Soon-To-Be Fifth LPGA Major Tees Off Thursday

Ai Miyazato lets one fly. (Secret in the Dirt)

NINE OF THE WORLD’S TOP 10 female players, including world No. 1 Yani Tseng, will compete in this week’s Evian Masters at the Evian Masters Golf Club in Evian-Les-Bains, France. A major championship on the Ladies European Tour since 1998, the Evian Masters will also be recognized as a major on the LPGA Tour beginning in 2013.

This year’s tournament is the 19th staging of the event. Ai Miyazato, winner of two LPGA titles this season and fourth in the Rolex Rankings, defends her title.

The Evian Masters has a fat purse—$3.25 million or 2,496,170 euros. It’s the most prize money doled out on the Ladies European Tour and equals the U.S. Women’s Open, which offers the largest purse on the LPGA Tour.

Along with Miyazato and the top-ranked Tseng, the field includes U.S. Women’s Open champion Na Yeon Choi of South Korea (No. 2), Stacy Lewis (No. 3), LPGA Championship winner Shanshan Feng (No. 5), Suzann Pettersen (No. 6), Amy Yang (No. 7), Cristie Kerr (No. 9) and 2010 Evian Masters champion Jiyai Shin (No. 10).