The LPGA Tour gets back on track this week with the LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship in South Korea. The previous winner on the tour was Brooke Henderson, who won the MacKayson New Zealand Women’s Open for her second victory of the season. Carlota Ciganda is the defending champion at this tournament, which has a limited field and there is no cut in regards to players as they play all four rounds; however, only the top 40 players will get points.
Details
Event: LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship
Category: LPGA
Date: October 12th – 15th
Location: Sky 72 Golf Club, Incheon, South Korea
Henderson won by five strokes over Jing Yan at -17, while Hee Young Park (-11) and Jennifer Song (-10) were third and fourth respectively. Su Oh, Beatriz Recari and Belen Mozo all came in fifth at -9 in New Zealand as the LPGA Tour season winds to a close.
Past Five Winners
2016: Carlota Ciganda -10
2015: Lexi Thompson -15
2014: Baek Kyu-jung -10
2013: Amy Yang -9
2012: Suzann Pettersen -11
The Field
This is a star-studded field at the event this week, so picking a winner will be tricky. The spotlight will be on No. 1 So Yeon Ryu. Interestingly enough, though, she’s not the favorite to win here and she’s not even that close to the top. That goes to Lexi Thompson, who is a two-time champion on the LPGA Tour this season and more importantly, she won this event back in 2015. Sung Hyun Park, who is the No. 2 player in the world right now, is second in line according to the odds.
Overall, 18 of the top 20 golfers will be in the field this week. The defending champ at this event is Carlota Ciganda, who has picked up five Top 10’s on the Tour this year but hasn’t finished higher than fourth.
What To Know About The Course
The Sky 72 Golf Club opened in 2007 and it is a par-72 which can stretch out to 6,316 yards. The par-5s on the front nine can be reached in two with a good drive, while the back-nine par-5 holes are a bit longer. There is also a long par-3 at #12 that is about 230 yards and could be tricky for the field.
A Good Matchup To Bet: Lexi Thompson over Sung Hyun Park
Both of these players have been off since the Evian Championship, in which Park came in at T-26, and Thompson came in at T-48. They’re both ranked in the top five of the Rolex Rankings as Park is at the top of the list, and Thompson is two spots back in third. They’ve each won multiple tournaments this year and really, there isn’t much between these two great players, who figure to battle it out for the top spot on the LPGA Tour for sometime. However, the slightest of edges goes to Thompson, who won here in 2015 with a -15, which is the record score here.
Top-Five Pick: Brooke Henderson
Henderson ranks 11th in the Rolex Rankings, but she is also fourth on the money list because she is simply so consistent. She has finished in the top 15 in four of her last five starts, and she is solid from tee to green, ranking 10th in scoring average, and she would be even better if she was slightly more accurate off the tee, where she is 86th on the LPGA Tour. She finished T-56 here last year with a score of +5, but Henderson is a much better player than she was last year, she is just coming off a win and her confidence is flying high. Also, she battles hard regardless of her score, and that is a good quality for any player to have.
Odds To Win 2017 KEB Hana Bank Championship
Lexi Thompson +805
Sung Hyun Park +805
Shanshan Feng +1050
In Gee Chun +1250
Brooke M Henderson +1550
So Yeon Ryu +1550
Lydia Ko +1850
Cristie Kerr +2050
In Kyung Kim +2250
Anna Nordqvist +2250
Sei Young Kim +2550
Jeong Eun Lee +2850
Hye Jin Choi +2850
Amy Yang +3250
Minjee Lee +3250
Carlota Ciganda +3250
Mirim Lee +3550
Mi Hyang Lee +3550
Ha Na Jang +3550
Michelle Wie +4050
Suzann Pettersen +4550
Jin Young Ko +4550
Hyo Joo Kim +4550
Gerina Piller +4550
Brittany Lincicome +5050
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