Evian Championship 2014: Day 1 LPGA Leaderboard Analysis, Highlights and More

Nearing the end of the 2014 LPGA Tour, the fifth major of the season is officially underway in France.

The Evian Championship holds a $3,250,000 purse and 625 points toward the race to the CME Globe. More importantly, it offers each woman in the field another chance at winning a major tournament during the 2014 season.   

Suzann Pettersen is the defending champion at the Evian Resort and could become the fifth different woman to win a major this season. The two-time major winner is off to a strong start, but is looking up at others on the leaderboard after the opening round.

Along with Pettersen, LPGA Championship winner Inbee Park is also in contention. Despite the notable names on her heels, Hyo Joo Kim distanced herself from the pack after Day 1 in France with a record-setting round.

Here's a look at the current leaderboard and recap from Day 1 of The Evian Championship. The full leaderboard can be found at LPGAScoring.com.

Pos.	Golfer	Round 1	Total
1	Hyo Joo Kim	61	-10
2	Karrie Webb	65	-6
3	Mi Jung Hur	66	-5
T4	Suzann Pettersen	67	-4
T4	Brittany Lincicome	67	-4
T4	Dewi Claire Schreefel	67	-4
T6	Sarah Jane Smith	68	-3
T6	Amy Yang	68	-3
T6	Mariajo Uribe	68	-3
T6	Karine Icher	68	-3
T6	Julieta Granada	68	-3

Day 1 Recap

Early on Thursday, it was Karrie Webb who shined on the course.

Webb finished the round with a six-under 65 to take the early lead before Kim took the course. LPGA Senior Coordinator Meghan Flanagan provided her thoughts on the start for the Australian golfer:

The seven-time major winner has a drought on the big stage dating back to the 2006 Kraft Nabisco Championship. She has been in contention multiple times since that point, but has yet to pull out a major in nearly eight years.

Webb's round was highlighted by four consecutive birdies from the ninth through 12th holes. Ironically enough, the last time Webb won in France was during that same season, as the LPGA account notes:

Much of that success for Webb may have been due to pulling out an old putter, as she explained to Golf Central:

Prior to Webb's round, Brittany Lincicome put herself firmly in contention with a four-under 67 on Thursday. That score was enough to make her the lone American in the top five of the tournament after Day 1.

Lincicome spoke about her performance following the round, per the LPGA YouTube account.

While the day went well for both Webb and Lincicome, another contender struggled on Thursday.

Michelle Wie has been dealing with a stress reaction on her right index finger, which forced her sit out nearly five weeks. But she made her return to the course in France and referenced her health prior to the tournament, per The Associated Press (via Fox Sports):

"

I was in a splint for two weeks, and then the third week I tried to wean off of it, tried to move it around. I just started really putting and chipping last week, and started hitting balls (four) days ago. [...]

Unfortunately, I didn't play so well at the British and had to miss the last major, so I'm really thankful that there's a fifth major.

"

That return was short-lived, however, as Wie was forced to withdraw early in the tournament. LPGA Media passed along the news of Wie's exit:

The clear star of the afternoon, though, was Kim, who blistered the course and the field on Thursday. Consistency was the biggest component for Kim as she finished with five birdies on both the front and back nine to sit atop the leaderboard.

Kim's card from the opening round was shared by The Evian Championship:

Not only was the round a course record, but it also set a new mark for any player in a major, via Shane Bacon of Yahoo: 

Kim has already distanced herself from the rest of the field, so the top players in the world will need to shoot lower scores to catch up. A full four-shot lead over Webb means Kim has a chance to remain in contention as long as she can avoid disaster.

Previous major winners from this season like Park and Lexi Thompson remain in contention behind Kim. Both players shot under par and are in striking distance ahead of the weekend. Thanks to the wealth of talent in the field, the next three days promise to provide outstanding golf from the Evian Resort. 

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