Players to Watch
Moriya Jutanugarn- While both sisters are in the field this week, Moriya has seen more success in their homeland’s event the past two seasons. Her 7th and T2 finishes in 2017 and 18 are her lone top 10 finishes in nine appearances in the event. She returns coming off back to back strong finishes, posting T4 at the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions and T15 at the Australian Open. This is in stark contrast to Ariya, who narrowly avoided missing her first cut since 2017. The 17th ranked player in the world looks to secure the first title in her homeland since Nasa Hataoka’s win in Japan last November.
Sung Hyun Park- The world’s number two golfer is making her debut in Thailand, her same opening event as last season. She looks to improve upon her slow start from 2018, where she failed to crack the top 20 in her four opening events, including a T22 finish here. This is dissimilar to the end of her successful year, featuring four top ten finishes in her final eight events, including a victory at the Indy Women in Tech Championship. Park’s busy offseason comes to an end after meeting Tiger Woods for the first time and announcing a new hat sponsor.
Lexi Thompson- Fresh off celebrating her birthday last week, Thompson enters one of the best events of her career. Posting 4 top 5 finishes in her last five appearances in the tournament, featuring a win in 2016, Siam Country Club has fit her eye. This is a strong opportunity for Thompson to extend her six-year streak of winning an event every year, which she extended last year at the final event of the season, the CME Group Tour Championship. If she’s in the hunt on Sunday, don’t be surprised to see her move up the leaderboard. Her final rounds the last three years have been stellar and improving year by year. She’s carded 68, 67, and 64 from 2016 to 2018, respectively.
Quotable
“Really sad to announce that I have to WD out of Honda LPGA Thailand and the HSBC Singapore. Unfortunately, my recovery from my forearm injury has taken longer than we expected. I hope to start my season in March at the Bank of Hope Founders Cup in Arizona.” Jessica Korda posted to her social channels on missing out on defending her title, which she won after returning from reconstructive jaw surgery.
Numbers to Know
70- Number of players in the field.
62- The tournament record set by Jessica Korda last year in the second round.
8- Number of players from Thailand in the event.
3- Past champions in the field- Anna Nordqvist (2014), Lexi Thompson (2016), and Amy Yang (2015, 2017).
AON Risk Reward Challenge Hole
This hole, a drivable par 4, offers players a strong risk-reward opportunity. It will be played at just 265 yards for two of the four rounds during the tournament with accessible hole locations for a possible eagle or albatross. Weather permitting, the hole will be set up as drivable on Friday and Sunday.
About This Week’s Event
Dream Big- The theme for this week, the tournament is aiming to push golfers from across the globe, regardless of ability, to purse their dreams. The tournament is running a junior golf clinic, along with a Golf Leader’s Conference.
We’ve Seen This Course Before- Siam Country Club has hosted this event since 2007, with the event taken off the LGPA schedule for a year before returning in 2009. The ’09 event was played at the Pattaya Plantation Course, before it moved in 2010 to the Pattaya Old Course, where the event has been held ever since.
Where to Watch- Golf Channel will air the opening round Wednesday night from 11:00 PM to 3:00 A.M Thursday. Thursday night will follow the same schedule as the opening round, 11:00 P.M. to 3:00 A.M. The weekend rounds will be broadcast the same times, Friday night from 11:30 P.M. to 3:30 A.M. Saturday, and 11:30 P.M. to 3:30 A.M. Saturday night to Sunday morning.
)
)
)
)
