Matt Cooper previews the US Women's Open, where all eyes are on Nelly Korda as she goes in pursuit of her seventh win in eight starts.
Golf betting tips: US Women's Open
1.5pts e.w. Hannah Green at 35/1 (Betfred, BoyleSports 1/4 1,2,3,4,5)
1pt e.w. Miyuu Yamashita at 50/1 (General 1/4 1,2,3,4,5)
1pt e.w. Maja Stark at 66/1 (General 1/4 1,2,3,4,5)
1pt e.w. In Gee Chun at 150/1 (Unibet 1/5 1,2,3,4,5,6)
1pt e.w. In Gee Chun to lead after R1 at 100/1 (Unibet 1/5 1,2,3,4,5,6)
There was a wonderful moment last Tuesday at the 2024 AIG Women’s Open media day, held in Martin Slumbers’ office overlooking the 18th green of The Old Course in St Andrews, when the 2018 champion Georgia Hall was asked to put Nelly Korda’s sensational 2024 season into perspective.
As the Englishwoman started to complete the requested task, her thoughts turned to the World No. 1 in the men’s game. “Yeah – what’s his name?! – he’s doing similar things,” she said. “Scottie,” answered someone. “That’s it, yeah,” said Hall.
Unfortunately, this being the modern world, it needs adding that there was nothing pointed in this exchange. Scheffler’s name had simply escaped Hall’s attention for a moment and she was the first to chuckle at her lapse in concentration.
But what this accidental episode did briefly highlight was an alternate universe in which a women’s superstar was at the forefront of the sport’s conversation and the men’s came second (of course, in an ideal world, they’d simply be respected and admired for being equally dominant).
Korda has certainly been supreme in winning six times in her last seven starts, including the first major of the year – the Chevron Championship – in April. Hall admitted that it was reaching the stage where she has texted Korda to say “thanks for not teeing it up this week” but she also insisted: “If I was coming down the stretch with her, I’d literally just want to win even more.”
Is that the prospect facing the field this week? It’s hard to see other than Korda being involved, although it is worth noting that one of the consistent features of this run has been how Korda has often given the opposition a chance, even late in the tournament, before rebounding in style. She is a general 7/2 shot and that seems about right so, as with the Chevron Championship, we’ll take her on and hope for a repeat given that we were on second placed Maja Stark at 100/1 on that occasion.
Host venue this week is Lancaster Country Club in Pennsylvania. It’s a William Flynn design, typical of the golden age in the States, with bold white sand-bunkering, thick rough, plenty of trees and swift greens. It’s often said of such tracks that they suit ball-strikers and the stats backed that up when the course first hosted this championship in 2015. In Gee Chun triumphed hitting more greens in regulation than anyone in the field, the top four all ranked top nine for that old-school category ball-striking and two of the six in a tie for fifth ranked top five in that category, too.
We’ll kick off with a player who’s enjoyed an exceptional season, one that only Korda’s brilliance has overshadowed. The Aussie HANNAH GREEN won the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore, was the halfway leader of the Ford Championship after a second round 61, won the LA Championship in late April (when second for GIR) and was second last time out (including a third round 63) in the Mizuho Americas Cup (this time ranked first for GIR).
The 27-year-old from Perth’s first LPGA title was a major – the 2019 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship – and she’s five-for-five at making the cut in the US Women’s Open with a best of T13 last year. This looks a great opportunity for her to push for a second major win and I’d have the World No. 5 a shorter price off that excellent form.
Down the years this championship has witnessed a few shock winners, typically Koreans who were little known outside their own country but who took to the tough test immediately and fast-tracked themselves to the LPGA Tour. Chun herself was a fine example. It was just her eighth LPGA start and she also complied to two other trends with these shock winners: she’d shown a bit of promise in one of those rare starts and she was also in superb form with two wins earlier in the year in Asia.
The best of this year’s in-form entries from Asia are from Japan. Chisato Iwai, Sakura Koiwai, Ai Suzuki and Rio Takeda all have claims but preference is for MIYUU YAMASHITA. The 22-year-old is an 11-time winner on the Japan Tour and 10 of those came in 2022 and 2023 when she was Player of the Year as well as the Order of Merit winner.
Currently ranked 23rd in the world, she hasn’t won this season but she’s done all but. Her last eight starts at home have reaped seven top-seven finishes and three runner-up spots. She’s also been solid in her early major forays. She was 13th in the AIG Women’s Open at Muirfield (when sixth after three rounds) and 21st at Walton Heath last summer. Earlier this year she was T17 in the Chevron Championship and she can build on that experience on a course that ought to remind her of the green and tree-lined parkland layouts that predominate at home in Japan.
For third pick we’ll stick with MAJA STARK who television seemed to forget was playing when column backers had her onside at the Chevron. But for Korda’s brilliance it could have been a great week for the 24-year-old. That result should have her feeling confident ahead of this week, too, because she’s already tucked away three US Women’s Open top 20s in just four starts with a best of ninth last year.
The Swede missed the cut last time out but before then she’d added second behind Green in the LA Championship to that major career-best second in the Chevron. She was also third in the Ford Championship which makes it three top-fives in her last five starts. Add that to the event form and her price looks well worth backing.
We’ll end by supporting the chances of IN GEE CHUN, the course defending champion. There are, naturally, many major winners who feel an affinity with the course that hosted their success and they promise to stay in touch. Not many go quite as far as Chun, however.
When she initiated a conversation with the club about memorabilia from the championship it soon escalated into a discussion about how she could support the community. Even then, members were a little startled that she set up an educational foundation to make a lasting impact by providing scholarships for members and employees seeking to achieve educational and vocational goals.
She’s very popular at the club and feels a genuine connection with it. A bold start is not out of the question and she has it in her to maintain it should it happen. It’s only two years ago she won the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and lost a play-off in the AIG Women’s Open.
True her form is poor but T14 last time out was the best return since August and her second best since that near-miss at Muirfield. She might not need too much of a spark to feel right at home again.
Posted at 1645 BST on 28/05/24
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