Just two events separate the LPGA Tour’s finest from the season’s first major, The Chevron Championship. The Ford Championship presented by KCC represents not only an opportunity for players to secure their spot in the field in the major championship but is also a chance for players to get their game in peak form ahead of the major season. And the game’s best are seizing the moment, with a stacked field poised to compete at Seville Golf and Country Club for a $2.25 million purse. Here’s a closer look at what you need to know about the first edition of the Ford Championship.
The LPGA Returns to Arizona
This week’s stop in Arizona is far from the first time the LPGA Tour has competed in the Grand Canyon State, where the Tour has a long and storied history that dates back to its inception in 1950. And while the Tour has made more than 70 visits to the state, what’s new this season is the trip to Seville Golf and Country Club, which is hosting the inaugural playing of the Ford Championship. The course opened in 2000 and is located roughly 45 minutes southeast of downtown Phoenix, featuring an 18-hole layout designed by architect Gary Panks. The course will play to a par of 72 at 6,734 yards and has the potential for thrilling, final-round drama with an island green on its 17th hole. Canadian and longtime LPGA Tour member Alena Sharp is a member of the club.
The Field
An impressive field of 144 players, including the top five in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, is slated to compete at the Ford Championship, where Nelly Korda, who returned to the top of the world rankings with her victory last week in California, headlines the field. She unseated fellow American, Lilia Vu, at the top of the rankings as the two-time major champion has had a challenging start to the 2024 season. Through her first five starts of the year, Vu has recorded just one top-10 finish and is coming off a tie for 37th last week at Palos Verdes Golf Club. She’s joined in the field by top-ranked stars Celine Boutier, Ruoning Yin and Minjee Lee. Rose Zhang is also in the field for the second straight week after finishing in a tie for 22nd in California, and Lexi Thompson is slated to tee it up in Arizona after missing the cut last week.
Ryann O’Toole, who lost in a playoff to Korda on Sunday, will be looking to build on the momentum she found in her home state after picking up her first career runner-up finish on the LPGA Tour. Alison Lee, who narrowly missed out on getting into the playoff with O’Toole and Korda, settled for a tie for third for her fifth top-three finish in her last six worldwide starts dating back to 2023. Her close call on Sunday was her 23rd career top-10 result, and Lee will continue working towards that first LPGA title when she competes this week in Arizona.
Nelly Back on Top
With a health scare and injury well in the rearview mirror, Nelly Korda looks to be back to the winning ways that lifted her to the top of the women’s game in 2021. Korda picked up her second win in three starts this season on the LPGA Tour with her playoff victory on Sunday, which was her 10th career Tour title. With her wins at both the LPGA Drive On Championship and FIR HILLS SERI PAK Championship, Korda becomes the first multiple champion this season and an early front-runner for the season’s biggest honors, along with reascending to world No.1. It’s the sixth time since that breakout season in 2021 that she has held the No. 1 spot in the world, and as Korda tees it up this week in Arizona, she’ll be chasing a third consecutive victory, which would be a first for the 25-year old, who has been an LPGA Tour member since 2017.
Ko’s Chase Continues
The LPGA Tour Hall of Fame watch is back on as Lydia Ko is poised to compete in the Ford Championship presented by KCC. Ko, who is making her fifth start of the season, jumped into HOF-watch mode with her season-opening victory at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, which put her within one point of getting into the Hall. Ko, who has 26 of the necessary 27 points, has already come close to qualifying since her win in January as she suffered a playoff loss to Korda at the LPGA Drive On Championship, and after holding a share of the 54-hole lead at the Blue Bay LPGA, faded to a tie for fourth.
Kerr Returns
Lydia Ko isn’t the only player on Tour who is close to qualifying for the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame. Cristie Kerr has 20 career victories, the most recent of which came in 2017 and two of which are major titles, earning Kerr 22 points towards Hall of Fame qualification. At the Ford Championship, Kerr is making her season debut and is competing for the first time since the CPKC Women’s Open in August 2023. Kerr, who is a mother of two, also manages her own wine company, Kerr Cellars, both of which have kept her busy during her time away from the Tour.
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