Ko Headlines Field
The Citibanamex Lorena Ochoa Match Play presented by Aeromexico and Delta will take place this week at Club de Golf Mexico with 17 of 25 top players in the Rolex World Rankings set to play. A field of 64 will tee it up starting Thursday, May 4th with 32 matches of single elimination concluding with the final matches on Sunday, May 7th.
World No. 1 Lydia Ko is the top-ranked player to headline the field set to compete in Mexico City. Ko is joined by No. 3 Ariya Jutanugarn who is coming off a T-9 at the Volunteers of America Texas Shootout Presented by JTBC. Jutunagarn could likely pick up another top-10 here this week as she’s continued to play consistent golf this season with seven top-10s to date.
Don’t count out Christina Kim as a person to watch this week, as the past champion has had success with match play and Mexico - must be something about the competitive nature that gets Kim fired up.
Looking for Another Win
Some of the world’s best are looking to add another title to their resume, Ha Na Jang, Cristie Kerr and Inbee Park are each looking to pick up their second win in 2017.
Jang with three top 10s including a win at the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open is looking to rebound this week after recording her only missed cut of the season at last week’s Volunteers of America Texas Shootout Presented by JTBC. This will be Jang’s first time playing in this event.
2015 Lorena Ochoa Invitational winner Inbee Park looks to step inside the winner’s circle after missing last year’s event due to a thumb injury. Since Park’s win at the 2017 HSBS Women’s Champions, she has posted T-5, T-21, T-3, T-11, and T-13.
Kerr, 19-time LPGA Tour winner, is no stranger to the winner’s circle in Mexico having won in 2012 when the event was played at Guadalajara Country Club. The Tour veteran has recorded four top-10 finishes in 2017 including a win at the LOTTE Championship Presented by HERSHEY.
Welcome to Mexico!
World No. 10 Sung Hyun Park Park will be making her first appearance in Mexico and is coming off another solid performance in Texas with a fourth-place finish, her third top-10 of the season. Park currently leads Angel Yin (No. 2), Nelly Korda (No. 3), Peiyun Chien (No.4) and Laura Gonzalez Escallon (No.6) in the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year race. They are all making their first start this week in Mexico.
Yin has made four cuts in seven starts this season coming off her best finish of T-5 at the Volunteers of America Texas Shootout Presented by JTBC.
The younger Korda has moved to the the top of the leaderboard several times this season, proving she’s another rookie to watch. Korda posted one top-10, a T-5 at the Pure Silk Bahamas LPGA Classic, and made the cut in each of her six starts on the season.
Sponsor Invites
Two Mexican golfers, Gaby Lopez and Ana Menendez, received a special invite to compete in this week’s event. This is the third-year Lopez will be teeing it up on her home course as she’s in search of her first top-10 this week in Mexico where she finished T-15 in 2016. Menendez, a current member of the Ladies European Tour, will be making her first appearance in the match play event.
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