The 73rd edition of the U.S. Women’s Open, which gets underway Thursday in Shoal Creek, Alabama promises to be one of the most competitive ever, in no small measure because of the depth of talent on the LPGA Tour.
But there are a few players who, in our estimation stand above the rest right now and some others who likely have not met their own expectations so far in 2018.
Who’s Hot
Brooke Henderson won in Hawaii in April and has collected six other top-10 finishes this season as well. The 20-year old won the 2016 Women’s PGA Championship so she’s familiar with what it takes to thrive in the crucible of major-championship pressure. Her best Women’s Open finish was a tie for fifth in 2015.
Ariya Jutanugarn prevailed in a three-way playoff at the Kingsmill Championship two weeks ago. It was her first win victory of 2018 but the 22-year old has recorded seven additional top-10 finishes. The 22-year old leads the LPGA ‘s Official Money List. She’s fourth in driving distance on tour this year and second in putting average. Jutanugarn has a major championship on her resume, the 2016 RICOH Women’ British Open. Her best Women’s Open finish was a tie for 17th two years ago.
Minjee Lee comes into the Women’s Open after winning her fourth LPGA title in Michigan on Sunday, a win that came on her 22nd birthday. She has also recorded five additional top-10 finishes this season and has yet to miss a cut in 11 LPGA starts. Lee has two previous top-10 finishes in major championships including a tie for third at the ANA Inspiration last year. Tied for 17th in last year’s Women’s Open.
Who’s Not
Lydia Ko won in San Francisco in April but she’s having an up-and-down season by her standards with just three top-10 finishes in 10 starts. Ko’s best finish at the Women’s Open was a tie for third in 2016 but in six previous appearances in the championship, the 21-year old Ko has only cracked the top 30 three times.
Brittany Lincicome won the LPGA’s season-opening event in the Bahamas. She’s had three top-10 finishes since then but hasn’t made much of an impact. She’s won the Kraft Nabisco/ANA Inspiration twice but her best Women’s Open finish was a fifth-place effort in 2009.
Lexi Thompson hasn’t won in over a year, since the Kingsmill Championship last May. This season she’s made just eight LPGA starts. She recorded two top-six finishes early on, including a tie for second in Thailand, but that was in February. The best she’s done sine is a tie for 12th in Los Angeles in April.
Our Pick to win the 2018 Women’s Open is Ariya Jutanugarn. Every part of her game is working right now and she has the confidence of knowing she can succeed in a major-championship environment. That’s a winning combination.
