​Nelly Korda’s already stellar season could accelerate even further this week in France, as the Amundi Evian Championship presents a rare chance for the American to complete the career grand slam and vault into the LPGA Hall of Fame. The last American to achieve both feats was Juli Inkster in 1999, underscoring how elusive the prize is and how momentous it would be for Korda to seal the deal. “I think I’ll frame it like this: some people may feel it’s a lot of pressure,” Korda said. “But I’m really proud of myself for putting myself in that position and for it being the topic of conversation.”
Korda, who will turn 28 on July 28, already joined the ranks of two-time major winners this season with victories at the Chevron Championship and the U.S. Women’s Open. She also had a near-miss at the KPMG Women’s PGA, where she was still in the mix on Sunday. This season, she has not finished worse than eighth in nine stroke-play events, and she has claimed four victories overall. In her first six starts, she did not finish outside the top two, a display of consistency that has set her apart from many of her peers.
Just how dominant has Korda been? Her current scoring average of 68.51 is a full point better than that of her nearest rival, Haeran Ryu. To put that in historical context, last year’s scoring mark of 68.681 by Jeeyo Thitikul set an all-time LPGA record, surpassing Annika Sorenstam’s long-standing best of 68.68 from 2002. Ryu arrives at Evian fresh off a breathtaking, come-from-behind victory at Hazeltine, where she trailed by 10 strokes after the first round but mounted a remarkable surge to win. Ryu is widely regarded as one of the sport’s premier ball-strikers, and her best finish in France to date is a solo fifth two years ago.
“After winning a major, I feel more free,” Ryu commented during a pre-tournament press conference at Evian Resort Golf Club. “It’s less stressful for me.” That sense of relief, experience, and momentum is something she’ll carry into the event as she chases a major title of her own.
Among the other players to watch in Evian, two-time winner Hyo Joo Kim stands out as a major threat. Kim is currently ranked No. 3 in the world and celebrated another victory on the LPGA this season. Just last week, she added a win on the KLPGA Tour, her 16th career victory on that circuit and her second of the year. Kim already holds a piece of major history on the Evian course, sharing the record for the lowest round in a major with a 61 set there in 2014—a round that helped spark her breakthrough in that year’s major championship, which she won on her first appearance in a major.
There’s also an enduring legacy element tied to Evian’s course. A wooden plaque now sits on a tree near the 18th green to commemorate 2025 champion Grace Kim’s playoff-clinching birdie that extended the playoff against Jeeno Thitikul. Kim had the first look at the plaque on Tuesday and even snapped a photo, with a QR code embedded in the plaque leading to a video reel of Kim’s heroic shot. It’s a reminder of the drama Evian often delivers and of the history that every shot here seems to carry.
The setting in Evian-les-Bains adds to the aura. The course and the landscape provide a mix of beauty and challenge, where precision and nerve can tilt a championship. Defending champion Grace Kim’s always-fresh memory of the playoff and her late-eagle finish last year hover as a point of inspiration for the field, especially for players like Thitikul who are chasing her first major title after narrowly missing in the past.
As the week unfolds, Korda will look to keep her two major wins and high finishes in a row intact, while others push to deny her the career grand slam in Evian. The narrative is rich: a dominant season seeking a crown that would elevate it into historic territory, a field of elite players chasing major titles and personal milestones, and a course that has become a stage for dramatic moments that linger long after the final putt. For Korda, the path to greatness runs through Evian, where a victory would not only cap a remarkable run but also etch her name alongside the most storied players in the sport’s history.