Australians start well at Amundi Evian Championship
Gabi Ruffels in action on day one – image Mark Runnacles Ladies European Tour
Several Australians have made a good start to the Amundi Evian Masters in France, three of the ten in the field, inside the top six after day one.
US-based Victorian Gabi Ruffels and Sydney’s Grace Kim lead the way with both golfers tied in the lead after opening rounds of 6 under 65. They share the lead with American Andrea Lee, Ireland’s Leona Maguire and American Jennifer Kupcho, Maguire’s round assisted by a hole-in-one at the 11th hole.
Ruffels took advantage of her early start on day one to record a bogey-free round while Kim’s afternoon round was highlighted by a closing nine of 4 under 31.
Ruffels is into her second full season on the LPGA Tour after a very successful season on the Futures Tour in 2023 during which she led the Order of Merit. She finished third in the Louise Suggs Rookie of the Year title in season one on the LPGA Tour with earnings of just under US$1 million.
Ruffels is inspired by the success of other Australians such as Minjee Lee and Hannah Green in major championships and made mention of such after her round.
“I feel like we’re all pushing and inspiring each other. I think there are now over six Australian girls out here. I think for a lot of the time it was Hannah and Minjee, and I’ve always looked up to those girls.
“Seeing Minjee win last week was so cool, or a couple of weeks ago. She’s obviously a three-major champion, and she’s been great to me and great to all of us Australian girls coming up. She’s definitely a mentor to me and someone I look up to.
“Yeah, if I can follow in Hannah and Minjee’s footsteps a little bit then I would be doing pretty good.”
With her father (Ray) one of Australia’s most prominent figures in tennis and herself a fine junior tennis player, Ruffels took time out last week to attend Wimbledon.
“Yeah, so I last went when I was six so I didn’t really remember it. I wanted to go when I remembered and appreciated it. I went with my boyfriend and also we went kind of as guests of Todd Woodbridge who was a doubles champion and really good friends with my dad. My dad coached him throughout his whole career.
“So it was nice meeting up with them. He got us into the member’s only area which was so cool. It was such a cool experience. Yeah, it’s just kind of like a perspective switch as well from golf to kind of get in the tennis world. It was definitely a Bucket List thing to do and I’m glad we were able to tick that off.”
Kim has already won on the LPGA Tour, winning the Lotte Championship in Hawaii in her rookie season after an amateur career which included victory at the 2012 Australian Amateur Championship.
Kim talked about the benefits of a return to Sydney recently.
“I went home to Sydney. So that was a good reset of the mind, being able to sleep in my own bed and see my coach and family back at home.
“So I think just the mental reset halfway through the season, and obviously there is a lot more to go, so, yeah, just did that.”
The Australian challenge is further strengthened by the presence of Minjee Lee who is just one of the pace after her round of 66 which included birdies at four of her last eight holes to close within one during her morning round.
Lee is chasing her second major title in succession having won the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship last month and what would be her fourth major title having won this event four years ago, the 2022 US Women’s Open and the aforementioned KPMG.
