LPGA Coates Golf Championship Picks and TV Schedule

Apr 6, 2014; Rancho Mirage, CA, USA; Michelle Wie tees off on the fifth hole in the final round of the Kraft Nabisco Championship golf tournament at Mission Hills Country Club. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

Picking winners in golf tourneys is always a tricky business and given the strength of the LPGA season-opening Coates Golf Championship, I’d need a crystal ball to make a valid prediction for the winner. I think I can do a little better if I aim more modestly at the top-10 finishers. Who’s going to be on the first page of the leaderboard come Sunday?

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I see a fierce battle shaping up between Stacy Lewis, Lydia Ko, and Michelle Wie. Why isn’t Inbee Park in this equation? Park typically has a slow start, then heats up later in the season. But Lewis, Ko and Wie are ready to go right now. There’s no doubt in my mind that they all have a good shot at the top of the board.

Lewis has finished runner-up in two of the last three years’ season openers, the 2015 Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic the 2012 ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open, and Stacy Lewis thinks of the runner-up spot as a loss. I’m looking for her to come off the first tee hot and stay that way for 72 holes.

One day we actually had the exact same workout. I was like, wait a second, I think I’m doing that next. I made sure I did the same weights as her – Michelle Wie

Michelle Wie, who came alive last year and was playing the best golf of her career until she was sidelined by an injury, and Stacy Lewis have an ongoing rivalry that only two good friends could sustain, both on and off the course, even at the gym for their workouts. They’ll push each other and if they’re paired we’ll get a special treat because they’ll turn the round into a mini-match play event.

With wins at the LPGA LOTTE Championship and then the US Women’s Open and 11 additional top-10s, Wie is clearly ready to make a charge for the top of the rankings. She’s rested, she’s healthy, and she’s playing with a passion I don’t see in Lewis’s or Ko’s game. I can see Michelle Wie, like Stacy Lewis, playing an aggressive game and aiming for the win.

Ko’ who’s staring her 2nd year on the Tour, finished the season-opener last year at a very respectable T7th, but her finish to the season is a far more important benchmark. The real question is this: Will Ko be able to carry forward the steam-roller momentum we all saw in operation at the CME Group Tour Championship last November? Will there be a sophomore slump or will Lydia Ko deliver more of the same? I’m looking for her to sustain that championship level of play, but whether or not she’ll successfully challenge and play past Lewis and Wie is another matter.

Below this three-way battle for the top of the board, there are three other players I’m going to be watching. I’m looking for Brittany Lincicome, Chella Choi and and Azahara Munoz to be in the mix and playing near the top of the board.

Brittany Lincicome

Although Lincicome typically has a stronger 2nd half of the season, I’m thinking that she may have drawn some crucial lessons about her mental game from her playoff loss to Inbee Park at the Wegman’s LPGA Championship and her runner-up at the KEB HannaBank Championship last year and be eager to put those lessons to the test right away. If that’s the case, I’m looking for 18th ranked Lincicome to deliver a solid performance at the Coates Golf Championship.

Chella Choi is overdue her first Tour win. She came close last year, more than once, and she’s going on my permanent watch list this year, as is Azahara Munoz who, like Chella Choi, recorded ten top-10 finishes last year and was achingly chose to victory at the HSBC Women’s Champions and then again at the JTBC Founders Cup.

I’ll take a close look at some of the rookies who will be teeing it up in Ocala tomorrow.

Media Coverage

Golf Channel will provide coverage of all four Coates Golf Championship rounds:

Jan 28 – Golf Channel 2:00 PM-5:00 PM ET
Jan 29 – Golf Channel 11:00 AM-2:00 PM ET
Jan 30 – Golf Channel 8:00 PM-10:00 PM ET
Jan 31 – Golf Channel 3:00 PM-5:00 PM ET

Ladies Dream Golf will host chats during the rounds for registered players and post-tourney hangout. If you’re not registered for the only free LPGA fantasy golf game on the net, there’s still time to get in for the season-opener. Just follow the link to the website.

Finally, my colleagues and I at ProGolfNow will provide daily end-of-round updates and commentary on the Coates Golf Championship. Check back regularly during the tourney or follow me on Twitter @bethbethel and I’ll notify you when I post new commentary.

Next: Stacy Lewis: What's Nest

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