Course: Aviara Golf Club, measuring at 6,600 yards. It's not an incredibly difficult course, but the scores can go up slightly depending on the wind. Winning score should be in the low teens under par.
Strength Of Field: A-. All the top pros are playing, including last week's winner Hyo Joo Kim, along with Lydia, Inbee, and Stacy. They all want a warm-up before the ANA Inspiration.
Extra Tidbits: Every tournament of the 2015 season has, to this point, had ties to the Republic of Korea. Five players play under the Korean flag and Lydia Ko was born in Seoul before moving with her family to New Zealand...Last year, Anna Nordqvist won her second and last title of the 2014 season by one stroke over Lizette Salas. Europeans have won three of the five editions of the Kia Classic. There has yet to be an American winner.
Fantasy Four
Lydia Ko - Has finished in the top 10 in her last ten starts. The current record is held by Karrie Webb, who once finished in the top 10 sixteen consecutive weeks. Ko could break that record.
Hyo Joo Kim - Last week's winner has six top 10's in seven LPGA starts, with two victories. Could be Lydia Ko's biggest threat at the top of the Rolex Rankings by year's end.
Stacy Lewis - Three consecutive top three finishes. Her streak will end soon, either with her cashing in with a victory or wish her struggling and falling from the leaderboard. Given her talent, I'd rather bet on the former.
Sei-Young Kim - Another top 10 last week, which brings her total to three in five LPGA starts. Since her victory in the Bahamas, she has finished no worse than T16. Even those who followed the KLPGA Tour very closely are surprised by how quickly Kim took to the LPGA Tour and how impressive she has been.
Because of how deep the field is, I have elected not to select a sleeper this week. Expect one next week.
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