Klára Davidson Spilková: My game is solid, but I have a feeling of déjà vu.

Czech professional golfer Klára Davidson Spilková is facing the first highlight of this season. From Thursday to Sunday, she will be the only Czech player competing in the major tournament at Évian-les-Bains, France, one of the five most prestigious and generously prized golf events. This year’s financial prize is 6.5 million US dollars, of which the winner takes one million.

The Amundi Evian Championship follows the Ladies European Tour La Sella Open in Alicante, Spain, where Davidson Spilková finished tied for 35th place. Although the Czech professional played three solid rounds without major errors, her performance was average and she couldn’t break the par in none of them.

“More crazy weather, two storm interruptions and a feeling of déjà vu. My game has been solid, I’m not making errors and I’m playing consistently, but I struggle with longer putts. Due to Thursday’s lightning, the entire La Sella tournament was shortened to just three rounds, so at least I saved some energy. It was tough because Alicante was scorching hot with nearly 90% humidity, making the feel-like temperature even a few degrees higher. Now we are in Évian, and I’ve completed my first practice round. You can tell it’s a major – going through all the eighteen holes took much longer than usual. Each player wants to get as familiar with the course as possible and tries out different shots and putts on the greens, so there is considerable waiting time,” she commented from France.

According to Davidson Spilková, the Evian Championship is one of her favourites. It is where she first witnessed world-class golf first-hand when her parents took her there on a trip, and it was also the first major tournament she participated in after qualifying successfully in 2015.

“I always look forward to Evian, as everybody does. The atmosphere is amazing, and you can see the whole city is living the tournament. Everywhere you look there are flags with the tournament logo and everything is themed in pink, so you can tell how important the event is for the locals. In a way, it was also the first big golf I ever saw with my own eyes. When I was a young golfer, my parents took me here on a trip. Besides, it’s not easy to qualify for this event. Only 14 players advance directly from the LET, so it’s not only an honour but also a reward for everything you achieved throughout the year – it’s the icing on the cake. I believe it will be a fantastic week and I feel well-prepared for the tournament,” the Czech golf professional said about how she feels about the tournament.

However, Evian won’t be the only major Davidson Spilková is to play this year. Thanks to her position in the Race to Costa del Sol year-round ranking of the Ladies European Tour, she has also qualified for the AIG Women’s Open, the second European major of the year that is held in Surrey, England, from 10 August.

“The British Open has been my goal. Actually, both majors have been my secret dream throughout the year, and I see them as a great opportunity to prove myself among the best. Moreover, Kristýna [Napoleaová] also qualified for the British Open thanks to her victory in Berlin, so I won’t be travelling to Surrey alone. It’s has been quite wild recently – every course is different, every country is different, even the weather changes to a great deal… It’s a mixture of everything, and the most challenging part is to adapt to the ever-changing conditions. It will be similar when we return through Scotland to England, where you also never know what happens next until the last moment. But now I am heading to Evian so I’ll take it as it comes – step by step. The forecast looks pretty good, so hopefully the weather will turn fine. I pray we won’t be playing in the rain or wait for storms to pass. Fingers crossed,” Davidson Spilková wrote from Évian-les-Bains about her upcoming participation in the two majors.

Despite another top forty result, Davidson Spilková keeps her 3rd position in the Ladies European Tour Race to Costa del Sol ranking, as well as 99th place in the Rolex Rankings.