LOTTE Championship Presented By Hershey Tuesday Notes and Interviews

LPGA SAYS ALOHA TO WEEK EIGHT OF THE 2018 SEASON

Week eight of the LPGA Tour season takes the world’s best female golfers to Hawaii and the beautiful island of Oahu for the 2018 LOTTE Championship presented by Hershey, being held for the seventh consecutive year at Ko Olina Golf Club in Kapolei.

Defending champion Cristie Kerr leads this week’s field, which features seven of the top of the top 10 players in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, including No. 1 Shanshan Feng, No. 3 Inbee Park, No. 4 Sung Hyun Park and No. 5 So Yeon Ryu. ANA Inspiration winner Pernilla Lindberg will tee off for the first time as a major champion, and Hawaii’s own Michelle Wie hopes to become the season’s first two-time winner, having captured the HSBC Women’s World Championship last month in Singapore.

The 2017 LOTTE Championship presented by Hershey saw Kerr blaze her way around Ko Olina, taking her 19th LPGA victory with a tournament-record 20-under 268. Her final-round 66, following a tournament-record 10-under 62 in the second round, earned her a three-stroke victory over Lydia Ko, In Gee Chun and Su-Yeon Jang.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT DEFENDING CHAMPION CRISTIE KERR

• Kerr’s 2017 victory at Ko Olina Golf Club was the 19th title of her LPGA career and her first of 2017; she went on to win the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia at age 40, making her the first LPGA winner over age 40 since 2011
• Coming into the LOTTE Championship presented by Hershey, Kerr has played in six events in 2018 and has yet to miss a cut; her best finish is T2 at the Kia Classic
• Kerr is competing in her seventh LOTTE Championship presented by Hershey; in addition to her win in 2017, she has three other top-10 finishes at Ko Olina Golf Club (T7 in 2015, T9 in 2014 and T4 in 2012)
• Kerr is five points shy of qualification for the LPGA Hall of Fame (22 of 27 points); a win would earn her one point
• Kerr is currently third on the all-time LPGA Career Money List with $19,371,997; she is $3,201,195 behind leader Annika Sorenstam and $807,512 behind second-place Karrie Webb

HAWAIIAN WIN STARTED GREAT 2017 FOR KERR

When Cristie Kerr won the 2017 LOTTE Championship presented by Hershey, it opened the flood gates for an incredible year. Kerr nearly won the following tournament in Texas, falling in a six-hole playoff to Haru Nomura at the Volunteers of America Texas Shootout. She notched 10 top-10 finishes over her next 15 starts before again reaching the winner’s circle at the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia, where she became the Tour’s first winner over age 40 since 2011. Kerr also went 3-0-1 for the victorious USA Solheim Cup Team, becoming the winningest American player in Solheim Cup history, and even took victory at the Ladies European Tour’s Lacoste Ladies Open de France.

“I started off kind of rough actually, and going into the second day I was actually outside the cut line,” said Kerr of her week in Hawaii last year. “I found something in my swing and got some confidence and started making a lot of birdies. Had a magical round on Saturday and followed that up with a solid round on Sunday. It was a great week for me.”

Kerr is currently tied with Laura Davies for 26th on the all-time LPGA victories list with 20 wins. Should she successfully defend her title this week, she would join LPGA Founder Marilynn Smith, who turns 89 on Friday, with 21 wins.

HANG LOOSE BROTHER – LPGA PROS ENJOY WEEK IN HAWAIIAN PARADISE

While the 144 LPGA professionals at Ko Olina this week are here to compete, they’re also not shy about enjoying some fun in the sun during the LPGA’s lone week in Hawaii.

“I like to run outside so I always really enjoy my morning run,” said World No. 5 So Yeon Ryu, who has competed in all seven playings of the LOTTE Championship. “I see a lot of people doing yoga this morning; I saw a group of people like singing and playing music instruments. That’s really fun to see.”

“It’s just a really relaxing week,” added Cristie Kerr, who likes to go to the beach to pick shells and bring them home to her 4-year-old son, Mason. “Everybody has so many things they do off the golf course as well which we don’t get to usually do. It’s a very good environment for the tour to be in.”

A peek through player Instagram feeds shows a breadth of Hawaiian experiences and cuisines. As expected, the LPGA’s resident surfer Tiffany Joh has been found catching some waves in the Pacific Ocean, while Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn paid a visit to the famed Dole Plantation. Foodies Michelle Wie and Danielle Kang have seemingly hit up every restaurant on Waikiki Beach, and they’re not the only players indulging in some beloved Hawaiian delicacies.

“I love poke bowls, so that’s what I eat every night,” said Anna Nordqvist with a laugh.

But sadly, not all has gone completely smooth. Paradise sometimes has a few hiccups.

“Yesterday and the day before that we tried to go and see some sea turtles. Unfortunately they weren’t there,” said Brooke Henderson. “They didn’t want to see us. Hopefully at some point during the week we’ll be able to see them. I think that will be a really amazing experience.”

HAWAII IS LAP EIGHT IN RACE TO THE CME GLOBE

This week’s LOTTE Championship presented by Hershey marks the eighth lap of the 2018 Race to the CME Globe. Inbee Park, who has a win at the Bank of Hope Founders Cup and a runner-up finish at the ANA Inspiration, leads the standings with 968 points, followed by 2018 winners Jin Young Ko (799), Jessica Korda (789) and Michelle Wie (779).

Throughout the season’s 33 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.

ED CLARY RECEIVES XL CATLIN VOLUNTEER SERVICE AWARD NOMINATION IN HAWAII

The XL Catlin Volunteer Service Award is a new program launched in 2018 to recognize exemplary volunteers at each LPGA tournament. Ed Clary, a seven-year volunteer at the LOTTE Championship presented by Hershey, was nominated by tournament representatives and will be presented with a service award plaque during tournament week. Clary, who grew up in San Francisco but has spent most of his life living on Oahu, has volunteered in numerous capacities since the inaugural LOTTE Championship in 2012. He especially appreciates the friendliness of the LPGA players, including his favorite player, Hawaii’s own Michelle Wie. Clary is also a long-time volunteer with the Agape Christian Fellowship and Camp Agape Hawaii, which ministers to children whose parents are incarcerated.

In addition to his weekly honor, Clary will join other tournament volunteers nominated throughout the year for a season-ending random drawing that will award a donation of $10,000 in the winning nominee’s name to the charity of the tournament for which the volunteer serves. The 2018 LOTTE Championship presented by Hershey benefits the Friends of Hawaii Charities.