The best women in the world will tee off at the Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore this week with Inbee Park looking to become the first back-to-back winner of the HSBC Women’s Champions with a victory. It certainly won’t be easy against a strong field including the return of world No. 1 Lydia Ko. Nowadays, the main spotlight is squarely centered on Ko and whenever she plays, she’s the favorite to win the event. That’s the case once again at the HSBC Women’s Champions event this week.
Event Details
Event: HSBC Women’s Champions
Category: LPGA
Date: March 3-6
Location: Sentosa Golf Club, Sentosa Island, Singapore
Park was flawless in last year’s edition of the HSBC Women’s Champions as she collected 15 birdies without a single bogey to beat out Ko by two shots. No other golfer has managed to string together consecutive wins at this course and it will be very interesting to see what happens when those two tee off.
Past Five Winners
2015 – Inbee Park -15
2014 – Paula Creamer -10
2013 – Stacy Lewis -15
2012 – Angela Stanford -10
2011 – Karrie Webb -13
What To Know About The Course
The Serapong Course at the Sentosa Golf Club is a challenging par-72 with an imposing layout that includes a tough configuration of bunkers and water hazards. The course has been extended to 6.675 meters and the greens have been adjusted over the years to play faster. Driving Distance will be a factor but the most important element will be Driving Accuracy and Greens In Regulation. Park provided the blueprint for success at this course with her incredible play a year ago but it will be a tough feat to duplicate.
The Field
Ko will be the betting favorite to win this event at +350 odds as she is rested, in fine form and has had success at this course before. The defending champion Park is next in line at +1000 odds but the feeling is that Ko will be so determined for redemption that she will outplay her rival in this year’s HSBC Women’s Champions. Lexi Thompson also figures to be in the mix at +1000 odds followed by a trio of golfers listed at +1200 odds in Ha Na Jang, Stacy Lewis and In Geee Chun.
A Good Matchup To Bet: Paula Creamer over Stacy Lewis
Stacy Lewis dominated this tournament back in 2013 and we are banking on the idea that she will find that form again at this year’s tournament. All of the focus has been on Ko and Park heading in to this week but Lewis posted the same score that Park won with a year ago when she won this event herself back in 2013 and she has shown some promise already in 2016. That includes a runner-up finish at the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic and a near top-20 finish at the Coates Golf Championship so we will give her the edge this week. Creamer did finish fifth at the Pure Silk-Bahamas but she placed 44th at the Coates Golf Championship and 24th at the Honda LPGA Thailand.
Top Five Prediction: Lydia Ko
The fact that you can bet on a “Winner without Lydia Ko” is testament to the world No. 1’s brilliance and the fact that she is widely expected to dominate at this tournament. She’s basically become the Tiger Woods (in his prime) of the LPGA. Ko has registered top-three finishes in her two LPGA Tour appearances so far this season and she defended her New Zealand Women’s Open title in February. Her policy of not playing more than three events in a row in 2016 should keep her well rested and safe from fatigue or injury as well. That further encourages bettors to get in on her as less fatigue equals – or should result in – a better performance from her. Park could very well give her a strong challenge for the outright win but even if that happens Ko should be a lock to finish in the top-five.
HSBC Women’s Champions Top 10 Odds
Lydia Ko +350
Inbee Park +1015
Lexi Thompson +1015
Sei Young Kim +1150
Stacy Lewis +1150
Ha Na Jang +1150
In Gee Chun +1250
Shanshan Feng +2250
Amy Yang +2550
So Yeon Ryu +2550
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