Course: Jian Lake Blue Bay Golf Course, which could play at a monster 6,800 yards. This course has yet to be seen by the LPGA players, so the final score is hard to predict. I would guess that we will be looking at mid-teens under par, but that is based on nothing except the performances in the previous Asian events.
Strength Of Field: D. The weakest field of any of the Asian swing events. No Inbee, no Stacy, no So Yeon Ryu - this is the perfect event for someone a little further down the Rolex Rankings to make up some ground.
Extra Tidbits: Stacy Lewis is taking another week off. Inbee Park is playing on the KLPGA Tour this week. The two are virtually tied atop the Rolex Rankings, so Inbee could move past Lewis this week based on her results...The Hainan Province is an island off the course of mainland China situated in the South China Sea. While the rest of China struggles to build golf courses, Hainan has a robust golf industry. Hainan is also home to the far more famous resort Mission Hills...The oldest winner on the LPGA this year by a substantial margin is Karrie Webb at the age of 39. Behind her is Mo Martin at 31. Surprisingly, the third oldest winner this season is Stacy Lewis at age 29. Six times this season, a tournament has been won by someone age 20 or younger.
Fantasy Four:
Mirim Lee - Following her victory in China three weeks ago, she hasn't finished outside the top 20 in the other two events in Asia. Returning to the country where she won her second LPGA title should be a confidence booster for Lee. Is currently 8th in driving distance.
Lydia Ko - Top ranked player in the field, though has cooled down a bit after a stretch of terrific golf. This is the first week in quite a while where Lydia can not take over the number one spot with a victory, so that could alleviate some pressure. Both rookies won't have to worry about a lack of course knowledge, as the entire field is seeing the course for the first time.
Shanshan Feng - Was very disappointing in her title defense in Beijing, but turned right around and won in Malyasia the next week. Is the second highest ranked player in the field, and as long as she doesn't put too much pressure on herself to win, she should be a part of the conversation.
Brittany Lincicome - A long course should play into Lincicome's game. Is coming off a playoff loss in Korea, and also has four top 10's in five starts. At this stage in her career, she should have no trouble rebounding from disappointment.
(SLEEPER) Yanhong Pan - The current leader in the Order Of Merit on the Chinese LPGA Tour, and finished just outside the top 10 the last time the LPGA staged an event in China. Last week we saw a KLPGA star break out and win, so Pan may be looking to accomplish the same goal. Is also a big hitter so the course will be a good set up for her game.
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