The best on the LPGA Tour will make the trip to Incheon, Korea this week as their tour of Asia continues with the LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship. This will be the third tournament so far in a stretch of six events on the Asian swing with a star-studded field set to make the trip led by world No. 1 Lydia Ko and world No. 2 Ariya Jutanugarn. There will be $2 million in prize money up for grabs this weekend and it will be very interesting to see how the top two golfers in the world fare now that they are both participating in this event. Here is a look at our full preview of this week’s LPGA event.
Event Details
Event: LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship
Category: LPGA
Date: October 13-16
Location: Sky 72 Golf Club – Ocean Course
The Asian contingent has absolutely dominated the field at the past LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship events. Lexi Thompson won this tournament a year ago but before that it was Asian representatives that won five of the previous six installments.
Past Five Winners
2016: Lexi Thompson -15
2015: Baek Kyu-jung -10
2014: Amy Yang -9
2013: Suzann Pettersen -11
2012: Yani Tseng -14
What To Know About The Course
The Ocean Course at the Sky 72 Golf Club will favor accuracy off the tee with an opportunity for the most accurate golfers to really thrive from start to finish. The conditions are expected to be favorable this weekend but it’s important to take in to account the impact the winds could have. Ko and Jutanugarn will have every opportunity to turn this event in to a birdie fest and it will be interesting to see how those two in particular perform. Greens in Regulation will be another stat that you will want to consider when breaking down the field for this event with putting numbers another important factor as always at the LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship.
The Field
The majority of sportsbooks have Ko listed as the favorite at +700 followed by Jutanugarn at +800 and it would be difficult to make an argument against those odds. Ko has been the most dominant player on the LPGA Tour for the last two years and Jutanugarn has really put the pressure on her at the top this season. Shanshan Feng and Sung Hyun Park are also among the sports betting favorites for this week’s event with Brooke Henderson in the mix as well at +1200 odds. In Gee Chun, Amy Yang, Sei Young Kim and So-Yeon Ryu are all among the top-10 contenders for this week according to the sports betting odds and that has a lot to do with the recent results at this event.
A Good Matchup To Bet: Lexi Thompson over Brooke Henderson
Henderson recorded her third straight top-10 finish and second consecutive top-five finish at the Fubon LPGA Taiwan Championship last week but this is the most consistency we have seen from her at the top all season so she might be overdue for a small dip in her play. That should open the door for the defending champion Thompson, who here a year ago with a 15-under score. Thompson will make her first start since the Evian Championship in September and the extra time off should work in her favor at this tournament.
Top-Five Pick: Lydia Ko
While Jutanugarn will be a popular pick as well, we will put our money on Ko with the expectation that she will continue her dominance this week. The world No. 1 had been money in the bank all season before struggling in back-to-back starts at the Evian Championship and the Fubon LPGA Taiwan Championship so she is overdue for a strong performance. The numbers she has posted the last two seasons speak for itself so look for Ko to bounce back with a top-five finish and contend for the outright win at the LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship this week.
Top 10 Odds To Win The LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship
Ariya Jutanugarn +650
Lydia Ko +750
Shanshan Feng +905
Sung Hyun Park +1150
Brooke M Henderson +1150
In Gee Chun +1250
Lexi Thompson +1850
Ha Na Jang +2050
Sei Young Kim +2050
Amy Yang +2050
