Julia López Ramírez (-3) continues to demonstrate time and again that she is made of something special, that she is made for the big stages, for the big events. The player from Benahavís has completed the final ten holes of the second round of the Evian Championship in spectacular fashion. Not only has she made the cut, but she is also eyeing the top positions on the leaderboard thanks to a round of 67 strokes that places her in the top 30 of the event. She won’t be playing alone this weekend, Azahara Muñoz (+1) will also be competing at Evian Golf over the next two rounds.
“I either speed up or there’s nothing to be done.” The diagnosis was clear. Julia López left the green on the 7th hole with +2 for the day and +3 overall. She had room to react because everything indicated that the cut would be at one over par, although it eventually was +2. Eleven holes remained, and she needed to start clawing back strokes on the course as soon as possible. She took the first step with a birdie on the 18th hole at Evian, starting from the 10th.
What happened from that moment was an exhibition. Between the 3rd and 9th holes of the French course, she secured five birdies in just seven flags. She was the only player in the field to score 30 strokes on the demanding first nine holes of the French course.
This is Julia’s fifth Major, her debut at the Evian, and it’s the fifth cut she has made in the Majors. She’s not just a big hitter; she’s a very consistent player in all aspects of her game, including the mental side. Many players with a start like hers would have let themselves be carried away by the current. Julia is not like that. She already knows what it’s like to fight for a Major and wants to give herself more opportunities to be in the mix.
Since 2018, Azahara Muñoz (+1) hadn’t played a weekend at the Evian Amundi Championship. Three missed cuts (2019, 2021, and 2024) and two absences (2022 and 2023) were the poor record in recent times at the fourth Major of the calendar. The streak has come to an end thanks to a round at par for the course, allowing her to complete the first 36 holes with +1 overall. Two birdies and as many bogeys balanced the scales. She finished with seven consecutive pars.
Those who won’t be there this weekend are Carlota Ciganda (+4) and Carla Bernat (+6). They fought until the last holes. The Navarrese player, in particular, reached the 17th tee at +3, one stroke off the cut, although at that moment, +1 seemed the most likely. Carlota went aggressively for the birdie and ended up with a double bogey, which dashed any weekend hopes. At least she closed her competition with a birdie, sealing a final round of 72 strokes.
Carla Bernat, on the other hand, was within the weekend cut at the 12th hole. She was one under par thanks to a solitary birdie. There, the player from Castellón derailed with two consecutive double bogeys on the 12th and 13th. The weekend became very challenging, and she committed another double bogey on the 15th. Three fateful holes marred an otherwise decent performance by the winner of the ANWA.
The Korean Somi Lee (-10) is the leader of the tournament after the first two rounds. The recent winner of the Dow Championship delivered the best card of the day, and with 65 strokes, she leads alone at ten under par. Leona Maguire (-6) couldn’t maintain the pace of the first day, and with a round at par for the course, she managed to stay in the top ten. One stroke behind is the World Number One. Nelly Korda (-5) performed a real balancing act to stay in the fight. She was +4 for the day after the first seven flags and seemed to be saying goodbye to any chance of victory. With five birdies in the final stretch, she turned it around and finishes five shots off the lead. Tied with Nelly is the amateur Lottie Woad (-5).
Ake Iwai (+3), Linn Grant (+3), Ruonin Yin (+3), Maja Stark (+4), Lydia Ko (+5) and Anna Nordqvist (+6) are just some of the players who have succumbed to the challenges of Evian Golf and have not made the cut.
