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LPGA KEB HanaBank Fantasy Picks

By Elizabeth Bethel

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Korean & American players are bringing strong games to the LPGA KEB HanaBank Championship but look for Yani Tseng & Shanshan Feng to dominate on Sunday.

We’re all looking for a battle between Inbee Park and Lydia Ko this week at the LPGA KEB HanaBank Championship, and we might get that just because the two are in a dead heat for the top of the Rolex Rankings and the Tour’s Player of the Year award, with Inbee Park coming in to this home soil competition with a slight edge over Ko.

But Park has never delivered an exceptional performance at the HanaBank and Lydia Ko was mediocre at best last year.  So it’s equally likely that the Park v Ko battle may not materialize. There’s more to the HanaBank field than Inbee Park and Lydia Ko, and the deep strength of the field could easily eclipse the Park v Ko battle.

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Home Soil Favorites

Korean fans will have no problems finding a home soil favorite among the field.  For starters, there’s defending champion Q Baek, who defeated Brittany Lincicome and In Gee Chun last year in a playoff, a victory that catapulted her into the LPGA sporlight.  It was no minor victory.  Lincicome went on to win the 2015 ANA Inspiration and Chun to win the 2015 US Women’s Open.

Baek’s had only a so-so rookie season — only one top-10 finish — but she ‘s already demonstrated the quality of her A game and she’s coming home to play on home soil.

There’s In Gee Chun, who’s also shown LPGA fans an amazing A game.  Chun will be playing comfortably on home soil as well.  She and Baek will both enjoy tremendous gallery support, as will Inbee Park, So Yeon Ryu and Chella Choi.  Not to mention Hyo Joo Kim and Sei Young Kim, who are both having standout rookie seasons.

And then there’s the “Other Ko” — remember Jin-Young Ko’s surprising appearance on the RICOH Women’s British Open leaderboard, when she held the 54-hole lead?  The other Ko is in the field again this week.  Let’s see what she can do.

If you’re picking a fantasy team any of these Korean players would be a safe add.

American Power Players

Among the Americans in the field, I’m taking a close look at the winless Stacy Lewis, of course, because she’s so good and such a relentless competitor, but I’m also putting Alison Lee, Gerina Piller, Brittany Lincicome, and Morgan Pressel in my “favorites” column.

Lee made a fine showing last week at the Sime Darby.  Her T15 finish put her among the top-3 in terms of Americans on the board, and she’s a consistent golfer who will manage the partisan Korean galleries quite well.

Piller and Pressel finished a bit below Lee last week but they’re both playing strong late-season games and either of them could break through this week in Korea.

Lincicome likes the Sky 72 track and plays it well.  The golf course suits her powerful game.

Jessica Korda found her game last week at the Sime Darby and her confidence is at an all-time high coming into the HanaBank but the odds are against back-to-back wins for any players except perhaps Lydia Ko, so Korda isn’t on my radar, although I’m expecting a solid performance from her.

Any of these American players would also be safe adds to a fantasy team.

Shanshan & Yani?

The Koreans in the field are going to have strong showings.  Some of them will grab a piece of the lead along the way and some of them will be in contention on Sunday; and the Americans are going to deliver some impressive golf.  Piller and Pressel will be in the mix and Lewis could well be in the final group on Sunday.

But I’m looking to Shanshan Feng and Yani Tseng for the win and if you force me to pick, I’m pointing the finger at Yani.  Her game is on an upswing.  Look at her Sime Darby stats:

Off the tee she’s stronger than Lincicome or Piller.  She was hitting 68% of the fairways in Malaysia, playing above her season average of 54%.  She was getting to greens in regulation on 75% of the holes, again above her season average of 66%.  She was averaging 1.61 putts per hole, also better than her season average.

Tseng is poised to break through and whether she does it in Incheon this week or Taipei next week, it’s going to happen.  I’m thinking it will be this week simply because she won’t be trying as hard.  She’ll be thinking of the HanaBank as a warm-up for the Fubon and her game will flow.

Next: Jessica Korda: A Closer Look at the Player & Her Bag

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