Three standout amateurs make the cut in the Amundi Evian Championship

Three standout amateurs made the cut at the Amundi Evian Championship out of the six total amateurs in the field.

Those three are No. 1 ranked amateur Rose Zhang, French star Pauline Roussin-Bouchard who is ranked 6th on the World Amateur Golf Rankings but held the No. 1 spot for 34 weeks in 2020, and the 2021 Augusta National Women’s Amateur Champion Tsubasa Kajitani.

Zhang won the U.S Girls Junior Championship on July 17 to become the first player to win the U.S. Women’s Amateur before the U.S. Girls Junior. The next day, Zhang got on a plane for Evian, France. She shot scores of 72-69 on Thursday and Friday to finish inside the cutline and stands one shot behind Kajitani who leads against the amateurs going into the weekend.

“This is my first time playing in a major overseas and it’s such a cool experience being able to play at such a scenic venue like Evian,” said Zhang who received an exemption into the Evian Championship after her 2020 U.S. Amateur win. “I have always looked forward to testing my game against the pros and this week, it has really inspired me to stay driven on making myself improve even further.”

Full-field scores from The Amundi Evian Championship

Roussin-Bouchard qualified for the 2019 Evian Championship after finishing runner-up in the LET Jabra Ladies Open but missed the cut, shooting scores of 87-78. Determined to make it to the weekend, Roussin-Bouchard squeezed inside of the cutline even with a triple-bogey on the par-5 15th to shoot 3-over 74 and even par for the tournament.

“I’ve really upped the way I’ve been practicing. It’s a structure that I love,” Roussin-Bouchard told the LPGA on Thursday. “Playing in front of the French public is special, as well.”

Roussin-Bouchard, Zhang and Kajitani will battle for the low-amateur medal this weekend while the players close to the top will try to knock Jeongeun Lee6 from her three shot lead.