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Five Things to Know About the Epson Tour Championship

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The Epson Tour closes the 2022 season this week with the Epson Tour Championship at LPGA International, Jones Course. The 72-hole event begins on Thursday, October 6, with the final round scheduled for Sunday, October 9.

The field of 108 players from the United States and around the globe will compete for a $250,000 total purse and a $37,500 winner's payout.

Final Push for LPGA Tour Cards

This week boasts 34 of the top 37 players in the Ascensus Race for the Card standings as they prepare for the year's final event. No. 1 Xiaowen Yin, No. 2 Lucy Li, and No. 3 Linnea Strom are a lock and have secured their LPGA Tour cards for 2022. While there are no guarantees, players No. 4 Grace Kim and No. 5 Celine Borge are in a great position to earn their card, and the top 37 players on the current money list have a mathematical chance at an LPGA Tour card this week. If Katelyn Sisk, who ranks 37th in the Ascensus Race for the Card standings with $38,104 in earnings, wins the event, her total earnings would jump to $75,604, which is more than current No. 10 Alexa Pano, who has earned $75,278 (looking at if they were to make no additional money this week).

Thammaraks Back to Defend

Last October, Prima Thammaraks went 22-under to win the Epson Tour Championship and walked away with her first trophy on the Epson Tour. Entering the final round in second and one shot behind 54-hole leader Daniela Iacobelli, Thammaraks posted a 7-under 65, cruising to victory. The Thailand native smashed the 72-hole record for the event by three strokes set by Riuxin Lin in 2018.

A Second Chance

A look at Daytona Beach’s leaderboard from 2021 shows Prima Thammaraks winning by two-stroke for her first Epson Tour victory. Two players who finished in the top-10 behind Thammaraks at last year’s event return to the field again this year. Daniela Iacobelli, who finished T5 in 2021 and is no stranger to the winner’s circle in Daytona Beach, is looking to pick up win number two this season. Another win would move Iacobelli into the top 10 and another shot on the LPGA Tour. Michaela Finn also finished inside the top-10 last season and is ready for her win number one.

Epson Tour Player of the Year Race

The player earning the most money at the season's end is honored as the Epson Player of the Year. Although No. 1 Xiaowen Yin is in the driver's seat with $117,443 in earnings, the award is still up for grabs.

With Lucy Li sitting this event out and a win by Linnea Strom, fans could see a change at the top with Strom taking home Epson Player of the Year honors even if Yin finishes second.

If Yin misses the cut and doesn't earn money, Grace Kim, No. 4 on the money list with $89,720, Celine Borge No. 5 with 87,546, Gabriella Then No. 6 with 85,416, Gina Kim No. 7 with $80,484, and Kiira Riihijarvi No. 8 with $80,208 must win the event to take over the top spot held currently by Yin.

Gaelle Truet Rookie of the Year Race

The Gaelle Truet Rookie of the Year award is given to the Epson Tour rookie that earns the most money.

Xiaowen Yin has had a solid hold on the top spot in the rookie race for the better part of 2022 and is currently one of four rookies that sit inside the top 10 of the Ascensus Race for the Card standings at No. 1. Grace Kim is presently second amongst rookies with $89,720, Gina Kim third with $80,484 and Alexa Pano fourth with $75,275. They will need to win this week for a chance to jump Yin in the standings.

The award is named after Gaelle Truet, who played on the Duramed FUTURES Tour from 2004-2006 before she died tragically in a car accident.

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NBC SPORTS ANNOUNCES 2021 LPGA TOUR BROADCAST SCHEDULE

More Than 500 Tournament Hours of Women’s Golf Coverage – Most Hours and Events Ever Dedicated to Women’s Golf in a Single Year

Schedule Highlighted by Coverage of 34 LPGA Tour Events, including all Five Major Championships

Golf at Tokyo Olympics Headlines Summer Slate of Global Events

Solheim Cup from Inverness Club on Labor Day Weekend Across NBC and GOLF Channel

STAMFORD, Conn. – Feb. 17, 2021 – NBC Sports presents 34 LPGA Tour events in 2021, headlined by live coverage of all five major championships, as well as the Solheim Cup and the women’s golf at the Summer Olympics, in a season that marks the record purse total in women’s professional golf at more than $78 million.

In additional to LPGA Tour coverage, with the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, the NCAA Women’s Golf Championships and the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, NBC Sports will produce more than 500 tournament hours of women’s golf coverage in 2021, the most hours and events ever dedicated to the women’s game in a single year.

Highlights of NBC’s 2021 LPGA Tour coverage include:

• Live coverage of all five major championships: ANA Inspiration (April 1-4), U.S. Women’s Open (June 3-6), KPMG Women’s PGA Championship (June 24-27), Amundi Evian Championship (July 22-25) and AIG Women’s Open (Aug. 19-22).
• The Solheim Cup, which pits the best 12 players from the United States against their European counterparts, taking place at storied Inverness Club on NBC and GOLF Channel on Labor Day weekend (Sept. 4-6).
• The world’s top players convening upon Kasumigaseki Country Club, with NBC Sports airing comprehensive coverage of the women’s Olympic golf competition.
• The 2021 season finale at the CME Group Tour Championship (Nov. 18-21), with the winner receiving $1.5 million, the largest single prize in women’s golf history.
• 50th anniversary celebrations at the ANA Inspiration (April 1-4) and Cambia Portland Classic (Sept. 16-19)
• Introducing fans to the many diverse Members of the LPGA Tour

“Players on the LPGA Tour come from all walks of life, from countries literally circling the globe. Thanks to our friends at NBC and GOLF Channel, fans across the country will have so many opportunities to get to know these athletes and learn their inspirational stories,” said LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan . “The future of the game really is female, and I can’t wait for our fans – especially all the young girls watching the telecast – to get to know these athletes who have made such an impact on my life and my career.”

“With more than 30 LPGA Tour events, all five majors, the Tokyo Olympics and the Solheim Cup, NBC Sports is primed to deliver unprecedented coverage of women’s golf in 2021,” said Molly Solomon , executive producer, GOLF Channel and NBC Olympics. “We will present the most hours ever dedicated to the women’s game in 2021 and continue to elevate the LPGA Tour’s stars throughout these fantastic international events.”

GOLF Channel and NBC’s team of commentators for the 2021 season will include Terry Gannon and Grant Boone as play-by-play hosts; Hall-of-Famer and 26-time LPGA Tour winner Judy Rankin , Paige Mackenzie and Karen Stupples as analysts; and Tom Abbott , Jerry Foltz , Kay Cockerill , Jim Gallagher Jr. and Stupples as hole announcers and on-course reporters.

NBC Sports’ 2021 LPGA Tour Schedule

Note: Dates and networks are subject to change

ABOUT THE LPGA

The LPGA is the world’s leading professional golf organization for women. Founded in 1950 and headquartered in Daytona Beach, Fla., the association celebrates a diverse and storied membership with more than 2,300 Members representing more than 30 countries. With a vision to inspire, empower, educate and entertain by showcasing the very best of women’s golf, LPGA Tour Professionals compete across the globe, while the Symetra Tour, the official development and qualifying tour of the LPGA, consistently produces a pipeline of talent ready for the world stage. Additionally, LPGA Professionals directly impact the game through teaching, coaching and management.

The LPGA demonstrates its dedication to the development of the game through The LPGA Foundation. Since 1991, this charitable organization has been committed to empowering and supporting girls and women through developmental, humanitarian and golf community initiatives, including LPGA*USGA Girls Golf, the LPGA Women’s Network and the LPGA Amateur Golf Association.

Follow the LPGA on its television home, Golf Channel, and on the web via www.LPGA.com. Join the social conversation at www.facebook.com/lpga, www.twitter.com/lpga and www.youtube.com/lpgavideo, and on Instagram at @lpga_tour.

ABOUT NBC SPORTS GROUP’S GOLF DIVISION

NBC Sports Group’s GOLF division delivers multimedia golf content, technology and services. Anchored by GOLF Channel – co-founded by Arnold Palmer in 1995 – GOLF Channel content is available to nearly 500 million viewers in nine languages across more than 70 countries around the world. GOLF features more live coverage of the sport than all other U.S. networks combined, including global tournament action from the PGA TOUR, LPGA Tour, European Tour, NCAA, THE PLAYERS, The Open, Olympics, Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup, as well as high-quality news, instruction and original programming. Delivering unmatched coverage from the world of golf via GOLF Channel Digital , fans can access 24/7 live streaming through the NBC Sports app , as well as complementary coverage via PGA TOUR LIVE on NBC Sports Gold . In addition, NBC Sports connects the world to golf through a wide array of technology and lifestyle services, including: GolfNow , the world’s largest online tee-time marketplace; GOLF Business Solutions , solving business needs through leading technology, marketing and services; GolfPass , an all-in-one digital membership delivering comprehensive benefits tailored to the modern golfer’s lifestyle; and GOLF Advisor , the ultimate digital destination for the traveling golfer, featuring the largest number of user-generated golf course ratings and reviews in the industry. GOLF’s global reach originates from its world headquarters in Orlando, Fla., and extends to its international office in Belfast, Northern Ireland; regional offices across North America, Europe and Australia; and also includes collaborations with Sky Sports and serving as the Official Media Partner of St Andrews Links .

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LPGA Tour: Hannah Green wins JM Eagle LA Championship for second straight year

Hannah Green became the first person to defend her title on the LPGA Tour in 2024 with her win at the JM Eagle LA Championship; watch the LPGA Tour, PGA Tour, DP World Tour and all of the majors in 2024 exclusively live on Sky Sports

Monday 29 April 2024 06:24, UK

Hannah Green won the LPGA Tour's JM Eagle LA Championship for the second straight year on Sunday, holing out twice from off the greens in a pivotal back-nine stretch at the challenging Wilshire Country Club.

A year after making a 25-foot birdie on the final hole of regulation and winning on the second hole of a playoff, Green, with help from Maja Stark, took the late drama out of this one for her fifth LPGA Tour victory and second of the year.

"It wasn't as a eventful as the last couple days. I was nervous," Green said. "And I've never been able to win having a lead into the last hole like that, so it is nice to be able to get it done earlier in the round."

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Green closed with a five-under 66 to beat Stark by three strokes. The 27-year-old Australian, also the winner early last month in Singapore, finished at 12-under 272.

"It's really kind to me," Green said about the course. "I felt like a couple times today almost got like a member bounce. I, obviously, really am fond of the golf club and joked that they didn't approve it with me that they were making alterations. I love it here."

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Green began the key run with a chip-in birdie on the par-3 12th and made a six-foot birdie putt on the par-five 13th.

Then, after Stark bogeyed the par-four 16th two groups ahead, Green ran in a 25-footer for eagle from the fringe on 15 to open a four-stroke lead, and made it five under in five holes with a birdie on 16.

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A chip in to extend her lead 🤯 @hannahgreengolf is in her element right now 🫣 pic.twitter.com/hnz83ISOgx — LPGA (@LPGA) April 28, 2024

"When I chipped in on 12 I kind of felt like I really snagged one there," Green said. "I really like the 13th hole and also played the 15th really well. When I made eagle on 15 that kind of sealed the deal.

"I did see Maja got it to nine under so I know what I needed to do. Usually, I make it really tricky on myself and only win by a shot."

Our first successful title defense of the season goes to @hannahgreengolf 🏆🔥 pic.twitter.com/sBAMZSbgs8 — LPGA (@LPGA) April 29, 2024

Stark finished with a 68, rebounding from the bogey on 16 to birdie the final two holes. The 24-year-old Swede also finished second last week outside Houston in The Chevron Championship, two strokes behind top-ranked Nelly Korda in the first major of the year.

"I'm really proud of the way I've played," Stark said. "I feel like I've hit a lot of good shots and I feel like my nerves kind of took over for a little while, but I was always able to get back to the normal - my normal state of mind."

On top two years running ✌️🏆 @hannahgreengolf is cruising in 2024 🏌️‍♀️✨ FULL LEADERBOARD ⬇️ https://t.co/v4WTuJq6d6 — LPGA (@LPGA) April 29, 2024

Haeran Ryu (69) was third at six under, followed by fellow South Korean players Jin Young Ko (67) and Jin Hee Im (72) at five under.

Grace Kim, four strokes ahead entering weekend after opening rounds of 64 and 66 and tied with Green for the lead after a third-round 76, finished with a 77 to tie for 25th at one under. She failed to make a birdie the final two days.

Korda withdrew from the Los Angeles event Monday, a day after her record-tying fifth straight victory.

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Hannah Green defends LPGA Tour title in Los Angeles after brilliant back-nine blitz

Sport Hannah Green defends LPGA Tour title in Los Angeles after brilliant back-nine blitz

Hannah Green has continued her love affair with Wilshire Golf Club to successfully defend her LA Championship crown with one of the most commanding displays of the year.

Australia's former major champion produced a brilliant back-nine blitz to close with a five-under-par 66 and blow away the field in the shadows of Los Angeles' iconic Hollywood hills backdrop.

With a five-under stretch in five holes, Green finished with a 12-under 272 total, three strokes clear of in-form Swede Maja Stark (68).

Green stretched her streak to 16 consecutive sub-par rounds at the course to slam the door shut on her chasers.

"It's really kind to me. I love it here," she said.

In adding to her HSBC Women's World Champions success in Singapore last month, Green joins rampant world No.1 Nelly Korda as only the second player to notch multiple LPGA Tour victories in 2024.

"To obviously already win in Singapore and then win here this week, I hope that I can get closer to my goal being in the top 10 in the world and solidify my spot in the Olympics," the Perth prodigy said.

Green will climb from world No.18 to the cusp of the top 10, as well as soar to third in the season-long points standings behind five-time winner Korda and New Zealand's Lydia Ko.

The 27-year-old also joins greats Karrie Webb (41), Jan Stephenson (16) Minjee Lee (10) and Rachel Hetherington (eight) as only the fifth Australian to win at least five times on the LPGA Tour.

After starting the day sharing the lead with compatriot Grace Kim, Green quickly established a two-shot advantage on the very first hole.

Green's birdie and Kim's bogey left Green with the outright lead, and she retained it all afternoon despite a strong challenge coming from Stark.

Runner-up to Korda at last week's Chevron Championship, the year's first major, Stark was just one shot back after making birdies on the seventh and 13th holes as Green toiled mid-round with seven straight pars.

But a chip-in birdie on the par-3 12th broke the shackles for Green, who picked up another shot on 13 to nudge two strokes clear.

"When I chipped in on 12, I kind of felt like I really snagged one there," she said.

"So I knew what I needed to do to do. I made it really easy on myself so I'm really grateful."

Stark received a huge break on the 15th when her bunker shot clattered into the pin and stopped dead for an easy birdie when a bogey looked more likely.

Green, though, more than held her nerve — she hit the go button with a spectacular eagle three on 15, followed by a fourth birdie of the day on 16.

In collecting a cheque for $US562,500 ($A858,700), the West Australian crashed through the $US5 million ($A7.6 million) career prize money earnings.

While Green rejoiced, Kim's horror weekend continued with a demoralising six-over 77 to slump to a share of 25th.

The 23-year-old had been four shots clear at the halfway point and on track to capture a second LPGA Tour title.

Instead Kim was reduced to a putting wreck, unable to fashion a single birdie all weekend and racking up nine bogeys and a double.

Despite her disappointment, classy Kim was the first to shower her triumphant playing partner with champagne on the 18th green.

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Hannah Green surges to win LPGA’s LA Championship for second straight year

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Hannah Green won the LPGA Tour’s JM Eagle LA Championship for the second straight year Sunday, holing out twice from off the greens in a pivotal back-nine stretch at challenging Wilshire Country Club.

A year after making a 25-foot birdie on the final hole of regulation and winning on the second hole of a playoff, Green — with help from Maja Stark — took the late drama out of this one for her fifth LPGA Tour victory and second of the year.

“It’s really kind to me,” Green said about the course. “I felt like a couple times today almost got like a member bounce. I, obviously, really am fond of the golf club and joked that they didn’t approve it with me that they were making alterations. I love it here.”

Green closed with a five-under 66 to beat Stark by three strokes. The 27-year-old Australian, also a winner last month in Singapore, finished with a 12-under 272 on the tree-lined layout with poa annua greens that become bumpy late in the day.

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April 25, 2024

Green began the key run with a chip-in birdie on the par-three 12th and made a six-foot birdie putt on the par-five 13th. Then, after Stark bogeyed the par-four 16th two groups ahead, Green ran in a 25-footer for eagle from the fringe on 13 to open a four-stroke lead, and made it five under in five holes with a birdie on 16.

“When I chipped in on 12 I kind of felt like I really snagged one there,” Green said. “I really like the 13th hole and also played the 15th really well. When I made eagle on 15, that kind of sealed the deal. I did see Maja got it to nine under so I know what I needed to do. Usually, I make it really tricky on myself and only win by a shot.”

Stark finished with a 68, rebounding from the bogey on 16 to birdie the final two holes. The 24-year-old Swede also finished second last week in The Chevron Championship, two strokes behind top-ranked Nelly Korda in the first major of the year.

“I’m really proud of the way I’ve played,” Stark said. “I feel like I’ve hit a lot of good shots and I feel like my nerves kind of took over for a little while, but I was always able to get back to the normal — my normal state of mind.”

Haeran Ryu (69) was third at six under, followed by fellow South Korean players Jin Young Ko (67) and Jin Hee Im (72) at five under.

Grace Kim, four strokes ahead entering the weekend after opening rounds of 64 and 66 and tied with Green for the lead after a third-round 76, finished with a 77 to tie for 25th at one under. She failed to make a birdie the final two days.

Korda withdrew from the event Monday, a day after her record-tying fifth straight victory.

More to Read

Grace Kim and Hannah Green tied for lead in LPGA LA Championship

April 27, 2024

LPGA: Grace Kim opens four-stroke lead at Wilshire Country Club

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Nelly Korda puts bid for record LPGA win on hold after withdrawing from L.A. tourney

April 22, 2024

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Nelly Korda, LPGA in prime position to lift women's golf. So far, they're whiffing.

As nelly korda continues to dominate, generating new interest in women's golf should be one of the easiest sales jobs the lpga will ever have..

Last Sunday, a peak audience of 1.9 million people tuned in to NBC and watched Nelly Korda record her fifth consecutive tournament victory at the Chevon Championship, the first major of the LPGA season. 

It’s not a Caitlin Clark rating, but for a sport that has been plagued by poor television coverage, lack of breakthrough stars and questionable management, it was one of the better days women’s golf has seen in quite some time.

In theory, the LPGA should be in prime position to reap some of the benefits being generated by the recent surge of interest in women’s sports. 

For one thing, their counterparts on the men’s tour have turned off scores of fans thanks to the interminable struggle between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf and the odious greed driving so much division and dissatisfaction. 

After years of unfairly blaming the prominence of Asian players for struggling to connect with stateside audiences, the LPGA now has a 25-year-old American from a prominent sporting family dominating the sport. 

And given that fewer than 100 days remain before the Olympics, where Korda will be defending her gold medal from Tokyo three years ago, this should be one of the easiest sales jobs women’s golf will ever have to generate real, enduring new interest in what has always been a very good and watchable product.  

The door is open. There are no excuses. The time is now. 

But is women’s golf truly ready for this moment? I’m not so sure.

Up until now, three things have been undeniably true about women’s golf and its struggle to break through outside of its small, niche fan base:

• The LPGA has failed to craft a compelling narrative for why people should watch, outside the mere fact of its existence. 
• Some of its stars, including Korda prominently, haven’t gone above and beyond to promote the game and make themselves familiar to large audiences.
• And television has struggled to give the product its due, both in terms of exposure and quality of broadcast.

The third point, in particular, was disappointing Sunday. While NBC should be given credit for putting the Chevron on its over-the-air network and not stuffing it on Peacock or the Golf Channel, it would have been jarring this weekend to flip between the LPGA and the concurrent PGA Tour event being shown on CBS. 

While the latter featured sharp graphics, high-tech camera angles and shot-tracing gizmos that are now standard in men’s golf broadcasts, the NBC coverage looked like a penny-pinching, outdated endeavor – the bare minimum to get these women on TV. 

At a time when we’re now used to a women’s basketball broadcast on ABC or ESPN looking and feeling the exact same as a men’s broadcast, it was actually jarring to turn on NBC and see something that was so technically inferior to what the same network does when it shows The Players or the U.S. Open.

And because NBC clearly didn’t devote as many camera crews as it would have for a men’s major championship, it couldn’t show much of what was happening in the groups ahead of Korda. As a result, the broadcast felt like it dragged along at a glacial pace because there just wasn’t much action in-between Korda’s shots. 

While NBC may be happy with the rating and proud of giving women’s golf an opportunity to be shown on network TV, it should be embarrassed by the way it presented the product. The magnitude of Korda’s achievement and the moment for the LPGA were simply not done proper justice.

But this is more than a television issue. 

Korda has been a potential gold mine for the LPGA ever since she won her first event at age 20 but has been known for being quite discerning about how much time she’s willing to spend doing the kind of extra promotional work that the sport badly needs. 

Whether you attribute it to her preference for privacy or wanting to focus only on the birdies and bogies, the reality is that it’s hard for women’s golf to maximize this moment when its biggest star is not known to be particularly media-friendly or willing to promote something other than her golf swing.  

It was interesting before the Chevron that Stacy Lewis, a two-time major winner, said point-blank that Korda had a responsibility to be more visible and more accessible in service of the LPGA. 

“Every week, she needs to be in here (with the media) talking about it and talking about how good she’s playing, and I don't know what that’s going to be, what that looks like for her,” Lewis said. “I've been in her shoes, I’ve been No. 1 in the world, I’ve been the top American and you’re asked to do a lot of things.

"But give the media a couple hours every week. That’s what she’s going to have to start doing. But her playing great golf, that's what pushes us more forward than anything.”

It was notable that Korda, shortly after her victory Sunday, showed up for a brief chat on the "No Laying Up" podcast that is particularly popular with younger golf fans. That was a positive step. On the other hand, it wasn't so great that Korda pulled out of this week’s JM Eagle LA Championship, citing exhaustion from winning four events in five weeks. 

While it’s hard to criticize an athlete for being cautious with their schedule and their body, it’s also true that Korda skipped the LPGA’s Asian swing in February and early March and won’t have another tournament to play until May 9. Barring an injury, there's an argument to be made that Korda should have at least tried to give it a go as the LPGA stops in the nation’s second-biggest media market.

The responsibility on star women’s athletes to both perform and promote can often seem unfair, and maybe it is. Does Scottie Scheffler get the same scrutiny for how many media and promotional commitments he takes on or which tournaments he skips?

That’s a legitimate conversation, but if the LPGA and its players aspire to capitalize on the wave of enthusiasm for women’s sports and Korda’s historic streak, they need to show more readiness than we’ve seen so far.

Korda needs to do better. The LPGA needs to do better. And television networks definitely need to do better. 

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Some of the LPGA Tour’s most recognizable names have been taking the mound in recent MLB games to throw out ceremonial first pitches.

Thirteen-time LPGA Tour winner Stacy Lewis threw the first pitch on Wednesday, May 1, at the Seattle Mariners game against the Atlanta Braves. The U.S. Solheim Cup captain and KPMG ambassador took the mound to help promote the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, which is coming to Sahalee Country Club in Sammamish, Wash., in late June.

She knows how to shape it— @Stacy_Lewis threw out the first pitch at last night's @Mariners game! #KPMGWomensPGA pic.twitter.com/1bLPtajGrh — KPMG Women's PGA Championship (@KPMGWomensPGA) May 1, 2024

Tournament host Michelle Wie West and 2023 champion Rose Zhang both tested out their throwing skills on Friday at the Yankees game, reminding New York sports fans that the second edition of the Mizuho Americas Open will be held at Liberty National Golf Club from May 16 to 19. Yana Wilson, who won the AJGA portion of the event last year, was also in attendance.

First pitches in pinstripes tonight in the Bronx. Thanks for having us, @Yankees . ⚾️🗽 pic.twitter.com/5yJ3RYalw6 — Mizuho Americas Open (@MizuhoLPGA) May 3, 2024

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Australia’s Grace Kim opens 4-stroke lead in LPGA Tour’s JM Eagle LA Championship

Grace Kim hits from the 16th tee during the first round of the LPGA LA Championship golf tournament at Wilshire Country Club, Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

Maja Stark gestures after finishing on the ninth green during the first round of the LPGA LA Championship golf tournament at Wilshire Country Club, Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

Rose Zhang waits to putt on the fourth green during the first round of the LPGA’s JM Eagle LA Championship golf tournament at Wilshire Country Club, Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Grace Kim opened a four-stroke lead Friday in the LPGA Tour’s JM Eagle LA Championship, shooting a 5-under 66 in tricky afternoon conditions at Wilshire Country Club.

A stroke ahead after an opening 64, Kim had an eagle, four birdies and a bogey to get to 12-under 130. The 23-year-old Australian patiently worked her way around the tree-lined layup, trying not to get frustrated with the bumpy greens.

“I think the less thoughts, the better,” Kim said. “Obviously, during the afternoon round today, we’ve got poa annua greens so just have to stay patient with them. You can kind of see how it can get bumpy, so working with the course and not getting too wrapped up around putts not going in.”

Maja Stark was second after a 69, also in the afternoon.

“I feel like maybe not taking everything so personal because they are a little bit wobbly.” Stark said. “Especially late. Like the whole day pretty much the ball has been wobbling because there has been so many people walking on it.”

The Swede finished second last week in Texas in The Chevron Championship, two strokes behind top-ranked Nelly Korda in the first major of the year. Korda withdrew Monday, a day after her record-tying fifth straight victory.

Defending champion Hannah Green of Australia shot a 69 to join Germany’s Esther Henseleit (68) at 6 under. Denmark’s Kristine Pedersen (67) and American Auston Kim (71) were 5 under, and Rose Zhang (69) topped the group at 4 under.

Grace Kim won the LOTTE Championship last year in a playoff in Hawaii for her first LPGA Tour title. She missed the cut in The Chevron , shooting 76-72.

She started play Friday on the back nine, rebounding from a bogey on the par-3 12th with the eagle on the par-5 13th and a birdie on the par-4 14th. On 13, she hit a 5-wood to 10 feet. She added birdies on Nos. 3, 6 and 7 on the second nine.

“I think I’ve got to breathe a little bit,” she said. “I did get a little bit nervous on my back nine, so making sure I don’t rush too much and just staying in the present.”

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Hannah Green wins LPGA Tour’s JM Eagle LA Championship for 2nd straight year

LOS ANGELES — Hannah Green won the LPGA Tour’s JM Eagle LA Championship for the second straight year Sunday, holing out twice from off the greens in a pivotal back-nine stretch at challenging Wilshire Country Club.

A year after making a 25-foot birdie on the final hole of regulation and winning on the second hole of a playoff, Green — with help from Maja Stark — took the late drama out of this one for her fifth LPGA Tour victory and second of the year.

04/13 – 04/16/2022

Hoakalei Country Club – Ewa Beach, Hawaii, USA

• Prize money: $2,000,000
• Defending champion: Lydia Ko

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Leaderboard: LOTTE Championship

Current leaderboard after round 4 at the LOTTE Championship 2022 on the LPGA Tour in Ewa Beach, Hawaii, USA.

The LOTTE Championship 2022 is part of the LPGA Tour in the season 2022. In 2022 all players competing for a total prize money of $2,000,000.

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