The first round of the Evian Masters was suspended due to lightning in the area about 4:45 local time (10:45 EDT) with 15 players still on the course.  While we wait for the round to (hopefully) complete, I'll go ahead and post this item I was going to tack on to the first round recap.

Before the event started, there was apparently an announcement by the tournament organization (details of which I haven't been able to Google up) that the Evian field will be constructed more around the Rolex Rankings and less on tour money list standings beginning next year.  This change will seriously affect how many LET regulars make the field in one of the LET's major championships, ironically enough.  The chairman and director of the Evian Masters discussed this subject (with Dawn Hudson and Helen Alfredsson alongside) at yesterday's pre-tourney press conference.  Considering that the currently highest ranked LET player not also an LPGA member is #124 Gwladys Nocera, there may be no LET representation at all next year outside of LPGAers like Suzann Pettersen, Laura Davies and Sophie Gustafson.

Clearly the LET's status in the world golf hierarchy is on the skids.  As she showed today (a round of 67 which has her tied for the lead as play is suspended), Becky Brewerton is a fine player and we've seen Rebecca Hudson pop up a couple of times on the leaderboard in the British Open.  The problem seems to be - as the Evian officials hinted at - on the few occasions when these players take on the rest of the world, as a group they tend to fall flat on their faces.  Witness the record of Nocera, who has won 10 LET events in her career and finished in the Top 5 on their money list the last four years and leads again this year.  In 17 LPGA events since 2004 she has exactly three finishes in the Top 40 - not the kind of record the LET should be proud of from one of their stalwarts.  Brewerton's results have been a little better but she only has one Top 20 finish in 11 LPGA starts since 2002 (T16 at '07 British). 

I guess what I'm trying to say by citing these examples is this - I generally agree with Rolex on the rankings of the LET-exclusive players and I agree with the Evian officials that to improve the strength of their field, they will have to reduce the number of LET players who earn automatic spots.  What that decision means for the LET and its relationship with this event remains to be seen.