After a three week break the LPGA returns this week in Singapore for the HSBC Women World Championship. A star-studded field of 65 will take on the Sentosa golf course over four days, for the $1.7 million purse. The field features five different winners from this year already from various tours with Danielle Kang, Lydia Ko & Leona Maguire from the LPGA, Esther Henesliet from the LET & Hannah Green who won the mixed event on the Australian Tour & ladies Vic Open. The event is regarded by some as the Asian Major of women’s golf which with the field strength you can see why with 9 of the world’s top 10 on show this week along with multiple tour winners.
Course
Sentosa golf club might sound familiar to those familiar with other tour betting as it hosted the Asian Tour just a few weeks ago. This time its second course will host the Ladies this week. The Tanjong course hosts for the 5th time after replacing the Serapong course in 2016. Tanjong was designed 1974 by Frank Pennink & was refurbished in 1992 & 2007 before being completely redesigned in 2016 with Andrew Harvey Johnston in charge. The course is set up as a par 72 measuring 6718 yards. The par 72 is made up of four par 3s, ten pars 4s & four par 5s. Twelve holes have water in play with seven of the first eight so an accurate start will be vital on the front nine for good scoring. Bunkers are few & far between this week with just under an average of three bunkers per hole but they appear mainly around the small greens. In the four events at this course the average 72 hole winning score is -17 with the highest score -19 by Inbee Park on the courses first play, In four events the best 18 hole score is a 62 by Sei-Young Kim in 2018.
Golftipster5 Selections
Yuka Saso 25-1 6 Places on Paddypower
Saso hasn’t played here as a pro before, however in 2018 as an amateur she finished tied 2nd behind Atthaya Thitkul in the Asia Pacific Amateur championship. The US open winner will be looking to use this experience to build on a great start to the season. She has finished 6th & 3rd in three starts this year with a missed cut in her last event. Saso has the power to take the course apart this week, she is the 4th longest of the women teeing it up this week so far this year. When you combine her length off the tee with her green in regulation figures of 73.78% you can see why she ranks 6th on tour this year for the most birdies & 8th for the most rounds in the 60s.
Atthaya Thitikul 28-1 6 Places on Paddypower
Atthaya played here in 2018 when she was just 15 years old & she finished 8th shooting 70-71-68-66. In the same year she also won the Asia Pacific amateur at this course so clearly loves this track. Four years later she is now one of the best golfers in the world, she is ranked 20th in the world & has racked up three wins & fourteen additional top 10s in just thirty one starts. She has made two starts this year on tour finishing 45th & 11th. With her coming back to a track she has gone well before I’m hoping she can rely on experience to challenge for the title come Sunday. So far this year Atthaya has a 77.55% driving accuracy, 65.87% Greens in regulation & ranks 22nd in putting.
Hannah Green 28-1 6 Places on Paddypower
Hannah hasn’t been able to come back to play in America because of covid restrictions back home only just being lifted. This hasn’t stopped her from playing as she has been playing on the Australia tour in mixed events & ladies’ events. She’s took apart the mixed field last week which had some of the best Australian players in the world playing in it, she won by 4 shots to upcoming amateur Hayden Hopewell. Bookies clearly thought she would go well as she was the 8-1 pre-event favorite. Hannah shot 20 under for the week with rounds of 64-65-69-66. This win was her 2nd of the year already after winning the previous week at the Vic Open. You could argue she should be winning these events as she is the best player in the field, but she still has get the job done with all the added pressure. Also how often do the favorites go onto win in golf tournaments? She was winless since 2019 so this added confidence from getting back into the winner’s circle should do wonders for her upcoming season on the LPGA.
Stacy Lewis 50-1 6 Places on Paddypower
Stacy has had a solid start to the year in the three events played she’s has finished 18-8-4. She comes back to a venue where she finished 25th in 2017. That was the last time she played this event with her giving birth to her daughter Chesnee in 2018. The 37-year-old is one of the best drivers on the tour, she is averaging 87% of fairways hit. She’s has hit 134 fairways out of a possible 154 which only Inbee Park can better with over 100 possible fairways to hit. She also has a 71.21% greens in regulation & ranks 32nd on tour for putting which if she can put everything together this week can give her a great chance come Sunday afternoon.
Pajaree Anannarukarn 100-1 6 Places on Paddypower
This week’s long shot is Pajaree, the 22 year old picked up her 1st win as a profession on the ladies European tour last year with the ISPS Handa in northern Ireland beat Emma Talley in a playoff. She has taken this newfound confidence in her game into this year by getting a top 10 in her first start of the year, this has been backed up with two more finishes of 52nd & 41st. She was very consistent last year only missing three cuts in twenty-five events & had five top ten finishes as well as her win. 100-1 seems quite a high number for a player who will be used to the playing conditions from her amateur days playing all over Asia.
Good luck with all bets
Ryan Hamilton – @golftipster5