The LPGA Tour will return home for its first domestic start of the year this week in Phoenix, Arizona with the Bank of Hope Founders Cup taking place at the Wildfire Golf Club. While most of the country – especially the Northeastern part of the country – is getting hammered with snow, the weather should be perfect in the Valley of the Sun with clear skies and sunshine galore. 20 of the top-25 ranked players in the world will compete at this week’s event with Word No. 1 Lydia Ko set to headline this week’s field. This week will mark the first of three consecutive LPGA tournaments played on the west coast of the United States, including this year’s first major championship in the ANA Inspiration at the end of the month.
Event Details
Event: Bank of Hope Founders Cup
Category: LPGA
Date: March 16-19
Location: Wildfire Golf Club, Phoenix, Arizona
Ko made a strong charge at this tournament last season when she attempted to catch Sei Young Kim on Sunday but her final round 65 wasn’t enough. Ko settled for a runner-up finish with Kim finishing the job with a winning score of 27-under-par. Ko has continued to adjust this year with a new coach, a new caddie and new equipment and but the fact that she isn’t even among the top two favorites for this week’s event is a bit of a surprise.
Past Five Winners
2016: Kim Sei-young -27
2015: Kim Hyo-joo -21
2014: Karrie Webb -19
2013: Stacy Lewis -23
2012: Yani Tseng -18
What To Know About The Course
Kim matched Annika Sorenstam’s 15-year, 72-hole record on the LPGA Tour when she fired a 27-under-par at the Wildfire Golf Club a year ago and there is every reason to expect another birdie-fest at this year’s tournament. Every former winner of the Bank of Hope Founders Cup will participate in this year’s field so experience should be another key victory. Driving Distance and Driving Accuracy won’t be nearly as heavily weighted in terms of factors that should play in to wins. Scrambling and Putting statistics will be that much more important in terms of the overall outcome at this week’s event.
The Field
Even with all of the former winners in this year’s event it will be a pair of golfers that have never won the Bank of Hope Founders Cup that are listed among the sports betting favorites to win. Ariya Jutanugarn is the sports betting favorite at +700 odds to win outright following by Sung Hyun Park at +900 odds. Ko is next in line at +1200 odds almost across the board followed by Inbee Park at +1400 and Ha Na Jang at +1600. The defending champion Kim is available at +2500 odds while the 2015 winner Hyo Joo Kim is available at +3300 odds to win outright. Two-time Bank of Hope Founders Cup Karrie Webb is considered a major long shot to win this event again at +20000 according to a number of sportsbooks.
A Good Matchup To Bet: Sei Young Kim over Stacy Lewis
Kim absolutely dominated at this tournament a year ago when she finished 27-under-par and yet there are a number of golfers which haven’t won here that are considered more likely to win this year’s event according to the sports betting odds. Lewis is one of those golfers that is actually considered the favorite in the head-to-head sports betting matchup against Kim. We like the defending champion to produce another solid performance and edge out Lewis as the underdog in this head-to-head matchup.
Top-Five Pick: Lydia Ko
Ko has struggled by her standards this season but she is coming off back-to-back top-10 finishes and she has had a couple of weeks off since the HSBC Women’s Champions to rest and prepare for this event. It’s only a matter of time before the World No. 1 puts it all together and returns to her dominant form and there is a good chance it happens this week in Phoenix. Ko will have an excellent shot at contending for the outright win this week so she should be a good pick to finish in the top-five at the Bank of Hope Founders Cup.
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