”

Top-3 Featured Pairing

The best female players in the world have made their way to Evian this week and many of the biggest names in golf will be competing side by side during the first two rounds on Thursday and Friday. The featured group will have plenty of star power with the top-3 players in the Rolex Rankings playing together: No. 1 Inbee Park, No. 2 Lydia Ko and No. 3 Stacy Lewis. When asked which players to look out for as her biggest competition this week, Inbee Park said she’ll be keeping an eye on her playing partners.

“I don’t think I can name like one player that I’m going to be competing with, but the first two days is definitely going to be Lydia, Stacy, and we’re playing two days, so it’s definitely the ones to definitely watch out,” said Park. “All the time it’s definitely in my mind looking at Stacy and Lydia.”

Lydia Ko expects a good following at Evian Resort Golf Club and looks forward to playing together for the first time since the season’s spring Asia swing.

“It should be a lot of fun, Rolex Ranking 1, 2, 3,” said Ko. “I think there will be a lot of spectators coming out to watch, and yeah, I’m sure between the three of us we’ll have quite a few birdies out there and hit a few good shots. I was super excited when I see the tee times, and I don’t think we’ve played together, us three, since the Asia swing.”

Other featured pairings to watch:

Group 8 (8:18am): Lexi Thompson, Sandra Gal, Paula Creamer
Group 10 (8:29am): In Gee Chun, Brittany Lincicome, Ai Miyazato
Group 14 (8:51am): Michelle Wie, Anna Nordqvist, Cristie Kerr

The European Advantage

Two-time European Solheim Cup team member Karine Icher was a member of the victorious European team in 2013 and knows what it takes to win. Icher was also a member of the 2002 team and has an overall record of 3-3-1 in the event.

Team Europe will enter next week with two consecutive Solheim Cup wins and many wondering if they have the clear advantage once again. Icher was asked on Wednesday at The Evian Championship what made their team so strong.

“Well, match play, it’s a different game, and I think we were like two years ago more united as a team than maybe Americans,” Icher said. “Then why, I don’t know, you have to ask them why they’re not super strong together. But on the European side, for sure we were like really, really strong together, and maybe that makes a difference at the end.”

Rolex Scenarios

There is a chance that Lydia Ko can overtake current World No. 1 Inbee Park atop the Rolex Rankings this week. Here is what needs to take place in order for that to happen.

Lydia can only take No. 1 if she wins AND Inbee finishes in in a tie for 17th or worse.
No one else has a shot at No. 1 this week.

Note: Multi-way ties can complicate the situation. For example, Inbee would retain No. 1 regardless with a three-way tie for 16th but not a tie for 17th. Please check with the LPGA communications team on Sunday for updated scenarios.

2015 The Evian Championship Wednesday Pre-Tournament Notes and Interviews

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