Sat Jul 12 11:40:00 UTC 2025: **Maguire Aces Hole-in-One, Shares Evian Championship Lead as Hull Withdraws Due to Virus**
Evian-les-Bains, France – Leona Maguire of Ireland delivered a stunning start to the Evian Championship, firing a hole-in-one on the par-three second hole en route to a first-round 65 and a share of the lead. Maguire’s ace highlighted an impressive round that also included five birdies, placing her atop the leaderboard alongside Jennifer Kupcho, Andrea Lee, Grace Kim, and Gabriela Ruffels.
The 30-year-old Maguire, starting on the back nine, quickly recovered from an early bogey with a string of birdies before her memorable hole-in-one at the 164-yard second.
While Maguire celebrated her strong start, the opening day was marred by the mid-round withdrawal of Charley Hull due to a virus. Hull, ranked No. 19 in the world, was reportedly stretchered off the course after struggling and collapsing twice. Her condition is currently unknown.
KPMG Women’s PGA Championship winner Minjee Lee sits just one shot back, while defending champion Ayaka Furue and world No. 1 Nelly Korda are two shots off the pace. Jeeno Thitikul, who could potentially dethrone Korda as world No. 1 this week, and 2023 champion Celine Boutier are also within striking distance, three shots back.
Notable names like AIG Women’s Open champion Lydia Ko and Solheim Cup captain Anna Nordqvist faced challenges, carding opening-round 73s.
The second round of the Evian Championship promises to be a compelling event, with a tight leaderboard and several top players in contention.
*You can catch the second round live on Friday from 11am on Sky Sports Mix.*
First Piper 