​The two best players on the LPGA who have not yet won a major once again find themselves in position to change that at the Amundi Evian Championship. Jeenu Thitikul shot her lowest major round ever, a 7-under 64, to climb into a tie for second place at 6 under, alongside Charley Hull who fired a 70 in the same round. After opening with a 72 that included hitting five fairways, Thitikul improved dramatically on Friday, missing only one fairway as she kept her ball striking sharp. She hit 14 greens in regulation and tallied 28 putts, navigating the four par-5s in five under with an eagle on the seventh that highlighted a bold, confident attack. Her stated objective was to feel more natural and avoid overthinking as she pursues another major breakthrough.
The Amundi Evian Championship continues to be a stage where the 23-year-old Thitikul has already carved out a special connection. She made the cut at Evian at age 14 and has long fallen in love with the course, noting after Friday’s round that it is her favorite. “I love the course, how it looks,” she said. “I know it’s so slopey, but there’s room for you to hit it and then let it help you get it to the hole or to the spot that you want.” Her affection for the setting extends to nearby Lake Geneva, which she jokes about for its potential as a quick escape after a poor day, calling it “a holiday” because you can dive in if needed. Thitikul remains based in Evian-les-Bains at the Hilton in the city center and is fond of the local cuisine, especially escargot and crepes.
Hull, who had just enjoyed royal attention from Wimbledon’s sidelines, was paired with Thitikul and Lydia Ko for Friday’s round and woke up unusually early—at 4:40 a.m.—to prep for the tight turnaround. She left frustrated by the playing conditions, feeling the greens had been overwatered. “I hit 17 greens in regulation, played well,” Hull said, but she felt the course was not playing as she’d hoped. “I think the course, I don’t know, they overwatered the greens a little bit, and some holes where the ball bounces on, it was stopping within an inch with a 6-iron.” The heat wave currently gripping the region has pushed temperatures into the 90s, contributing to Greens’ bumpiness, which Thitikul acknowledged while discussing how the local maintenance crews have to balance watering against the dryness caused by heat. “I know they’re doing their best to keep the greens playable,” she said, noting she’d been on the putting green early, when frequent watering around the course seemed to be ongoing in an attempt to preserve the turf. “Today I was at the putting green around 5:50 or 5:40, and they were watering the greens, and I was like, now? And then more watering on the 18th green I saw at that time. They’re trying not to let the greens dry out too much so we can still compete. It’s not exactly the best of Evian Resort, but weather can change quickly.”
Hull, who has accumulated more runner-up finishes in majors without a win than anyone else on tour—five to date—came closest at the U.S. Women’s Open at Rivie for better SEO, and she remains one of the most persistent challengers without a major title among the continent’s top players. The Amundi Evian Championship offers another critical opportunity for both Thitikul and Hull to break through. As the tournament unfolds, fans will watch to see whether Thitikul can capitalize on her best major performance to date and perhaps claim a breakthrough win, while Hull looks to convert her consistent high-level play into major success at last.