The LPGA Tour reaches Oregon for the Portland Classic.
Last year, Andrea Lee won her maiden LPGA Tour title after beating Daniela Darquea by one shot, and she returns this year hoping for a repeat performance.
She certainly heads into the tournament in good form, having tied for ninth in the recent AIG Women’s Open. Then, she secured automatic qualification for the US Solheim Cup team with a T13 at the CPKC Women’s Open. She will be keen to showcase her abilities to captain and 2017 Portland Classic champion Stacy Lewis, who is also in the field, here.
If Lee is to retain the title, though, she will have to overcome the challenges of many of the world’s best players, including Lilia Vu, who recently moved to the top of the world rankings following her second Major win of the year in the AIG Women’s Open.
Right behind Vu in the rankings is Nelly Korda, and she’s going in search of her first victory on the LPGA Tour since the 2022 Pelican Women’s Championship. Others in the world’s top 10 competing include KPMG Women’s PGA Champion Ruoning Yin and two-time Major winner Lydia Ko.
Ko will be desperate to find some form after a barren run that included missing the cut at the AIG Women’s Open. She also carded her worst ever round on the LPGA Tour of 82 in the CPKC Women’s Open as her slump continues.
Hyo-Joo Kim, US Women’s Open champion Allisen Corpuz, Charley Hull, who finished runner-up to Vu at Walton Heath, and two-time Portland Classic winner Brooke Henderson complete the names in the world’s top 10.
There are more former winners of the tournament participating, too, including 2020 champion Georgia Hall, the victor the year before her, Hannah Green, and Marina Alex, who won in 2018.
Like Ko, Lexi Thompson is another high-profile player struggling for form of late, and she will be hoping the tournament marks her return to her best with the Solheim Cup now just a few weeks away and the 28-year-old set to make her sixth appearance in it.
Meanwhile, others who will fancy their chances of victory include former World No.1 Atthaya Thitikul, 2022 AIG Women’s Open champion Ashleigh Buhai, Swedish star Linn Grant and Megan Khang, who won her first LPGA…
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