The LPGA Tour shifts to the Travis Pointe Country Club in Arbor, Michigan this week for the inaugural LPGA Volvik Championship. Ariya Jutanugarn has stolen the spotlight over the past couple of weeks with back-to-back wins and it will be very interesting to see if the rookie can extend her run at a tournament that should be packed with surprises on a course that is new for everybody.
Event Details
Event: LPGA Volvik Championship
Category: LPGA
Date: May 26-29
Location: Travis Pointe Country Club, Arbor, Michigan
Jutanugarn made history when she became the first Thai player with back-to-back victories on the LPGA Tour. She will be full of confidence heading in to this week and while she said the second win was “much easier” than the first it won’t get any easier this week against a loaded field led by world No. 1 Lydia Ko.
What To Know About The Course
The Travis Pointe Country Club track will provide a tough test for the field. The par 72 track is 6,709 yards should provide plenty of surprises since the course was redesigned a couple of years ago and became a members-only site. Driving Accuracy is always important off the tee but Scrambling and Putting should once again be the most important statistic to consider here. The relative unknowns of the course will influence us to lean more heavily on recent form as we evaluate the field heading in to this tournament.
The Field
A nagging thumb injury will sideline Inbee Park this week as she looks to get over the injury rather than continue to aggravate it by playing through it this week. However, even with her absence the field is absolutely loaded for this event including seven of the nine 2016 LPGA Tour winners. Lydia Ko is listed as the favorite at +450 odds followed by Lexi Thompson at +900, In Gee Chun at +1100 and Sei Young Kim at +1200 odds. Jutanugarn is currently listed at +1400 odds to win the LPGA Volvik Championship outright with Minjee Lee, Shanshan Feng and So-Yeon Ryu rounding out the top eight in terms of the betting favorites to win this week. When you take a look at the odds, there are only two players inside of 10/1. Everyone else is deemed a longer shot, so this should be Ko’s tournament to lose.
A Good Matchup To Bet: Lexi Thompson over Minjee Lee
Thompson is off to an excellent start this season with six top-10 finishes in her first 10 LPGA Tour starts and she has the type of excellent long game that should help her navigate a new course. Her consistency makes her a very attractive play for this week and we like her as a strong pick in a head-to-head matchup with Minjee Lee. Lee is off to a solid start this season with three top-10 finishes including a win and while we don’t expect her to falter too hard we do like Thompson to deliver the better result this week.
Top Five Pick: Lydia Ko
Lydia Ko is coming off another disappointing finish at the Kingsmill Championship, but that had more to do with strong performances from the rest of the field than any struggles of her own. Ko shot a six-under 278 for the tournament and even with just one top-10 finish in her last three events, we fully expect a strong performance this weekend. Ko is a very quick study and her elite all-around game makes her the optimal pick to contend this week in a tournament with so many unknowns. The fact that she has gone three straight events without a win since the ANA Inspiration should serve as added motivation as she delivers a solid performance and contends for the outright victory. If you take her to finish in the Top 5, you definitely lose a little bit on the payout but you’re protected just in case she doesn’t land in the No. 1 spot this weekend.
Top 10 Odds To Win The LPGA Volvik Championship
Lydia Ko +405
Lexi Thompson +905
In Gee Chun +1050
Ariya Jutanugarn +1215
Sei Young Kim +1215
Amy Yang +1650
Min Jee Lee +1650
Shanshan Feng +1650
So Yeon Ryu +1650
Inbee Park +2050
