Jessica Korda, Mo Martin, Jeongeun Lee6
7:44 a.m. – 10th Tee
Jessica Korda makes her return to competitive golf and 2019 debut at this week’s Bank of Hope Founders Cup. The 14th ranked player in the world was forced to withdraw from the season’s earlier events, and miss defending her title in Thailand, as she continued to rehab an ongoing forearm injury. This week, Korda makes her eighth start in Phoenix where she has three top 10 finishes. She will play the opening rounds alongside major champion Mo Martin and rookie Jeongeun Lee6. This week, Martin is making her fourth start of the year and looks to record her first top 10 of the season in the desert, where she is competing for the eighth time. Lee6 is off to a hot start in her rookie season. The Korean hasn’t finished outside the top 11 in her first two starts of the year.
Laura Davies, Carlota Ciganda, Inbee Park
7:55 a.m. – 10th Tee
Hall of Famer Laura Davies made a run at history last year in Phoenix, recording a runner-up finish at the Bank of Hope Founders Cup. While she struggled to record another top 10 on Tour in 2018, she dominated the senior ranks with victories at the U.S. Senior Women’s Open and Senior LPGA Championship. This week, Davies is making her third start of the year. She missed the cut in her prior two starts in Australia. Davies will play alongside Carlota Ciganda and defending champion Inbee Park. Ciganda is making her fourth start of the year and looks to continue the momentum she found in recent weeks with a third-place finish in Thailand. Park is making just her second start of the year after finishing 14th in her 2019 debut in Thailand. The Hall of Famer and putting savant was disappointed with her putting in her first start of the year after averaging 31 putts for the week.
Sei Young Kim, Brooke Henderson, Stacy Lewis
1:01 p.m. – 1st Tee
Sei Young Kim has consistently played well in Phoenix, where she notched a top 10 in her debut in 2015 and followed with a record-breaking victory in 2016 when won at 27-under par. But this week, Kim’s status remains in question as she makes her first start since withdrawing midway through the first round of the HSBC Women’s World Championship due to a back injury. Kim will play the opening rounds alongside Brooke Henderson and Stacy Lewis. Henderson is off to an impressive start in 2019, finishing no worse than 15th in her first three starts of the season. She’s had an up and down run in Phoenix where she had a rare missed cut last year, which was one of only three cuts that Henderson missed in 2018. Lewis is making her second start of the season in Phoenix. She picked up a top 10 in the season opener, which was also her first start since giving birth in the Fall of 2018. Lewis has consistently played well in Phoenix, where she won in 2013 and only once has finished outside the top 10 in seven starts.
Shanshan Feng, Lydia Ko, Sung Hyun Park
1:12 p.m. – 1st Tee
This week, Shanshan Feng makes a rare appearance at the Bank of Hope Founders Cup, where she hasn’t competed since 2016. The former Rolex Rankings world No. 1 is making her fourth start of the season in Phoenix where she recorded a T-13 in 2011. She is grouped with two other world No. 1s during the opening rounds as she’s grouped with Lydia Ko and Sung Hyun Park. This week, Ko is making her fifth start of the season. The desert has been kind to the Kiwi, who other than a missed cut last season, has never finished outside the top 10 in this event. Park, the current world No. 1, is making her third start of the year in Phoenix and is already a winner in 2019. Park picked up her sixth career win on the LPGA Tour at the HSBC Women’s World Championship and will look to continue that momentum this week in Phoenix where she finished T13 in 2017.
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