Nelly Korda brimming with confident ahead of Evian Championship

The American was forced to take time off earlier in the summer after suffering a back injury.

That halted her momentum after a fine start to the year in which she finished in the top 10 in six out of her first seven events and regained top spot in the rankings.

She struggled on her return to major action, missing the cut in the Women's PGA Championship and then finishing a lowly 64th in the Women's US Open.

However, she bounced back by winning the Aramco Team Series in London earlier this month and feels confidence is returning ahead of the year's fourth major.

The 24-year-old said: "I was kind of struggling, obviously, coming off my injury. It's tough to come off an injury and straight into two majors at two demanding golf courses.

"Obviously I didn't have a great showing, I didn't really play well. But I really practised during even those two events and it was nice to see through the pretty brutal conditions in London that I played well.

"It was a nice reassurance that the hard work is paying off."

Also among the favourites at Evian-les-Bains is Sweden's world number 21 Linn Grant.

Grant is coming off the back of victory at the Dana Open in Ohio a fortnight ago and also enjoyed recent success on the French course having won the Jabra Ladies Open in May.

She said: "I'd been playing just in Europe for the past two years or so, but I felt that I had the game to win on the LPGA (Tour).

"It was just nice confidence-wise to get it done and to just have a really solid week where I felt like I could perform out on the LPGA, even on a regular week. It's a boost for sure."

South Korea's Kim Hyo-joo, the 2014 winner and world number eight, is another strongly fancied player while Ireland's Leona Maguire, English pair Charley Hull and Georgia Hall, and Celine Boutier of France will further add to the European challenge.

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