The Honda LPGA Thailand kicks off the LPGA Tour’s annual spring swing through Asia, which will see the best players in the world make stops in not only Thailand but also Singapore and the People’s Republic of China. Since 2010, Siam Country Club’s Old Course has hosted the Tour’s yearly trip to Chonburi, Thailand, and this year’s event will feature a limited field of 72 players competing in a 72-hole, no-cut event for a purse of $1.7 million. Here are five things to know about the third event of the 2024 LPGA Tour season.
In Case You Missed It
The LPGA Tour began its season four weeks ago in mid-January with back-to-back tournaments in Florida. It was a thrilling start to the year as Lydia Ko roared back into the winner’s circle with her victory at the season-opening Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions on her home course at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club. It was Ko’s first win on the LPGA Tour since her banner year in 2022 and marked her 20th career victory on Tour, putting her within one point of qualifying for the LPGA Tour’s Hall of Fame. The next week saw another star end her own winless streak on the LPGA Tour as Nelly Korda won in a playoff over Ko at the LPGA Drive On Championship in her hometown of Bradenton, Fla. Fans will have to wait to see these two champions duel once more as neither player is in the field in Thailand.
Lilia Vu Defends
One year ago, Lilia Vu surged to victory for the first time on the LPGA Tour at the Honda LPGA Thailand. Vu began the final round six strokes back of 54-hole leader Natthakritta Vongtaveelap but mounted a Sunday charge, which began with two birdies in her first three holes. She added five consecutive birdies midway through her round and then capped off a thrilling, final-round 64 with one last birdie on the 15th hole to ultimately win by one stroke over Vongtaveelap. The victory would become a springboard to a breakout season that would see Vu win three more times, including two major titles at The Chevron Championship and AIG Women’s Open, in addition to her win at The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican, and earn her Rolex Player of the Year honors. Vu has had a slow start to her 2024 campaign with an 18th-place finish at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions and a tie for 55th at the LPGA Drive On Championship. She’s recorded one sub-70 round through the first two events of the year and will be looking to change that as she returns to Thailand.
Jin Young Ko Returns to Action
For the third consecutive year, Jin Young Ko begins her season with a question mark. Ko wrapped up the 2023 LPGA Tour season by withdrawing from the CME Group Tour Championship, where she was dealing with a left knee injury. Throughout the week, Ko was seen wearing a knee brace and reportedly underwent an MRI during the championship before exiting the tournament. In the last two seasons, Ko has ended the year struggling with a left wrist injury, and it remained a question as to how she might begin the next season. But she quickly put those concerns to rest in 2022 by returning to action with a victory in her first start of the year at the HSBC Women’s World Championship and did the same in 2023 with a T6 result at the Honda LPGA Thailand. How Ko will bounce back from her year-end knee injury will be something to keep an eye on this week.
Patty Tavatanakit Headlines Field of Thai Players
Fresh off her first victory in almost three years, Patty Tavatanakit returns to her home country of Thailand, where she’ll headline a contingent of nearly a dozen Thai players, including LPGA Tour winners Pajaree Anannarukarn, Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn and Chanettee Wannasaen. “Patty 2.0,” as she’s referred to herself since retooling her game, announced her return to the top of women’s golf with a seven-stroke victory on the Ladies European Tour at the Aramco Saudi Ladies International on Sunday. Tavatanakit’s winless streak came as a surprise following her breakout win at the 2021 Chevron Championship, where, as a rookie, she went wire-to-wire en route to becoming a Rolex First-Time Winner and nearly broke the tournament’s scoring record. Her first LET win comes on the heels of a fourth-place finish at the LPGA Drive On Championship.
Season Debuts
With a short offseason, many players decided to skip the first two events of 2024 in Florida and begin their season with the Asia swing. The Honda LPGA Thailand will see several players make their season debut, including Anna Nordqvist. The three-time major champion was a winner in Thailand in 2014 and picked up a top-10 finish at Siam Country Club in 2023. Aditi Ashok will also begin her eighth season on the LPGA Tour at the Honda LPGA Thailand, where she’s competing for just the second time and will be looking to rebound from a missed cut at last week’s LET event. Ester Henseleit, who finished runner-up to Tavatanakit at the Aramco Saudi Ladies International, is another player who will make her first LPGA Tour start of the year at Siam Country Club. Major champion Hinako Shibuno, one of 12 players to receive a sponsor invite into the Honda LPGA Thailand field, will also tee it up for the first time this season.
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