The LPGA will make its return to San Francisco, California and the Lake Merced Golf Club for the LPGA Mediheal Championship following a one-year hiatus. Previously titled the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic, Lydia Ko won the first two editions of this event in 2014 and 2015 before Haru Nomura came out on top with the win here in 2016. Ko and Nomura will both be among the top contenders in the field for this week’s tournament, which will feature seven of the top 10 golfers in the world. Here is a look at the best bets for the LPGA Mediheal Championship. Odds courtesy of BetDSI Sportsbook.
Event Details
Event: LPGA Mediheal Championship
Category: LPGA
Date: April 26th-29th, 2018
Location: Lake Merced Golf Club, San Francisco, California
Past Winners
2016: Haru Nomura -9
2015: Lydia Ko -8
2014: Lydia Ko -12
Favorites
Inbee Park +400
Park is the top-ranked player in the world once again following her runner-up finish at the Hugel-JTBC LA Open last week. Park rallied back from a poor second round by firing a 69 on Saturday and a 68 on Sunday to finish just two strokes back of the winner Moriya Jutanugarn. Park has the talent to challenge for the outright win once again this week so it’s no surprise that she is the sports betting favorite to win the LPGA Mediheal Championship.
Ariya Jutanugarn +1100
Jutanugarn is coming off her worst start since the KIA Classic but there is every reason to think she will bounce back after she finished T-24th in the Hugel-JTBC LA Open. Jutanugarn has finished in the top-five in three of her last five starts including a third place finish at the LOTTE Championship so she should feel confident in her ability to rebound in California. Jutanugarn finished T-19th in her last appearance in this tournament but that was back in 2016. All signs point towards her delivering a much better performance in this year’s tournament.
Shanshan Feng +1200
Feng is coming off back-to-back top-12 finishes including a third-place finish at the LOTTE Championship. The No. 2 ranked golfer in the world is in fine form and there is no reason to expect her to slow down this week. At +1200 odds, Feng is definitely worth taking a look at as a legitimate sports betting option in the LPGA Mediheal Championship.
Next In Line
Moriya Jutanugarn +1400
Jutanugarn is coming off a big win after finishing atop the leaderboard at the Hugel-JTBC LA Open and she has an excellent opportunity to carry over the momentum from that victory this week. Jutanugarn has strung together three straight top-10 finishes followed a T-33rd at the KIA Classic and her strengths should set her up well to contend this week.
Lexi Thompson +1600
It certainly feels like the No. 3 ranked golfer in the world is due for a break after placing outside of the top-10 in each of her last four starts. Thompson is an elite talent but she hasn’t been able to put together four solid rounds since she recorded a runner-up finish at the Honda LPGA Thailand. Thompson has certainly shown flashes over the course of the season but consistency will be the key heading in to this week’s tournament. At +1600 odds, Thompson is worth a look if you think this is the week she finally bounces back and delivers a complete performance.
Lydia Ko +2800
Ko won the Swinging Skirts Classic in 2014 and in 2015 and her past success at this tournament could be a strong indicator of what is to come. The Lake Merced course has proved to be a tough challenge for LPGA pros in the past and the fact that the LPGA took a year off from this course last year doesn’t help. Ko has the talent and the experience here to absolutely dominate if she can channel her 2015 form. At +2800 odds to win outright, Ko might very well be the best sports betting option on the board this week.
Sleeper Picks
Haru Nomura +10000
Speaking of past winners, +10000 odds seems pretty generous for Nomura considering she actually won this event in 2016. Even if you don’t want to put money on her to win this event outright the value is there betting on her to compete for a top-10 finish this week. Nomura isn’t likely to repeat here with another win. However, at such long odds she is definitely a sleeper option to at least finish in the top-10.
Brittany Lang +20000
In terms of searching for value, Lang definitely fills several boxes as an intriguing sleeper option this week. First of all, Lang won the most recent LPGA event in the Bay Area when she beat Anna Nordqvist in a three-hole playoff at the U.S. Women’s Open. Second, Lang is listed at +20000 odds to win this tournament outright. Like Nomura, the odds are against Lang actually winning this event outright. That said, at long odds there is definitely some value in putting a small amount of money down on Lang to contend at the LPGA Mediheal Championship this week.
