The best on the LPGA Tour will make their way to the Los Colinas Country Club in Irving, Texas for the Volunteers of America Texas Shootout this week. Haru Nomura stole the show when she surprised everyone with a win at the Swirling Skirts LPGA Classic last week and it will be interesting to see how things unfold this week with a strong field set to compete for the title.
Event Details
Event: Volunteers of America Texas Shootout
Category: LPGA
Date: April 28-May 1
Location: Los Colinas Country Club, Irving, Texas
Inbee Park won here for the second time in three years in 2015 when she paced the field with a 15-under score for the tournament but she will not compete in this week’s event. Park was forced to withdraw from the Swirling Skirts LPGA Classic last week because of a ligament injury in her thumb and that will open the door for a new champion to be crowned this week.
Past Three Winners
2015: Inbee Park -15
2014: Stacy Lewis -16
2013: Inbee Park -13
What To Know About The Course
The course is built on the old El Ranchito de las Colinas on lush rolling hills that were once cattle country in Texas and it will require a significant shift in approach from last week’s tournament at Lake Merced. One intriguing element will be the effect that the rain has with the forecast calling for some heavy rains at point this weekend. Driving Accuracy will be an important statistic to take in to account for this week’s tournament. It’s also worth looking at Greens in Regulation numbers heading in to the Volunteers of America Texas Shootout.
The Field
Park’s exemption from this year’s field isn’t the only notable absence that has dramatically altered the outlook for this tournament. World No. 1 Lydia Ko will also skip this week’s event and that will leave the list of contenders wide open at the top. Typically, when Ko participates, she’s the unquestioned favorite but with her out of the way, the door is wide open for a lot of other players. In Gee Chun is listed as the betting favorite at +800 odds with Lexi Thompson at +900 and rising star Brooke Henderson at +1200 odds. 2014 winner Stacy Lewis is listed at +1400 odds as a very strong value option based in big part on the fact that she has proven she can win at this tournament before.
A Good Matchup To Bet: Gerina Piller over Hyo Joo Kim
Piller was absolutely on fire at last week’s Swirling Skirts LPGA Classic when she finished tied for third and we are expecting her to deliver another strong performance this week. Piller is a strong driver that is also very accurate off the tee and she has done an excellent job avoiding major mistakes with her flat stick. Piller could be a strong bet in most matchups with a good chance that she contends for the outright win this week and we really like her versus Kim, who followed up a 66th place finish at the LOTTE Championship with a 35th place finish at the Swirling Skirts LPGA Classic last week.
Top Five Pick: Stacy Lewis
Lewis has already recorded a pair of top-five finishes at the Pure Silk-Bahamas and the JTBC Founders Cup this season and we like her to produce another strong result again this week. Lewis won this event back in 2014 and she followed that up with a 7th-place finish here a year ago so she definitely knows what it takes to contend here. Lexi Thompson and Brooke Henderson are strong options to contend as well this week but we like Lewis as the best bet to finish in the top-five with a good chance that she contends for the outright win again this week.
Top 10 Odds To Win The Volunteers of America Texas Shootout
In Gee Chun +705
Lexi Thompson +905
Sei Young Kim +1150
Brooke M Henderson +1150
Stacy Lewis +1250
Shanshan Feng +1650
Gerina Piller +1650
Suzann Pettersen +2050
Na Yeon Choi +2050
Hyo Joo Kim +2050
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