The LPGA Tour will make the trip to Sammarish, Washington and the Sahalee Country Club for the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship this week. The second major of the season will feature plenty of intriguing storylines including Inbee Park’s incredible dominance at the tournament and whether or not she can extend her unbelievable run with a fourth straight win.
Event Details
Event: KPMG Women’s PGA Championship
Category: LPGA
Date: June 9-12
Location: Sahalee Country Club, Seattle, Washington
Park is 18 holes away from meeting the playing requirement for the LPGA Tour and World Golf Hall of Fame and she will attempt to gain that eligibility in record form this week. Park will look to become the first female pro to win the same major in four consecutive years. She will need to overcome a lingering thumb injury to have any shot at adding another victory to her already impressive resume with plenty of fan support in her corner pulling for her to get the job done.
Past Five Winners
2015: Inbee Park -19
2014: Inbee Park -11
2013: Inbee Park -5
2012: Shanshan Feng -19
2011: Yani Tseng -19
What To Know About The Course
2016 will mark the first time that a major championship will be played in the Pacific Northwest and it will be very interesting to see if the change in venue impacts Park’s pursuit of a fourth straight win. Driving Accuracy will be extremely important this week, as well as Scrambling. Greens in Regulation will be another statistic to keep an eye on when it comes to evaluating the field for this year’s event with the weather expected to provide clear skies and only a light breeze throughout the first couple of days of the tournament.
The Field
The combination of venue and injury has resulted in Park dropping down the ladder in terms of the betting favorites for this week’s tournament as she is listed between +3300 and +4000 depending on the sportsbook. The reality is that she hasn’t finished an event under par in any of her last three starts and there is no guarantee she will be healthy enough to contend. Factor in the presence of a star-studded field and it makes a lot more sense to avoid Park as a betting pick even with her strong record at this tournament. World No. 1 Lydia Ko is listed as the betting favorite to win this tournament outright at +550 followed by rookie sensation Ariya Jutanugarn at +900 and Lexi Thompson at +1200. All three of those entrants appear to be better picks to succeed this week than Park so it should be no surprise that we are rolling with two of them as our best bets for the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
A Good Matchup To Bet: Lydia Ko over Anna Nordqvist
Nordqvist is coming off a big win at the ShopRite LPGA Classic but while that victory has boosted her stock for this week we are looking to fade her against the world No. 1. Ko admittedly hasn’t shown her best form in recent weeks but she is overdue for a win and there is a good chance this could be the week she delivers. Ko still has two victories and two runner-up finishes on the LPGA Tour this season while Nordqvist has only three top-10 finishes after last week’s win. Last week’s win pushed Nordqvist higher on this ladder than she should be and it has created the perfect opportunity to fade her by taking Ko in the head-to-head betting matchup this week.
Top-Five Pick: Ariya Jutanugarn
Ko and Jutanugarn are both strong bets to contend for the outright victory this week but there is a little more value betting the rookie to finish in the top-five so we will roll with her in this spot. Jutanugarn is coming off three straight wins at the LPGA Volvik Championship, Kingsmill Championship and Yokohoma Tire LPGA Classic and there is no reason to doubt her at this tournament following a week off to rest and prepare. Jutanugarn has taken the LPGA Tour by storm over the past month and now she gets the opportunity to add a major win to her resume at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship this week.
Top 10 Odds To Win KPMG Women’s PGA Championship
Lydia Ko +550
Ariya Jutanugarn +650
Lexi Thompson +1250
Sei Young Kim +1650
In Gee Chun +1815
Anna Nordqvist +2050
Gerina Piller +2050
Ha Na Jang +2050
Brooke M Henderson +2550
Suzann Pettersen +2250
