ARIYA JUTANUGARN COMING OFF BACK-TO-BACK WINS
Ariya Jutanugarn enters this week’s Volvik Championship coming off back-to-back wins on the LPGA Tour at the Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic and the Kingsmill Championship.
“Yeah, a lot easier,” Jutanugarn said after her second win. “I didn’t get nervous. I didn’t get excited until the last putt.”
With her first win in Alabama for the Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic, Jutanugarn became the first Thai player to win on the LPGA Tour.
“I think right now we have a lot of players like starting to play golf, a lot of juniors, and if I can inspire somebody, it’s really great, and I hope a lot of players come here on the LPGA, as well.”
OLYMPIC HOPEFULS TEE IT UP IN ANN ARBOR
This week’s Volvik Championship will have an Olympic feel to it as 30 players who would represent 21 countries in this year’s Rio games are in the field.
Below is a breakdown of the players and the countries that they would represent:
| Country | Player | Player |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | Minjee Lee | |
| Canada | Brooke Henderson | Alena Sharp |
| China | Shanshan Feng | Xi Yu Lin |
| Columbia | Mariajo Uribe | |
| France | Karine Icher | |
| Germany | Caroline Masson | |
| Great Britain | Charley Hull | Catriona Matthew |
| Israel | Laetitia Beck | |
| Italy | Giulia Sergas | |
| Japan | Haru Nomura | |
| Mexico | Gaby Lopez | Alejandra Llaneza |
| Netherlands | Christel Boeljon | |
| New Zealand | Lydia Ko | |
| Norway | Suzann Pettersen | |
| South Africa | Paula Reto | Lee-Anne Pace |
| Republic of Korea | Amy Yang Inbee Park |
Sei Young Kim In Gee Chun |
| Spain | Azahara Munoz | |
| Sweden | Pernilla Lindberg | |
| Taiwan | Candie Kung | |
| Thailand | Pornanong Phatlum | Ariya Jutanugarn |
| USA | Lexi Thompson |
LPGA MAKES DEBUT IN ANN ARBOR
This week, the LPGA will be making its first trip to Ann Arbor for the Volvik Championship at Travis Pointe Country Club. While the LPGA is new to the Ann Arbor area it is no stranger to the great state of Michigan. Since its first trip to the Great Lakes State in 1955 for the Wolverine Open, the LPGA has hosted 26 events in nine additional Michigan cities.
The Volvik Championship is part of resurgence for the LPGA over the past five years. The Tour has now added 10 new North American based events (Founders Cup in Arizona, Coates Golf Championship in Ocala, Florida, LOTTE Championship in Ko Olina, Hawaii, Volunteers of America Texas Shootout in Dallas, Texas, Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic in San Francisco, Calif., Meijer LPGA Classic in Grand Rapids, Mich., UL International Crown in Chicago, Ill., Pure Silk Bahamas Classic in the Bahamas, Manulife Financial Classic in Ontario, Canada, and the Volvik Championship in Ann Arbor, Mich.).
In addition to this “home growth,” the LPGA has added four new International events during this same period (ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open, Fubon LPGA Taiwan Championship, and two new events in China.)
Outside of the tournament schedule, the LPGA has seen its television coverage more than double to over 400 hours of coverage, expanded to over 150 countries that carry its telecasts each week, and increased the total purse level on Tour from $44 million to over $60 million.
“ORANGE OUT FOR CHADTOUGH”
In support of the ChadTough Foundation, the LPGA Volvik Championship is proud to announce that Saturday, May 28 will be a day to “Orange Out for ChadTough!” The tournament is selling a special ChadTough Orange Ticket package, and will donate $10 from the sale of each $30 Orange Ticket directly to The ChadTough Foundation.
Chad was also the grandson of College Football Hall of Fame U-M football coach Lloyd Carr and Hall of Fame Wolverine safety Tom Curtis. To learn more about The ChadTough Foundation go to www.chadtough.org.
NUMBERS TO KNOW
23 - Not a single winner this year on the LPGA Tour has been over the age of 23
20.92 - Through the first 13 events of the 2016 LPGA season, the average age of winners is 20.92
9 - There have been nine different winners this year (four players – Ha Na Jang, Lydia Ko, Haru Nomura, Ariya Jutanugarn – have two wins each)
6 - Different countries represented amongst winners this year: South Korea, United States, Japan, New Zealand, Australia and Thailand
5 - Out of the top-10 in the world, five are 23 years old or younger (No. 1 Lydia Ko (19), No. 3 Lexi Thompson (21), No. 4 Sei Young Kim (23), No. 6 Brooke Henderson (18), No. 7 In Gee Chun (21). All five are in the field this week
2 - Ariya Jutanugarn became the second back-to-back winner on the LPGA in 2016 (Lydia Ko - Kia Classic and ANA Inspiration). It’s the first time the LPGA has had more than one player win consecutive tournaments since 2013 when Stacy Lewis (2 in a row), Inbee Park (3 in a row) and Suzann Pettersen (2 in a row) each accomplished the feat
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