The LPGA Tour will make a quick trip from Arkansas to Texas for one final tournament in the United States before a four-tournament stretch in Asia. A tournament full of history, The Ascendant LPGA benefiting Volunteers of America has seen many of the greatest names in the game – Inbee Park, Stacy Lewis and Angela Stanford just to name a few – hoist the Kathy Whitworth trophy. The field is stacked with several players poised for a win so only one thing is certain: whoever wins this week in Texas will etch their names in LPGA history.
Rolex First-Time Winners Galore
After five top-10 finishes and a couple of near misses, LPGA rookie Hae Ran Ryu finally made it to the winner’s circle last week at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G, extending her lead in the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year race by over 200 points. Ryu led wire-to-wire in Rogers to become the fourth Rolex First-Time Winner in the last five tournaments and the 11th of the season, tying a record that was set in 1995 and tied in 2022. But even with 11 first-time winners in 2023, Celine Boutier and Lilia Vu have each found three wins this season, proving that anyone can win at any time on the LPGA. Last week, several players were right on Ryu’s tail, also hunting for their first win on Tour. Now in her fourth season, Bianca Pagdanganan made a late charge on Sunday, firing a 7-under 64 with two eagles and five birdies to finish T3 in search of that elusive first win. Pagdanganan will tee it up at Old American Golf Club this week, and if she holds onto some momentum from last week in Arkansas, she could become that record-breaking 12th Rolex First-Time Winner.
Hot-Handed Defending Champ
Charley Hull only had a week of rest after helping Team Europe secure its third straight Solheim Cup, but returning to The Ascendant LPGA benefiting Volunteers of America after her victory last year was a no-brainer for the Englishwoman. Hull won the 10th playing of the event by one stroke, finding one final birdie at the 17th to take home the Kathy Whitworth trophy and a crisp, new pair of cowboy boots. The 27-year-old is having arguably her best season on Tour since her debut in 2015 and looks poised to defend her title. Hull has recorded five top 10s this season, four of which were runner-up finishes, and has earned nearly $2.3 million – her most ever in nine seasons on the LPGA Tour. Her most recent runner-up result came in her last outing on the LPGA Tour at the Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G where Hull lost in a playoff to Minjee Lee. But she should be taking plenty of good vibes to Old American Golf Club. Though defending a title is a difficult task, it seems like Hull is the best player for the job, and even if it doesn’t come this week, with the way she’s playing, that third LPGA title can’t elude her much longer.
Penultimate Full-Field Event
With the season winding down, there’s much more at stake than trophies. The Ascendant LPGA benefiting Volunteers of America is the penultimate full-field event on the schedule, and for many, it will be their second-to-last chance to punch their ticket to the CME Group Tour Championship or retain their LPGA Membership. Only the top 60 in the Race to CME Globe standings will compete in the CME Group Tour Championship and there are several players looking to play their way into the season-ending event. Yuna Nishimura began Friday at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship ranked No. 81 in the Race to CME Globe, but her T3 finish last week has boosted her to No. 61 in the rankings, giving her a great opportunity to play at Tiburon Golf Club. The six-time JLPGA winner will be looking to keep that momentum going this week and at least find a finish that will break her into the top 60. Further down the list, players are looking to break in or maintain their spot in the top 100 to retain their Tour membership. Bianca Pagdanganan’s T3 boosted her from 129th in the rankings to 89th, a ranking she will fight to maintain through the final few events of the 2023 season. Jeongeun Lee5 started last week at No. 109 in the Race to CME Globe but a T18 finish at Pinnacle Country Club was enough to move her up 10 spots to No. 99. However, Lee5 will likely need another strong week in Texas to hold onto her spot in the top 100.
Texas Pride
As always, there will be a number of native Texans and Texas residents making the trip to Old American Golf Club. A total of 14 Texas residents will be in attendance this week, headlined by major champions Boutier, In Gee Chun and Stacy Lewis. Three of those residents – Stanford, Cheyenne Knight and Maddie Szeryk – claim Texas as their birthplace and will attract a number of supporters throughout the week. Of the Texas residents in the field, Boutier and Knight seem the most likely to stand in the winner’s circle on Sunday. With three wins already this season and three additional top-10 finishes, Boutier should be a favorite in any tournament she goes to. And that’s not to mention coming off a solid Solheim Cup showing in Spain. But Knight has some Solheim Cup momentum too. She was undefeated (2-0-1) in her Solheim Cup debut and took that winning game to Arkansas last week where she notched her 10th top 20 of the season. The Ascendant LPGA benefiting Volunteers of America is also the site of Knight’s first win on the LPGA Tour, a victory that came in her rookie season in 2019. Truly playing on home soil this week, Knight looks like more than just a contender.
Honoring Kathy Whitworth
Though the 132-player field boasts major champions and LPGA winners, there will be one figure looming larger than all the rest this week. A long-time tournament ambassador for The Ascendant LPGA benefiting Volunteers of America, Kathy Whitworth will be honored all week at Old American Golf Club in the first playing of the event since her passing in December 2022. Whitworth’s 88 victories are the most ever on any professional golf circuit, and while her loss will be felt throughout the game for years to come, her absence this week will be particularly poignant. For eight years, Whitworth presented the trophy that bears her name to the winner of The Ascendant LPGA benefiting Volunteers of America and this year her signature was added to the trophy in her memory. The cart path that runs along the 18th fairway at Old American Golf Club is also now named for the World Gold Hall of Famer: The Kathy Whitworth Walk of Champions.
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