LPGA: Toto Japan Classic Five Top Seeds
Five top players on the LPGA Tour are coming into the Toto Japan Classic poised to dominate the leaderboard.
The 37th edition of the LPGA Toto Japan Classic brings to an end the Tour’s 5-event fall Asian Swing. With Nancy Lopez, Annika Sorenstam, Betsy King, Liselotte Neumann, Karrie Webb and Stacy Lewis among the past champions, the Japan Classic is a well-established fixture in the Tour’s schedule. I find it a bit curious that this long-standing event is the only LPGA tournament that does not receive television coverage.
The par-72 Kintetsu Kashikojima Country Club track in Shima-Shi, Mie is a visually delightful setting for a round of golf under any circumstances. Playing 6,506 yards this week, the course takes full advantage of rugged coastal variations in elevation as it winds around the Ise-Shima National Park, making for some tricky undulations in the greens and some treacherous areas of rough for anyone who ventures beyond the short grass.
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Defending champion My Hyang Lee will face a field that includes Webb and Lewis, who continues her hunt for an elusive 2015 victory, as well as 35 members of the Japan LPGA that also includes three past champions, Teresa Lu, Momoko Ueda and Jiyai Shin.
This is the last opportunity four players in the field have to qualify for the season-ending Race to the CME Globe; so keep an eye on Marina Alex, Min Seo Kwak, Maria McBride and and Kelly Shon. A high finish could get them in the field. On the other hand, a low finish could push Michelle Wie, Christina Kim, Jennifer Song, Ryann O’Toole, Beatriz Recari and Min Lee out of the Race to the CME Globe bubble.
On the other end of the spectrum, I see five players coming to the first tee as favorites to take control of the Japan Classic. I’m expecting to see all of them in the top-10 on Sunday and one of them seems most likely to be hoisting the trophy.
Let’s take a look.
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