After a week off following their first major tournament of the season, the LPGA Tour shifts to Kapolei, Hawaii for the LOTTE Championship this week. The thrilling finish to the ANA Inspiration has been talked about a lot over the past couple of weeks so it will be nice to have another tournament in the spotlight. So Yeon Ryu won her first major tournament last week but she had a little help rallying back to force a playoff. That is because Lexi Thompson seemed set to cruise to a victory when she was charged with a rules violation for an improper ball placement that was caught by a viewer on television. Thompson ended up falling just short in a playoff with Ryu taking the win. Thompson will take another week off following that disappointing while Ryu will compete in this week’s event.
Event Details
Event: LOTTE Championship
Category: LPGA
Date: April 12-15
Location: Ko Olina Golf Club, Kapolei, Hawaii
One year ago, Minjee Lee fired a bogey-free final round 64 to claim a one stroke victory at the LOTTE Championship. Lee came back from a five-shot deficit to beat Katie Burnett and Gee Chun by one stroke in the final around. Golf enthusiasts have to be hoping for another exciting finish this year with another impressive field of competitors.
Past Five Winners
2016: Minjee Lee -16
2015: Sei-Yougn Kim -11
2014: Michelle Wie -14
2013: Suzann Pettersen -19
2012: AI Miyazato -12
What To Know About The Course
The Ko Olina Golf Club course will not demand a ton of power or accuracy off of the tee. All five editions have been absolute birdie fests with every single winner finishing with a score of 11-under or better. Greens In Regulation will be important but ultimately it will be Putting numbers that make the biggest difference. The top contenders will need to be able to take advantage of their opportunities when they find the green and that will simply come down to who can make their putts.
The Field
The field for this year’s event will be pretty stacked with Inbee Park and Ariya Jutanugarn listed as the co-favorites to win outright. Park and Jutnugarn are both listed at +700 odds to win this event outright. Meanwhile, Ryu is listed at +900 odds, just behind In Geee Chun, who is available at +800 odds to win outright. The defending tournament champion Lee is actually available for a fairly decent price at +2500 odds to win outright. Meanwhile, 2014 LOTTE Championship winner Michelle Wie is available at +3300 odds to win this tournament a second time.
A Good Matchup To Bet: Minjee Lee over Brooke Henderson
Henderson is usually a reliable value pick at these tournaments but there are obvious reasons to fade her in the head-to-head sports betting matchup versus Lee this week. Henderson missed the cut at the KIA Classic and then disappointed with a 14th place finish at the ANA Inspiration. She tied for 10th here a year ago but that was at the tail end of a run of seven-straight top-10 finishes. Henderson simply isn’t in the same form this year and that means Lee is even more valuable as a long shot to repeat at this tournament. Lee showed tremendous poise and confidence winning this event as a 19-year-old last year. She should make for a good value pick in the head-to-head matchup against Henderson this week.
Top-Five Pick: Ariya Jutanugarn
Arguably the best golfer on the LPGA Tour, Jutanugarn is in excellent form heading in to this week’s event. Jutanugarn has finished in the top-10 in five of her last six starts including a pair of runner-up finishes at the HSBC Women’s Champions and the Bank of Hope Founders Cup. Jutanugarn is still looking for her first win of the season. She has the talent to make it happen this weekend so she should be a quality top-five pick for the LOTTE Championship.
Odds To Win LOTTE Championship
In Gee Chun +705
Inbee Park +750
So Yeon Ryu +805
Ariya Jutanugarn +805
Sung Hyun Park +1015
Lydia Ko +1650
Stacy Lewis +2050
Mirim Lee +2050
Min Jee Lee +2250
Cristie Kerr +2550
Brooke M Henderson +2550
Amy Yang +3050
Michelle Wie +3250
Hyo Joo Kim +4050
In Kyung Kim +4050
Mi Jung Hur +4550
Brittany Lincicome +4550
Moriya Jutanugarn +5050
Austin Ernst +5500
Hye Jin Choi +5500
Pornanong Phatlum +6550
Jeong Eun Lee +6550
Lizette Salas +6550
Carlota Ciganda +6550
Chella Choi +6550
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