The main corporate sponsor of an LPGA major championship announced Wednesday it will hold an open tryout for South Korean players this summer, with the winner earning an opportunity to compete with the best in women's golf.
Evian, the French water brand and the title sponsor of the Evian Championship, said the two preliminary stroke-play rounds of the Evian Challenge will take place at 360°Country Club in Yeoju, some 100 kilometers south of Seoul, on June 26 and again on July 31.
(Yonhap)
The top 12 players from the early rounds will advance to the final tryout sometime in August.
The winner of the Evian Challenge will get into this year's Evian Championship, set for Sept. 14-17 at Evian Resort Golf Club in Evian-les-Bains, France. The winner will also receive free round-trip airline tickets to and from the championship venue and will stay at Evian Resort for free.
The Evian Championship is the fifth and final major of an LPGA season. It was elevated to the major status in 2013.
Officials said the Evian Challenge is open to all female Korean golfers over the age of 14. The organizers of the event will accept applications on a first-come, first-serve basis at its website,
www.evianchallenge.co.kr, starting at 10 a.m. next Monday.
The fees are 100,000 won ($88.90) for professionals and 50,000 won for amateurs.
Officials added the open tryout of this nature is only taking place in South Korea because golf is a popular sport among women here, and South Korean players have done well at the Evian Championship.
Since it became a major, two South Koreans have won the Evian Championship -- Kim Hyo-joo in 2014 and Chun In-gee in 2016.
The US Women's Open is the only other LPGA major that holds qualifying events in South Korea. (Yonhap)