The LPGA pro has a chance to make a big comeback. He hasn't missed yet

The last time the LPGA gathered for a major tournament, there was big and results, too. The results of the Olympics.

The KPMG PGA Championship was the last week LPGA pros could earn points to qualify for the Olympics, and the final day had a big impact on the standings. Miyu Yamashita's final round of 73 – in difficult conditions – allowed her to hold on to the T2 finish and the bulk of the world ranking points. She didn't win that week – losing to Amy Yang by three – but her performance took her from 22nd in the world to 19th, one place ahead of her compatriot Ayaka Furue, who was ranked 20th.

Furue had a solid week on his own, finishing T19, but ended up a fraction of a point behind Yamashita in the world standings. That meant Furue was half a point behind him in the Olympic qualifiers. And parts of a point away from booking his trip to Paris. It's depressingly short of being an Olympian. As we have learned in previous weeks, qualifying for the Olympics may take two years but the final stages can be tough. Furue is on the back burner for the Olympics now, and can only compete against Japan if he gets injured.

It was June, this is July. As with the men's circuit, the LPGA has turned to the European part of its schedule with its fourth major tournament of the season at the Evian Championship. The best players in the world are there. There are many world class points on offer. For Lydia Ko, for example, a win would book her a place in the Hall of Fame. For Nelly Korda, by comparison, there is another chance to make a big mark on what has already been a historic season.

For Furue, 24, it's something completely different: all the recovery you could want after missing the Olympics. Since the start of the tournament, he has never missed a single.

Furue started his week with an opening 65, the round of the day on Thursday, six birdies, no bogeys. He followed it up on Friday with a similar story: six birdies, no dropped shots. And strangely, he does it all on one side of the course. Thirty strokes in the front, 35 in the back. Through 36 holes – at the rain-soaked Evian Resort – Furue was the only player to go bogey-free, extending the lead to two.

“I was a bit lucky because a few holes before the delay my shots weren't that good,” he said after the second round was postponed to Saturday morning. “Since my tee shot wasn't that good, so I might as well just be fresh and come back here today, this morning. So that was good.”

The course is expected to be a bit dry as the rain turns to sun on Saturday, but that hasn't made any difference to Furue so far. He immediately bogeyed the 2nd hole to continue his close play. He is the first player since 2016 to play the first two rounds without a bogey.

A win this week wouldn't just be the return of Olympic Angst – it would also be the end of a tough year. Furue is one of four LPGA pros to play in 16 events this year. That's the only exception on the calendar. Given her eight top-10 scores, she is very close to making it, especially at last month's ShopRite LPGA Classic, which put her in contention for Olympic qualification in the first place. Playing all those tournaments not only ranks him third in the Race to the CME Globe for the entire season, but it also makes him the highest-ranked player in that race. outside victory. Asked how he plans to continue, he offered just 16 words:

“Just focus on my game and like to get as close to the pins as possible.”