The Amundi Evian Championship 2026 returns in style

As the elite of women’s golf return to the picturesque Evian Resort Golf Club beside Lake Geneva from 9 to 12 July, the 32nd Amundi Evian Championship once again blends major-calibre competition with breathtaking natural beauty

The quest for major glory returns to the Evian Resort Golf Club this week as the world’s top players descend on the Amundi Evian Championship from July 9 to 12. First played in 1994 and elevated to major status in 2013 as the fifth women’s major, the tournament has grown into one of the most anticipated events in the game. Set against the stunning backdrop of Lake Geneva, the 32nd edition promises another compelling chapter in women’s golf, where scenic beauty meets fiercely competitive play.

Picture: Rolex Testimonees Jeeno Thitikul and Lydia Ko together on the golf course ©Getty Images/Andrew Redington

Two standout Rolex Testimonees headline the anticipation: Lydia Ko and Jeeno Thitikul. For the 23-year-old Thitikul, the event carries special meaning. She came heartbreakingly close to victory last year, finishing runner-up after a dramatic playoff. That near-miss has only sharpened her desire to claim her first major at a venue that holds deep sentimental value – the same course where she made her first major cut as a 14-year-old. “The Amundi Evian Championship has always been my favourite major,” she says. “It is where I made my first major cut as a 14-year-old. I would love to win it and came closest last year as everyone knows. It’s just a really special place in my heart and it is great that we get a chance to go back there every year.”

Picture: Rolex Testimonee Jeeno Thitikul at the Amundi Evian Championship in 2025 © Rolex/J.D. Cuban

Thitikul’s rapid rise is already the stuff of legend. At just 14, she became the youngest player ever to win a professional tournament, and she has since spent 40 weeks at No. 1 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings. In many ways, her journey echoes that of Ko, who won the Evian Championship in 2015 at age 18 to become the youngest women’s major champion at the time. Off the course, the two share a close bond, with Thitikul often calling Ko her role model and older sister on tour.

“To see Lydia for the past decade and more is really inspiring for me,” Thitikul says. “She is one person that I really look up to. All the hard work that she puts in, not just on the weeks otf, but also in the weeks that we play, it’s inspiring. Many people see only the trophy and the success, but I think it’s more than that. We put the work in because we love the sport, we love to grow the game and we want to impact more people. I am learning that from her, and also from Annika Sörenstam and the other Rolex Testimonees. I see the road they paved to inspire the next generation.”

Picture: Rolex Testimonee Lydia Ko with the trophy at the Amundi Evian Championship in 2015 © Rolex/Chris Turvey

Ko, for her part, appreciates the unique atmosphere Rolex has helped foster at the event, which it has supported as Official Timepiece and Major Partner since 2000. “Rolex has been a huge supporter of the event,” she says. “It is a great week that brings a lot of people together, and I can see a lot of moving parts. Being a Testimonee gives a little bit of added motivation to play well in front of the Rolex family. We have that certain pride when we are representing Rolex – it is like an extra superpower that we get competing there.”

Picture: Engraved Oyster Perptual Datejust 31 presented to the winner of the Amundi Evian Champtionship 2026 © Rolex/Stojan

This year’s strong field also includes fellow Rolex Testimonees and past Evian champions Anna Nordqvist (2017) and Brooke Henderson (2022), alongside rising stars Ruoning Yin and Rose Zhang. All will battle the course’s demanding elevation changes in pursuit of the iconic trophy – and, for the winner, a specially engraved Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust 31.

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