The longest stretch of the LPGA Tour is about to tee off this week in Williamsburg, Virginia with the Kingsmill Championship. There will be 12 tournaments over the next 12 weeks including three major championships. There will be 144 golfers taking part in this week’s event including 20 of the top-25 players in the world. The field includes the defending champion Ariya Jutanugarn, who will undoubtedly be the favorite to defend her title. With $1.3 million on the line, the competition should ramp up at the starting point for a busy summer stretch this week.
Event Details
Event: Kingsmill Championship
Category: LPGA
Date: May 18-21
Location: Kingsmill Resort & Spa, Williamsburg, Virginia
Jutanugarn shot a final-round 67 to finish at 14-under here last year and claim her second consecutive LPGA Tour victory. Jutanugarn absolutely dominated a year ago with five titles in 2016. She is still looking for her breakthrough performance for 2017 and there is a very good chance it happens this week at the Kingsmill Championship.
Past Kingsmill Championship Winners
2016: Ariya Jutanugarn -14
2015: Minjee Lee -15
2014: Lizette Salas -13
2013: Cristie Kerr -12
2012: Jiyai Shin -16
What To Know About The Course
This will be the 13th edition of the Kingsmill Championship so we have a good idea of what we can expect for this week. 62 is the 18-hole scoring record, which has been accomplished more than once including most recently by In Gee Chun in 2016. Anika Sorenstam owns the all-time course record after shooting a 265 here in 2008 and it will be very interesting to see if anybody can come even close to hitting that mark at this year’s edition of the Kingsmill Championship. Accuracy off the tee will be important once again. Scrambling and Putting numbers will also factor heavily in to the outcomes at this week’s event.
The Field
20 of the top-25 in the Rolex Rankings will be on hand this week including world No. 1 Lydia Ko. So Yeon Ryu has leapfrogged Jutanugarn in to the No. 2 spot in the Rolex Rankings but it might only be a temporary stay. Jutanugarn is the sports betting favorite to win this week at +800 odds. Meanwhile, Ryu is listed at +900 odds, which sets up an interesting subplot to this week’s tournament. Lexi Thompson is expected to be in the mix at +1100 odds to win outright, followed by Cristie Kerr and Sung Hyun Park at +1400 odds. Minjie Lee, who won this event in 2015, is listed at +2200 odds to win this event as a decent value option if you are willing to take a shot.
A Good Matchup To Bet: So Yeon Ryu over Lydia Ko
Ko is making her third appearance at the Kingsmill Championship but she hasn’t cracked the top-15 here since 2014. The World No. 1 recorded a runner-up finish at the LOTTE Championship but then registered a WDC at the Volunteers of America Texas Shootout before finishing ninth at the Citibanamex Lorena Ochoa Match Play. Meanwhile, Ryu has been a model of consistency as she has placed in the top-10 in every one of her seven starts in 2017. There is no reason to expect that trend to change this week. Another top-10 finish might very well be enough for Ryu to edge out Ko in the head-to-head sports betting matchup.
Top-Five Pick: Ariya Jutanugarn
Jutanugarn is still looking for her first victory of 2017 but it’s hard to argue with the results she has posted to this point. Jutanugarn has recorded eight top-nine finishes in 10 starts in 2017, including three runner-up finishes. Cristie Kerr is the only golfer with multiple wins at this tournament so it will be up to Jutanugarn to make history this week and become the second to accomplish that feat. It’s only a matter of time before the five-time LPGA Tour winner breaks through and there is a good chance it happens as the defending champion this week at the Kingsmill Championship.
Odds To Win 2017 Kingsmill Championship
Ariya Jutanugarn +550
Cristie Kerr +905
So Yeon Ryu +905
Lexi Thompson +1015
Sung Hyun Park +1415
In Gee Chun +1550
Lydia Ko +1550
Mi Jung Hur +1650
Shanshan Feng +1650
Suzann Pettersen +1850
Minjee Lee +2050
Sei Young Kim +2550
Brooke M Henderson +2850
Jessica Korda +2850
Anna Nordqvist +3250
Amy Yang +3550
Gerina Piller +3550
Mirim Lee +4550
Carlota Ciganda +4550
Haru Nomura +5050
Karine Icher +6550
Angel Yin +6550
Moriya Jutanugarn +6550
Eun Hee Ji +7550
Lizette Salas +8550
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