Some of the best names in female professional golf will grace the fairways at the Evian Masters Golf Club in Evian-Les-Bains, France this week as Jiyai Shin looks to defend her title from 2010. In total, over 110 golfers will participate in the Evian Masters for their share of a $3.25 million purse, which is tied for the largest purse on the LPGA Tour for the 2011 season.
Strong Field Preparing for Tournament
Jiyai Shin is currently ranked number 4 in the LPGA Rolex Rankings and will be joined this week in France by a slew of equally-talented golfers, including Rolex Rankings No. 1 Yani Tseng, No. 2 Cristie Kerr, No. 3 Suzann Pettersen, Shin and No. 5 and the 2010 LPGA Official Money List leader Na Yeon Choi.
All eyes remain fixated on Yani Tseng, of course, following the 22 year-old's recent impressive play which includes a fourth major when she won the Wegmans LPGA Championship last month. Tseng, who at 22 years, 5 months, 3 days, became the youngest golfer (male or female) to accomplish the feat since Young Tom Morris did it at age 21 in 1872, according to the official LPGA website.
Global Event and Numerous Invitees
This year's Evian Masters - as is the case with years past for this event - will mark yet another tournament where over 30 countries will be represented in the participant field. The LPGA has quickly risen to a degree of global participation that is unmatched by other female sports around the globe. Countries with the largest contingents this week include Korea, Japan, and the United States.
Included in the large number of participants at this year's Evian Masters are a total of 10 players who received a sponsor invite. There are four LPGA Tour members (Mariajo Uribe, Cindy LaCrosse, Grace Park and Julieta Granada), five LET members (Maria Verchenova, Caroline Rominger, Anne Lise Caudal, Sophie Giquel and Caroline Alfonso) and one member of the WGAI in India (Sharmila Nicollet), according to the official LPGA website.
Jiyai Shin's victory at the Evian Masters last year would be her first of two wins in 2010, which would in-turn lead her to capturing the Number One spot atop the Rolex Rankings. Shin also won the 2010 Mizuno Classic and was just the third player, including Annika Sorenstam and Lorena Ochoa, to earn the distinction of finishing a season in the ranking's top spot. Unfortunately, Jiyai Shin has yet to capture an LPGA title in 2011 despite solid play throughout this season.
Source:
LPGA.com: Evian Masters Tournament Preview; accessed July 2011.
Adam Fonseca - Adam Fonseca is a certified Lean Six Sigma Change Agent and an accomplished golf writer. He currently works in health care ...
