Grace Kim, Minjee Lee Off to Slow Starts at Evian Championship

Australian golfing champions Grace Kim and Minjee Lee have both had sluggish starts at the Evian Championship in France.

Kim, whose incredible play-off triumph at the Evian Resort Club last year rocketed her in the major winners' circle, suffered an anti-climactic start to her title defence on Thursday.

A year after producing one of the great fightbacks in golf history to land her maiden major with an incredible eagle-birdie-eagle finish, Kim was going nicely at 2-under when she served up a triple-bogey seven at the par-four 12th and then coughed up a couple more sixes on the long 15th and 18th holes.

She finished up at 2-over 73 to be joint 87th at the close of day one in Évian-les-Bains.

Fellow Australian and 2021 winner Minjee Lee suffered a worse day, opening with a 6-over par 77 that may have already scuppered the three-time major champ's chances.

Lee's round featured a double-bogey and a triple.

On a day when Japan's Akie Iwai roared into a two-shot lead with an 8-under 63, the distant Australian challenge was led by Cassie Porter, who still found herself six shots off the lead in joint-20th place after a 2-under 69.

She was a shot clear of Hannah Green, the former Women's PGA champ, and Karis Davidson, who both fired 70s and were tied for 35th place.

Iwai, though, made birdies at three of the last four holes, including the par-five 18th, to lead by two from Perrine Delacour, whose 6-under 65 included an eagle at the par-five 15th and a pair of bogeys toward the end of her round.

"I was able to have a good focus on my golf and stay committed. ‌I prepared a lot around the green with chipping and putting. I was driving well, but honestly everything was good," Iwai said.

A group of five players with 5-under 66s included the winner of the Women's PGA Championship two weeks ago, Haeran Ryu, and world number five Charley Hull, who started the week as a guest in the Royal Box at Wimbledon.

But like Lee, world number one Nelly Korda, who won the season's first two majors, had a bad day, finding herself 11 shots back with a 3-over 74, including a double-bogey six at her first hole, the 10th.