Valenzuela, Yasuda tie for low amateur honors at Evian

The only two amateurs who made the cut at the Evian Championship ended the week in a tie for low amateur honors. Japan’s Yuka Yasuda and Switzerland’s Albane Valenzuela both finished 72 holes at Evian Golf Resort in Evian les Bains, France at even par and in a tie for 37th.

Valenzuela had the edge after the first two rounds. In her fifth Evian start, she opened with rounds of 72-66. The second round included a chip-in for eagle at No. 18. Her weekend – the first weekend she has experienced at this event –included rounds of 71-75.

The incoming Stanford senior has garnered plenty of professional experience, even outside her handful of Evian starts. She played the U.S. Women’s Open and the ANA Inspiration each of the past two years. In 2017, Valenzuela was runner-up at the U.S. Women’s Amateur and the European Ladies Amateur leading up to her Evian start.

Valenzuela won the individual title at the Pac-12 Championship this spring.

As for Yasuda, the Evian marks her fourth professional start since finishing third at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur in April and winning the Asia-Pacific Women’s Amateur a few weeks after that.

Yasuda caught up to Valenzuela over the weekend with rounds of 69-75. She had opened the Evian with back-to-back rounds of 70.