LPGA HEADS BACK TO PORTLAND FOR THE 47TH TIME
The 2018 Cambia Portland Classic at Columbia-Edgewater Country Club is the next destination for the 2018 LPGA Tour, marking the Tour’s last event before its fifth and final major, The Evian Championship.
While Stacy Lewis is unable to defend her title due to pregnancy leave, runner-up In Gee Chun returns to Portland in the hunt for her first 2018 win. At last year’s event, Chun and Lewis were tied for the lead heading into the weekend but Lewis carded a 3-under 69 and held the lead through to victory, winning by one stroke. Past Portland Classic champions Brooke Henderson (2015, 2016), Austin Ernst (2014) and Mi Jung Hur(2009) are in this week’s field.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE CAMBIA PORTLAND CLASSIC
- This is the 47th edition of the Cambia Portland Classic and is the longest-running non-major on the LPGA Tour
- Nancy Lopez is the only three-time winner of the tournament (1985, 1987, 1992)
- Winners represent eight countries in the tournament’s 47-year history: Canada, USA, Norway, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Sweden and England
- There’s been 10 playoffs in the event’s 47-year history, most recently in 2014, when Austin Ernst defeated In-Kyung Kim with a par on the first extra hole
- The tournament transitioned to a 72-hole event in 2013 (previously 54 holes)
HOMEGROWN OREGONIAN HAPPY TO BE HOME
Caroline Inglis loves Tour life, but she also couldn’t be happier sleeping in her own bed this week in Portland.
“It feels great to be able to be at home this week and sleep in my own bed and play a course that I know for once and feel comfortable on. It's really awesome,” said the University of Oregon alumna, the program’s first PAC-12 champion.
With a commute of 20 minutes, Inglis and her fiancé Taylor Klopp, who proposed in May, are both members of host venue Columbia-Edgewater. This week marks Inglis’ second career start at the Cambia Portland Classic; she missed the cut in 2016. With Inglis comfortable on her home turf, she is gearing up to earn her second top-10 of the season.
“It feels a little different,” said Inglis of competing at home. “I just need to keep reminding myself that it's a tournament and just go through the week like I do any other tournament and do the normal practice routines and just focus. That's the goal, is to win. Yeah, that would be awesome.”
FIRST TIME IN PORTLAND FOR SEI YOUNG KIM
Seven-time LPGA winner Sei Young Kim, whose most recent victory was a record-breaking -31 at the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic, has been playing on the Tour since 2015. However, the native of the Republic of Korea is teeing it up for the first time at the Cambia Portland Classic, and she certainly likes what she’s seen so far.
“I like this course,” said Kim, who finished T21 at last week’s CP Women’s Open and hopes to make it back into contention this week. “This is the first time I played this course, and the course is in really good shape. The greens are fast and lot of trees and then beautiful weather.”
Kim plans to visit the Nike store with several other players to do some post-practice shopping but noted that she is excited to watch Golf Channel on-course reporter Karen Stupples tee it up.
“I heard Karen [Stupples] is playing this week, so I'm very happy,” she said with a smile.
CAMBIA PORTLAND CLASSIC IS LAP 25 IN RACE TO THE CME GLOBE
This week’s Cambia Portland Classic marks the 25th lap of the 2018 Race to the CME Globe. Ariya Jutanugarn continues to sit atop the standings with 3,468 points, followed by Brooke Henderson with 2,370 points. Minjee Lee sits third with 2,334 points, followed by Sung Hyun Park (2,088 points) and Jin Young Ko (1,987 points).
Throughout the season’s official events, LPGA Members will battle for position, with the top 12 players after the Blue Bay LPGA heading into the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship with the opportunity to take home a $1 million bonus, the biggest prize in women’s golf.
All tournaments have the same point values except for the five major championships, which carry 25 percent more value. For all events with a cut, points are awarded to members who make the cut, while for events without a cut, points are awarded to members who finish in the top 40 and ties.
Points will be reset for the CME Group Tour Championship following the Blue Bay LPGA, with the top 72 LPGA Members, as well as any non-Member winners and alternates, seeded into the championship field. For the top five players, it’s easy – win the CME Group Tour Championship and take home $1 million. However, the top 12 in the points race all have a mathematical chance to take the title of Race to the CME Globe Champion and win the coveted check.
In 2017, Lexi Thompson became the first American winner of the Race to the CME Globe and the accompanying $1 million prize. She joined Lydia Ko (2014, 2015) and Ariya Jutanugarn (2016) as the only players to hoist the crystal trophy.
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