After 51 years in Palm Springs, The Chevron Championship has moved to the Woodlands, Texas to begin a new era in women’s major championship golf at The Club at Carlton Woods. Their Jack Nicklaus Signature Course will be the host venue and considering the difficulty of the layout, our winner this week will certainly have earned her trophy.
Listed as a par 72 measuring 6,824 yards for the championship, LPGA officials can make this course as difficult as they want. The 2014 U.S. Junior Amateur was contested here and one of the players that I coach made it to the round of 16 matches. Spending six days on the property watching those elite junior players compete, it’s easily understood what it will take from this week’s field to get the job done.
Will Zalatoris won that week. An exemplary ball-striker, we are looking for a similar skill set in this field. Each of the top-20 players in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings are here in the 132-player field. With a $5.1 million purse and a major championship title on the line in the seventh event of the 2023 LPGA Tour season, who can blame them?
Jack Nicklaus designed the course in 2001. It has 62 bunkers and nine holes where water comes into play and some of those bunkers are as big as a par 3. The greens average 6,800 square feet in size and feature unique slopes that partition them into sections. The course itself covers an immense area and walking between holes will have the field extending plenty of energy through every step of the round.
The forecast calls for temperatures in the low 80s starting on Thursday, then dipping into the low 70s by Sunday’s final round. The change in temperature is due to a front coming through with rain during rounds one and two. Nearly an inch is expected to fall. Even with the wet weather, the wind will be mild, with speeds topping out at 10 to 12 mph.
The region has not been dry throughout April and in the superintendent’s report, he mentioned a lack of growth in the Bermudagrass this spring. Even though the rough may be sparse, it sounds like the course might play even longer than the scorecard. Length is always an advantage, but will it be a greater one this week? Studying the setup, the field will need the following skills to reach the back nine on Sunday with a chance to win:
- Length: If length is a key, how can we differentiate the long hitters? Combining the scoring average and driving distance rankings, the top 5 players with at least twelve tournament rounds who can hit it far and contend are: Perrine Delacour, Nelly Korda, Atthaya Thitikul, Yuka Saso and Charley Hull.
- Tee-to-green play: This will be a complete test from tee to green. Both nines finish with water significantly in play. After six events this season, Jin Young Ko, Thitikul, Megan Khang, Hyo Joo Kim and Korda lead the way in ball-striking.
- Approach: Approach play always gives you an edge in birdie opportunities. Scoring will be difficult this week so hitting as many greens in regulation as possible is key. Ko is first in the field and followed by Thitikul, Delacour, Hae Ran Ryu and Kim.
- Putting: Considering the greens are designed in sections, if you hit it in the wrong quadrant, it will be tremendously hard to two-putt. Major championships are decided with the flatstick, and this week will be no different. If one of these players has a putt to win come Sunday afternoon, she’s got a good chance. Hall, Lilia Vu, Hye Jin Choi and Saso can really roll the rock.
Putting and power makes sense, but are there any other skills that will be key? Players are going to make plenty of bogeys and to keep pace their scoring needs to be potent. Korda and Thitikul each average over five sub-par holes per round and are closely followed by Hall, Ko and Hull. Each of these players brings plenty of birdies with them and they will surely need them over the course of 72 holes.
All 132 players are competing here for the first time, and since course experience is limited, you must believe the best will show up on Sunday. Follow the four characteristics above and those who excel at them. Keep those names close in case you are looking to win a friendly wager. The Club at Carlton Woods is a first-class facility, one that will produce an elite caliber champion.
Keith Stewart is an award-winning PGA Professional. He covers the LPGA and PGA Tour for Sports Illustrated, The Sporting News, LPGA, and PGA TOUR. If you are looking to raise your golf acumen and love inside information about the game, check out his weekly newsletter called Read The Line.
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