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LPGA Tour: RICOH Women’s British Open Preview

By Mike Randleman

KAPOLEI, HI - APRIL 16: Lydia Ko of New Zealand plays a tee shot on the second hole during the final round of the LPGA LOTTE Championship Presented By Hershey at Ko Olina Golf Club on April 16, 2016 in Kapolei, Hawaii. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
KAPOLEI, HI - APRIL 16: Lydia Ko of New Zealand plays a tee shot on the second hole during the final round of the LPGA LOTTE Championship Presented By Hershey at Ko Olina Golf Club on April 16, 2016 in Kapolei, Hawaii. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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This week, the LPGA Tour heads across the pond for the RICOH Women’s British Open.

Much has been made of this year’s PGA Tour schedule, which featured a condensed run of major championships due to golf’s return to the Olympics. However, the ripple effects have also been felt on the LPGA Tour.

Normally in a cushy spot on the schedule, against run-of-the-mill PGA Tour and European Tour tournaments, the RICOH Women’s British Open will fight to attract eyeballs this week — the PGA Championship will be occurring five time zones away. The time difference will help to break things up in terms of being on the air at the same time, but Royal Woburn will likely see a diminished media contingency this week.

That’s too bad, because the LPGA Tour’s top players are young, talented and personable, not to mention capable of producing phenomenal major championship drama. Just look at the duel between Lydia Ko and Brooke Henderson at this year’s Women’s PGA Championship. From a pure golf perspective, their shot-for-shot battle, ending with a one-hole playoff victory for Henderson, was one of the most thrilling finishes of any event this year, men’s or women’s.

Whether or not viewership and overall buzz are diminished, this should be a fun event with plenty of intriguing storylines. Let’s dig in, lightning-round style:

  • She’d be a favorite no matter what, but world No. 1 Lydia Ko finished T3 at last year’s Open and has been making the cut at this event since she was 15. She’s the betting favorite to win, according to Paddy Power. The 19-year-old enters the week in fine form and is approaching her age in LPGA Tour wins — she picked up her 14th a couple weeks ago at the Marathon Classic.
  • This is the first time since the Open became an LPGA Tour major in 2001 that Royal Woburn has hosted. The event last came to Woburn in 1999. England has hosted a total of 11 times.
  • Charley Hull is a member at Woburn, and at No. 27 in the world, she’s a dark horse to break through for her first major. She’d love to get it done in her home country, especially after coming close earlier in the year with a T2 at the ANA Inspiration.
  • World No. 3 and 2015 Open champion Inbee Park is unable to defend her title due to a wrist injury. She wants to fully recover before the Olympics start in two weeks.
  • If anyone is primed to grab her first major this week, it’s Ariya Jutanugarn. The 20-year-old Thai enjoyed a rapid rise to her current position of No. 6 in the Rolex World Rankings and could bolster her Player of the Year case with a win this week. Jutanugarn has made all but one cut in 2016, a season highlighted by three straight victories in May. She finished well off the pace at this event last season (T61), but Jutanugarn is a new player this year and carries momentum from a T2 finish in her last stroke play event.
  • Former winners of this event in the field this week: Mo Martin, Stacy Lewis, Yani Tseng, Catriona Matthew, Jiyai Shin and Karrie Webb.
  • World No. 2 Brooke Henderson has a chance to pick up the second major title of both her season and her career at all of 18 years old this week. She tied for 61st in her Open debut last year.

Next: PGA Championship DraftKings Lineups

Which LPGA Tour player do you think has the best chance to win the RICOH Women’s British Open? Let us know in the comments, and keep it here at Pro Golf Now for more updates from the LPGA Tour.

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