Kingsmill Championship Preview and Power Rankings

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Kingsmill Championship /

The Kingsmill Championship field is packed with challengers eager to hoist an LPGA trophy Sunday afternoon.

The Kingsmill Championship marks the beginning of a 3-week run-up to the Tour’s 2nd major. It’s a time for players to fine-tune their games, establish their rhythm, and get any lingering rust knocked off before they hit Sahalee Country Club and the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.

The River Course at the Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, VA is a perfect setting for fine-tuning any golf game. The 6379 yard, par-71 Pete Dye track winds along the James River and provide just the right combination of visual delight and technical challenge.

Minjee Lee is the defending champion at the Kingsmill. She notched her rookie year win here in 2015 when she came roaring up the 4th round leaderboard, nimbly survived a protracted rain delay, and came back to finish on Monday two shots clear of So Yeon Ryu and three ahead of another of the Tour’s standout 2015 rookies, Alison Lee.

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Lee will face a field of formidable challengers who’d like to claim this championship for themselves. From the top of the rankings come Lydia Ko, Inbee Park, and Lexi Thompson. Kingsmill is the first time the trio have teed it up together since April and the LOTTE Championship – they’ll give us a preview of how things may look at the PGA Championship.

The Tour’s newest champion, Ariya Jutanugarn, will join that circle of 2016 winners that also includes Jenny Shin, Hyo Joo Kim, Sei Young Kim, Ko, and Thompson, who’s still enjoying her victory at the JLPGA Salonpas Cup last week.

There are also players in the field who are on the hunt and very likely to be in the Sunday mix: In Gee Chun, Brooke Henderson, and Gerina Piller have all been playing to the top of the board; and Stacy Lewis, who is now in her second winless season, is going to deliver her best game, as she does consistently. They will all bear watching at the Kingsmill Championship unfolds.

My power rankings this week are looking beyond the top of the board and also include players from lower down in the rankings who are most likely to deliver consistent but not necessarily winning performances. If you’re playing fantasy golf and shopping for solid team members who will carry your team through the cut and into the weekend, give them a close look.

That said, let’s take a look at the field going into the Kingsmill Championship.

Next: Lexi Thompson

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