The LPGA Tour will swing in to the Hawaiian Island of Oahu this week for the 2016 LOTTE Championship. The fifth annual edition of the event will feature a star-studded field led by world No. 1 Lydia Ko, who will be looking to build on back-to-back victories after a week off to recover following the first major of the season.
Event Details
Event: LOTTE Championship
Category: LPGA
Date: April 13-16
Location: Ko Olina Golf Club, Kapolei, Hawaii
Ko absolutely dominated throughout the ANA Inspiration en route to her second victory of the season. The win came on the heels of a first place finish at the Kia Classic the previous week and a runner-up finish at the JTBC Founders Cup the week before that. There is no doubt about the potential for her to continue her dominance this week even with a strong cast of contenders standing in her way.
Past Five Winners
2015: Kim Sei-Young
2014: Wichelle Wie
2013: Suzann Pettersen
2012: Ai Miyazato
What To Know About The Course
The Ko Olina Golf Club was built amidst some incredible scenery northwest of Honolulu and there will be plenty of stunning visuals this weekend. Accuracy will remain the key stat to keep an eye on with putting also an important measure to consider. Driving Distance won’t be nearly as important but power could factor in to the results as the field looks to navigate some unpredictable winds on the coastal front.
The Field
Ko is listed as the obvious betting favorite to win outright at +225 odds. She added to her impressive career resume by adding a second major championship at the ANA Inspiration to become the youngest two-time Major winner in LPGA history. Inbee Park is expected to be in the mix at +600 odds with In Gee Chun and Lexi Thompson also expected to contend at +1000 odds. The field is pretty stacked with each of the four previous LOTTE Championship winners in the mix as well including the defending champion Sei Young Kim, who is listed at +1200 odds to win outright.
A Good Matchup To Bet: Sei Young Kim Over Lexi Thompson
Thompson has been a little bit erratic over the past month of action, placing 5th at the ANA Inspiration following a 43rd place finish at the KIA Classic and a 19th place finish at the HSBC Champions. Thompson is listed behind only Ko, Inbee Park and In Gee Chun according to the betting odds to win this event outright but we like Kim to record the better finish this week. Kim will return to the spot where she recorded one of the brightest moments of her career at Ko Olina. She recorded a walk-off eagle on the first playoff hole at the 2015 LOTTE Championship to beat Park in a playoff and she should have plenty of confidence heading in to this week’s tournament. She might not successfully defend her title but at the very least we like Kim to finish with a better score than Thompson.
Top Five Pick: Lydia Ko
At 18 years, 11 months and 10 days, Ko became the second youngest player to win two Majors in golf history behind only Young Tom Morris, who was 18 years, four months and 27 days old when he won the 1869 Open Championship. She has spent 24 consecutive weeks in the world No. 1 position and that streak isn’t likely to end this week. Ko has finished second, first and first in her last three events, and she has placed third or higher in five of her six starts this season. Ko isn’t a lock to win this tournament outright, but she is easily the best bet on the board to finish in the top five and contend for the victory. You’ll cast a bigger net by picking her for your Top 5.
Top 10 Odds To Win Lotte Championship
Lydia Ko +225
Inbee Park +550
Lexi Thompson +905
In Gee Chun +1050
Sei Young Kim +1250
Hyo Joo Kim +1550
Brooke M Henderson +1650
Shanshan Feng +1850
Suzann Pettersen +1850
So Yeon Ryu +3050
Na Yeon Choi +3550
Cristie Kerr +4050
Ariya Jutanugarn +4550
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