Top Storylines for the LOTTE Championship Presented by Hershey

Week of April 13, 2015

LPGA LOTTE Championship Presented by Hershey
Ko Olina Golf Club
Kapolei, Oahu, Hawaii



WIE BACK HOME AND READY TO DEFEND
After nearly a four-year winless streak, Michelle Wie wrote her own fairytale finish to a magical week in her home state of Hawaii by winning the LOTTE Championship in 2014.

“I think the highlight really was just to come back home and there really wasn’t just one moment,” Wie said following her victory last year. “From the first tee shot that I hit until the last putt that I made, the support that I felt from everyone was unbelievable. I really think a lot of times they willed the ball in. I give a lot of credit to them this week.”

Wie came from four shots back by firing a 5-under 67 in Saturday’s final round to secure her third-career victory.

The win sparked an impressive 2014 campaign for Wie, which included a victory at the U.S. Women’s Open, her first major championship, and 11 additional top-10 finishes.

Wie will return to the Islands looking to recapture that magic as her 2015 season has been off to a rocky start while dealing with injury and illness. So far in 2015, Wie has yet to finish better than T24 in her seven events.

FORMER SPONSOR INVITE HYO JOO KIM MAKES FIRST TRIP TO HAWAII AS LPGA MEMBER
Hyo Joo Kim was a sponsor invite to the LOTTE Championship presented by HERSHEY the first three years of the event. This season, Kim returns to Ko Olina as a rookie on the LPGA Tour.

Since Hawaii last season, Kim has been on quite a roll with a pair of victories on the LPGA Tour at the Evian Championship and the JTBC Founders Cup.

Kim will be one of the players to watch this week as in her 15 career LPGA starts she has yet to fi nish outside the top- 25 and has nine top-10 fi nishes. Additionally, Kim clearly likes Hawaiian golf as in her previous three appearances she has fi nished T12 (2012), T9 (2013) and solo fourth (2014).

LINCICOME COMING OFF ANA INSPIRATION TITLE
This week’s LOTTE Championship presented by HERSHEY will mark Brittany Lincicome’s first start since capturing her second career major at the ANA Inspiration.

Lincicome bested fellow American Stacy Lewis with a par on the third playoff hole at Mission Hills to claim her sixth career LPGA victory and second leap into the famed Poppie’s Pond.

While Lincicome will come in riding high, she has yet to have much success at the LOTTE Championship as her previous best finish in Hawaii was a tie for 27th in 2012.

LOTTE FIELD HAS MAJOR STRENGTH
This year’s field at the LOTTE Championship can boast some “Major” strength as 18 past Major Champions are in the field, including the fi ve LPGA Major Champions. Below is the list of Major Champions.

Na Yeon Choi
Paula Creamer
Shashan Feng
Pat Hurst
Eun-Hee Ji
Cristie Kerr
Hyo Joo Kim
Brittany Linciciome
Mo Martin
Catriona Matthew
Se Ri Pak
Inbee Park
Suzann Pettersen
Morgan Pressel
So Yeon Ryu
Yani Tseng
Michelle Wie
Sun Young Yoo

MIYAZATO AND PETTERSEN LOOK FOR SECOND WINS IN HAWAII
Ai Miyazato and Suzann Pettersen will look join defending champion Michelle Wie as players looking to capture their second LOTTE Championship this week.

A former Rolex World No. 1, Miyazato will be returning to the site of her last victory, the 2012 LPGA LOTTE Championship. Pettersen’s victory in 2013 sparked arguably the best season of her career as she finished with four victories, 15 top-10s and climbed to a career-best No. 2 in the Rolex Women’s Wold Golf Rankings.

Both players are struggling to match the success of their title years early in 2015 combining for a pair of top-10 finishes, both by Pettersen. Pettersen ranks 27th on the money list and sixth in the Rolex Rankings, while Miyazato is 54th and 112 on those respective lists.

PRESSEL ADAPTING TO NEW SWING CHANGE
Morgan Pressel was admittedly lost as she headed to the Singapore airport on her way to the States a month ago.

She had finished in a tie for 46th in a 63-player field and wasn’t exactly sure where or why her game had gone awry.

And as she headed back to the States to prepare for the West Coast Swing, she wasn’t entirely sure she knew how to get it back to where she wanted it.

“I was just kind of lost after Singapore this year. I knew where I wanted my swing to get but I was having trouble getting it there,” Pressel said.

So she turned to an old friend, calling up her old coach, Ron Stockton, and had him take a look. What he saw wasn’t the swing he used to know. She was getting the club too far inside on the way back and ripping it over the top to compensate. They’ve worked on getting her club more on plane on the way back and got her posture back to where it was. The backswing feels more outside and out in front of her, but she has seen the results immediately. She fired a second-round 64 to climb into the lead at the Kia Classic before fi nishing in a tie for 15th, and finished solo third at the season’s first major, the ANA Inspiration.

“If you would have told me after Singapore I would have a chance to win ANA Inspiration, I don’t know if I would have believed you,” Pressel said. “But that’s golf, I guess. I don’t know what else to say. It comes and goes.”

LPGA NOMINATED AS SPORTS LEAGUE OF THE YEAR
The LPGA was announced as one of the fi ve finalists for the Sports Business Journal/Daily Sports League of the Year award category for the Sports Business Awards. Joining the LPGA as the other leagues nominated for the Sports League of the Year award are NASCAR, Major League Soccer (MLS), the Big East Conference and the National Basketball Association (NBA).

“I’m excited for our entire team, whose eff orts have been tremendous. We are very honored to be recognized as a finalist by SBJ among other prestigious sports league,” LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan said. “The LPGA had a magical year filled with incredible storylines touching every part of our organization and many Tour victories that showed everyone global success is the best kind of sports story.”

The Sports Business Awards were established to recognize excellence, innovation and outstanding achievements in the business of sports. Nominations were earned for accomplishments during the period from March 1, 2014, to February 28, 2015. The executives and members representing SportsBusiness Journal/Daily will evaluate the nominees and determine the winners, who will be announced at a ceremony on May 20 at the New York Marriott Marquis.

NUMBERS TO KNOW
5 - The past fi ve Major Champions are all in the fi eld this week (Brittany Lincicome - 2015 ANA Inspiration, Hyo Joo Kim - 2014 Evian Championship, Inbee Park - 2014 LPGA Championship, Mo Martin - 2014 RICOH Women’s British Open, Michelle Wie - 2014 U.S. Women’s Open)
8 - Through eight events this season there have been eight diff erent winners on the LPGA Tour
4 strokes - Michelle Wie came from four shots back to win last year’s LOTTE Championship
15 - Top-10 fi nishes by rookies so far this season, including two victories (Sei Young Kim & Hyo Joo Kim)
5 - In fi ve years, the LPGA Tour has gone from 23 events to 33 events

QUICK FACTS
April 15-18
LPGA LOTTE Championship Presented by Hershey
Ko Olina Golf Club
Kapolei, Oahu, Hawaii

Field: 144 (142 professionals, 2 amateurs)
Par: 72
Yardage: 6,383
Purse: $1,800,000
Winner: $270,000

TV Times
Golf Channel
April 15 7:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
April 16 7:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
April 17 7:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
April 18 7:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
All times listed are Eastern

Past Champions
2014 Michelle Wie
2013 Suzann Pettersen
2012 Ai Miyazato

Sponsor Invitations (5)
Hye Jin Choi (a)
So Young Lee (a)
Hyun Soo Kim
Julie Yang
Ji Ram Kweon

Qualifiers (2)
Jing Yan, 67 (-5)
Pat Hurst 69 (-3)

2015 LPGA Official Money List
Top 10: 7/10
Top 20: 14/20