After a spell in Asia, the LPGA Tour returns to the US for the first time since January’s opening tournament of the year with the Drive On Championship at Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club in Arizona.
Leona Maguire claimed victory by three shots over Lexi Thompson in 2022 for her maiden win on the Tour, and the World No.12 is back hoping for a similarly comfortable performance this year.
World No.6 Thompson is also in this week’s field – her first LPGA Tour appearance of 2023. However, the American shouldn’t be too rusty having played in last month’s Aramco Saudi Ladies International on the LET, where she finished tied for third.
The highest-ranked player in the field is World No.2 Nelly Korda. The 24-year-old seems primed for a memorable year considering her impressive form over recent months.
After finishing fourth in the individual event in the Aramco Team Series New York in October, Korda has followed that up with five successive top-10 finishes spanning two seasons, including victory in the Pelican Women’s Championship in November and runner-up in the HSBC Women’s World Championship earlier this month.
Right behind Korda in the world rankings is Jin Young Ko, who beat the American in the weather-delayed tournament at Sentosa Golf Club as she continues to put last year’s injury frustrations behind her.
Former World No.1 Atthaya Thitikul appears too, and brings some impressive form of her own having completed top-10 finishes in nine of her last 10 starts worldwide, which sees her begin the tournament at World No.4.
Minjee Lee, who recently split with her caddie of five years, completes the list of top five players in the field. She will be hoping to get back on track after indifferent results in her previous two tournaments.
The remaining top-10 players in the field are World No.7 Brooke Henderson, who won the most recent LPGA Tour event in the US, January’s season opener the Hilton Garden Vacations Tournament of Champions. World No.8 In Gee Chun and World No.9 Hyo-Joo Kim also play.
For Chun, the need for a confidence-boosting performance is becoming increasingly apparent after she has failed to breach the top 10 in a tournament since last August’s runner-up finish in the AIG Women’s Open. In contrast, Kim comes into the this week on the back of successive top-10 finishes.
Just outside the top 10, Lilia Vu will have February’s Honda LPGA Thailand win in mind as she goes in search of her second win on the Tour, while other…
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