Latest news with #GabiRuffels
The Age
13-07-2025
- Sport
- The Age
Aussies surge into contention at Evian
Gabi Ruffels, Minjee Lee and Grace Kim are all in the top-5 heading into the final round of the Evian Championship in France.
Sydney Morning Herald
13-07-2025
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
Aussies surge into contention at Evian
Gabi Ruffels, Minjee Lee and Grace Kim are all in the top-5 heading into the final round of the Evian Championship in France.
ABC News
12-07-2025
- Sport
- ABC News
Gabi Ruffels shares Evian Championship lead, Grace Kim and Minjee Lee in contention
Australia's Gabi Ruffels will enter the final round of the Evian Championship as the co-leader, a stroke ahead of compatriots Grace Kim and Minjee Lee. Ruffels, ranked 71 in the world, posted a 5-under-par 66 to share the lead with England's Cara Gainer on 11-under at the fourth major of the season at the Evian Resort Club in France. Kim and three-time major winner Lee are in a four-way tie for third place on 10-under. Ruffels, who had started her third round with a bogey, put herself in pole position with six birdies, including a brilliant late burst of four in the last eight holes. Gainer's 7-under 64 was the second-best round of the afternoon. World number six Lee, who endured a second-round struggle, reignited her challenge with a flawless 5-under 66, which featured five birdies. She won the Women's PGA Championship in Texas last month and is seeking to become the first woman since Inbee Park in 2013 to capture back-to-back majors. Kim birdied her last hole for a 1-under 70. Lee and Kim are tied with Thailand's world number two Jeeno Thitikul and South Korea's Somi Lee. World number one Nelly Korda is out of the picture after a hugely disappointing 4-over 75 left her 10 shots off the pace. US-born Ruffels, who was raised in Melbourne, was once a top Australian junior tennis player before turning her attention to golf at the age of 14. She has carved out a promising career so far, becoming US Women's Amateur champion in 2019. Ruffels remains an avid tennis fan, having enjoyed a break at Wimbledon as a guest of doubles great Todd Woodbridge before tackling the Evian Championship. "It was such a cool experience," said Ruffels, whose father Ray coached Woodbridge. "It was great to relax and not touch the clubs for a few days and get over jet lag. Seems to have worked this week." AAP
ABC News
11-07-2025
- Sport
- ABC News
Gabi Ruffels and Grace Kim among Evian Championship leaders
Gabi Ruffels and Grace Kim are among a group sharing the first-round lead at the Evian Championship in France, with fellow Australian Minjee Lee only a stroke off the pace. Ruffels and Kim both produced bogey-free rounds of 6-under-par 65 at the fourth major on the women's golf calendar to join Ireland's Leona Maguire and American duo Jennifer Kupcho and Andrea Lee atop the leaderboard. Two weeks after claiming the Women's PGA Championship in Texas, Lee opened with a 5-under 66 to be sitting just one stroke behind the quintet of first-round leaders in outright sixth. It is only early days but the leaders at the Evian Resort Golf Club in Évian-les-Bains could be forgiven for already looking over their shoulders anxiously at the resurgent Lee. After enduring a 20-month title drought, Lee has burst back to life since switching to a broomstick putter this season. Returning to the scene of the first of her three major championship triumphs, the 29-year-old rolled in another six birdies at the beautiful French course nestled between Lake Geneva and the Alps. After finishing with a flurry, picking up four shots in her last seven holes after teeing off from the 10th, Lee is one stroke ahead of American world number one Nelly Korda, who is tied for seventh. World number six Lee said she was feeling mentally recharged following a well-earned fortnight's break since claiming the third leg of women's golf's fabled career grand slam. "It's been really good to have the last two weeks off," she said. "The first week was a little more hectic doing a few media commitments and going out and celebrating. "Just good laughs, good food, good company, couple drinks here and there, as you do. "So I've had the past week to just be relaxed and do some practice and get ready for Evian." Lee famously rallied from seven shots back to win the event in 2021. It should come as no surprise that she is riding the "happy vibes" from such a memorable comeback win. "Obviously playing each hole, I can kind of reflect and think back at what happened that round," Lee said. "Just gives me good energy and just happy vibes, I guess." A one-time former Australian national junior tennis champion, the super-talented Ruffels credited her flawless round to a refreshing day out at Wimbledon. The 23-year-old snapped up tickets to the All-England Club from Australian doubles legend Todd Woodbridge, who was coached by Ruffels's father Ray. 'It was definitely a bucket-list thing to do and I'm glad we were able to tick that off," Ruffels said. "Last time I went, I was six so I didn't really remember it. I wanted to go when I remembered and appreciated it. "It was such a cool experience. It's just kind of like a perspective switch as well from golf to kind of get in the tennis world." AAP
News.com.au
10-07-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Gabi Ruffels and Grace Kim tied for lead at Evian Championship, Minjee Lee shot back
There are Australian flags everywhere at the top of the leaderboard after the opening round of the fourth major of the LPGA season, with Gabi Ruffels and Grace Kim tied for the lead at the Evian Championship. Ruffels declared she was being driven by the success of three-time major champion Minjee Lee, who is just a shot back, with expectations things could get tougher on a course getting 'drier and drier' amid a drought in the area that limited how much water could be put on the Evian Resort course. Lee, who won the PGA Championship just two weeks ago and won the Evian in 2021, carded a five-under 66, with just one bogey, to be one shot back from her compatriots who are among five players who all shot scores of six-under on the opening day. Ruffels, who swapped from tennis to golf as a teenager, visited Wimbledon on her way to France, ticking off a 'bucket-list thing', with winning a major also on that list. 'I last went when I was six so I didn't really remember it. I wanted to go when I remembered and appreciated it,' Ruffels said. 'I went with my boyfriend and also we went kind of as guests of Todd Woodbridge. He got us into the members-only area, which was so cool. It was such a cool experience.' Ruffels said she and all the Australians were continuing to draw inspiration from Lee in pursuit of their own major dreams. 'I feel like we're all kind of pushing and inspiring each other,' she said. 'Seeing Minjee win last week was so cool or a couple weeks ago. She's obviously a three-major champion and she's been great to me and great to all of us Australian girls coming up. She's definitely a mentor to me and someone I look up to. 'If I can follow in Hannah (Green) and Minjee's footsteps a little bit then I would be doing pretty good.' Kim, who won on the LPGA tour in her rookie year, said the nature of the course suited all the Australians. 'I think we're all pretty self-sufficient in the sense we don't always need to hit off like firm, flat grounds,' she said. 'We know how to work different lies and different angles and wind directions. Obviously, it's quite tight off the tees on some holes, so I think we're pretty patient in a sense with that. 'But at the same time, we're very skilful.' Stephanie Kyriacou, who finished runner-up last year, was the only other Australian to finish under par, carding an opening one-under 70.
