After weeks in exotic locales like Hawaii and San Francisco, the LPGA Tour returns to the heartland of America this week in the Lone Star State as it wraps up another three-week stretch.
Reigning Rolex Player of the Year Stacy Lewis is back to defend her title at the Volunteers of America North Texas Shootout in Irving, Texas, this week against a host of talent that will be as strong as any event all year. Lewis ran away with the tournament title a year ago, firing a final-round 64 to finish six shots clear of Meena Lee, who will also be back this weekend.
If Lewis is going to complete a successful title defense this week, she’ll have to do it against a stellar field that includes world No. 1 Lydia Ko, who is fresh off a successful title defense of her own from Sunday. Morgan Pressel, who lost to the now 18-year-old Ko on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff on Sunday, will also tee it up at the par-71, 6,462-yard Las Colinas Country Club course this week.
There are plenty of other stars on the Shootout’s field list. From 2015 tournament champions Sei Young Kim, Na Yeon Choi, Inbee Park – who won in Texas in 2013 – Hyo Joo Kim, Amy Yang and Cristie Kerr, to stars like Michelle Wie, Lexi Thompson and So Yeon Ryu, the field is stacked with top-notch players.
Hall of Famers Juli Inkster, Laura Davies and Karrie Webb are also competing, as are Moriya and Ariya Jutanugarn, Texan Angela Stanford, Paula Creamer and Yani Tseng. Fans won’t have to look far at the $1.3 million tournament to find some of golf’s best in action.
This is the third year for the event, and it is also the last part of a trifecta of tournaments that will take the Tour schedule into May and to the one-third mark for 2015. The LPGA will have an off week next week to take a breather before heading to Williamsburg, Va., for another $1.3 million event, the Kingsmill Championship Presented by JTBC, May 14-17.
The LPGA’s Texas tilt has a new sponsor this year in Volunteers of America, an organization dedicated to helping those in need live healthy, safe and productive lives. Volunteers of America helps more than two million people in more than 400 communities through hundreds of human-service programs, including housing and healthcare.
Golf Channel will broadcast a total of 11 hours of live coverage of the 72-hole event, with at least two hours airing per day.
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