Women's Golf

The 2020 U.S. Women's Open will be unique in a few regards. 

The adjusted date to the second week in December is a strange part of the calendar to place a golf major, and because of that, the competitors will play on two different courses in the first two rounds. 

To avoid rounds being suspended by the lack of daylight this time of year, play will take place on the Cypress Creek and Jackrabbit courses at Champions Golf Club in Houston. 

Saturday and Sunday's rounds will both be played on the Cypress Creek course, which was originally scheduled to host all four days of the tournament. 

The adjusted schedule throws a new wrinkle into the strategy of the golfers before the weekend. The eventual winner could be determined by which player starts off well on both courses.

        

U.S. Women's Open Information

Dates: Thursday, December 10-Sunday, December 13

TV: Round 1 (12:30-6 p.m. ET, Golf Channel); Round 2 (3-6 p.m. ET, Golf Channel); Round 3 (11 a.m.-1 p.m. ET, Golf Channel; 2:30-6 p.m., NBC); Round 4 (11 a.m.-2 p.m., Golf Channel; 2-5 p.m. ET, NBC)

Tee Times: Full tee times can be found on USGA.org

Prize Money: $1 million to winner.

       

Preview

The top contenders for the season's final major are well aware of the adjustments in preparation they have to make for the first two rounds. 

The 2017 Women's PGA Championship winner Danielle Kang detailed how she laid out her practice time, per Amy Rogers of the Golf Channel.

"I think being able to calibrate between the golf courses back and forth will be really key, because they're both rolling differently," she said. "They break differently, speed is different, and grass is a little different."

The U.S. Women's Open is the second-ever major to be held at Champions Golf Club. The other was the 1969 men's U.S. Open. 

Kang and Nelly Korda are the best American hopes to win the championship. The former is the only one of the two with a major victory to her name, though. 

Jin Young Ko and Sei Young Kim enter Houston as the top two golfers in the world, and they are the holders of three of the last eight women's major titles. 

Kim is one of three first-time major winners on the LPGA Tour in 2020. Sophia Popov and Mirim Lee are the other two. 

In the last two years, Ko is the only competitor to capture multiple majors. The 25-year-old won the ANA Inspiration and the Evian Championship in 2019. 

Since 2008, South Korean golfers have won seven U.S. Women's Opens, and Kim and Ko could be the top contenders to extend that run.

In the same span, two Americans have captured the title, with Brittany Lang being the most recent to do so in 2016. 

If Korda, Kang or another American finishes in first place on Sunday, it would mark only the second time in the last three years that a United States player has won a major women's title.

The first of four women's golf majors in the next four months begins Thursday. 

The 2020 Women's British Open takes place at Royal Troon Golf Club, and it will be the only major contested in Europe after The Open Championship was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Hinako Shibuno will begin her title defense alongside a familiar foe in Ashleigh Buhai, who she was paired with on the final day of the 2019 tournament.

To defend her crown, the 21-year-old must play well and fend off challenges from a handful of previous winners, including Stacy Lewis, who is coming off a victory at the Ladies Scottish Open last weekend.

         

Women's British Open Information

Dates: Thursday, August 20-Sunday, August 23

TV: Golf Channel (Thursday & Friday: 5:30-8:30 a.m. ET, 10 a.m.- 1 p.m. ET); Saturday & Sunday: 9 a.m.-Noon ET); NBC (Saturday Noon-2 p.m. ET, Sunday Noon-1 p.m. ET)

Tee Times: Full list of Thursday and Friday tee times can be found here. 

Prize Money: $4.5 million ($675,000 to champion)

       

Preview

Shibuno and Buhai will be among the later first-round tee times Thursday and will be playing with Canadian Brooke Henderson, who is ranked seventh in the world. 

Shibuno is looking to rebound from missing the cut last weekend, but she knows she also has to weather the difficult conditions of links golf this week, per GolfChannel.com's Randall Mell:

"This week, it's going to be windy, and there's some rain to be expected, and the course is going to play out very differently, depending on the wind. I'm going to have to play smart, but at the same time, as defending champion, I'm going to enjoy. Also, I want to show a new part of the game, some new part of my game this year."

Although Shibuno is the reigning champion, she may not be considered the favorite to take home the season's first major. 

Lewis and Danielle Kang come into Royal Troon in the best form of any players in the field. 

Kang, 27, won the first two events following the resumption of play after the sport's hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic and has a trio of top-five major finishes on her resume. 

However, the San Francisco native has struggled with contending overseas, as she missed the cut in three of the last four Women's British Opens. 

Lewis conquered the Old Course at St. Andrews to win the tournament in 2013, and she comes into the week at Royal Troon with confidence after a playoff win at the Ladies Scottish Open over three other competitors. 

Since 2013, the 35-year-old is one of two players who did not win their first major tournament at the Women's British Open. Inbee Park was the other. 

If that trend continues, American Nelly Korda and Nasa Hataoka from Japan, who are No. 4 and No. 5 in the Rolex Rankings, respectively, could be the best candidates. 

They could feel pressure from within their group right away, though, as they are paired alongside 2018 champion Georgia Hall in the first round.

U.S. Women's Open champion Michelle Wie West announced on social media that she gave birth to a baby girl, McKenna Kamalei Yoona West. 

Wie West and husband Jonnie West welcomed their first child on Friday.

"Kenna baby, I have waited my entire life to meet you," Wie wrote. "Makenna Kamalei Yoona West, your daddy and I love you more than any words can describe. You are our entire world we can’t wait to watch you grow."

Kamalei is Hawaiian for "beloved child," per the Associated Press.

Wie West, a five-time LPGA Tour winner, took home the 2014 U.S. Women's Open. She has five top-five finishes in majors for her career.

West, who is the son of NBA legend Jerry West, is the Golden State Warriors' director of basketball operations.

The couple married last August in Beverly Hills and announced Wie's pregnancy this past January.

Sarah Hoffman, who competes on the Symetra Tour, returned to her home state of Michigan to work as a nurse during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I just couldn't keep sitting on the couch and not helping my friends who were on the front lines," Hoffman said to Golfweek's Beth Ann Nichols.

Hoffman studied nursing at Grand Valley State, where she also competed on the women's golf team and was a Division II All-American in 2012.

She recounted to Nichols one instance in which juggling nursing and golfing proved tricky: "I do remember one time I was playing in the Michigan Amateur. I worked a 12-hour shift and then teed off an hour after I stopped working. I was up for over 24 hours. We had a rain delay and I was just chugging Red Bull."

GolfChannel.com's Randall Mell wrote that Hoffman was in contact with nurses based out of Michigan to understand the scope of the situation. Her father, Randy, said those conversations helped influence her choice.

"They said they could definitely use her back here," he said. "I think that made it an easier decision for her."

According to Mell, Hoffman is working three 12-hour shifts at the University of Michigan's medical center. She worked in the orthopedic trauma unit at Michigan Medicine for two years before focusing on golf.

Hoffman made her debut on the Symetra Tour in 2016. The Tour serves as a developmental circuit for the LPGA.

LPGA star Michelle Wie West, who announced in January she and husband Jonnie West were expecting their first child, acknowledged she "didn't see myself being pregnant during a pandemic" in an interview with Golfweek's Beth Ann Nichols.

"At first there was no news on pregnant women getting (COVID-19) or pregnant women transferring the virus through the placenta to the kid," Wie West said. "But now that there are reports that it causes pre-term labor, newborns can get it, babies in the womb can get it—it's extremely nerve-wracking for sure. We've been extremely careful."

The LPGA Tour has been on hold since the ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open, which wrapped up Feb. 16, due to the coronavirus pandemic. The 2020 season isn't scheduled to resume until at least July 15 for the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational.

Wie West last competed in the KPMG Women's PGA Championship in June 2019 after a lingering wrist injury prematurely ended her year. In the event the pandemic hadn't suspended play, she told Nichols she probably wouldn't have entered any tournaments while pregnant.

"I would've loved the chance," she said. "Maybe for a future baby we can rethink it. But I think with this being my first one, I was extremely anxious to not do anything to put myself in extreme stress—glad that I can stay at home and put my feet up."

When she feels ready to return to the course, the 30-year-old expressed reservations about competing without a COVID-19 vaccine widely available since she'd have her child with her while traveling.

Former LPGA star Mickey Wright died Monday after suffering a heart attack, according to the Associated Press' Terry Spencer. 

"We are deeply saddened to learn about the passing of Mickey Wright," LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan said in a statement. "We lost a legend, but we may also have lost the best swing in golf history today. Our thoughts are with her family and friends."

Wright's 82 LPGA victories are second all time behind Kathy Whitworth, whose career partially overlapped with that of Wright.

Whitworth explained how her colleague helped others on the LPGA Tour because her availability often determined whether sponsors would hold tournaments. In addition to competing full time, Wright was the LPGA's president in 1963 and 1964.

"The pressure was so great," Whitworth said (h/t GolfChannel.com's Randall Mell). "Knowing if they canceled, the rest of us wouldn't be able to play, Mickey would always play."

Whitworth also sang Wright's praises in a 2015 interview with ESPN.com's Bill Fields:

"She was the best I've ever seen, man or woman. I've had the privilege of playing with Sam Snead and Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer and all of them. And some of our ladies had wonderful golf swings. But nobody hit it like Mickey, just nobody. She had 82 wins, but she would have won over 100 with no trouble if she had stayed on tour."

Wright, 85, was a 13-time major champion and the AP's Female Athlete of the Year in 1963 and 1964. She was also inducted in the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1976 and was named the AP's female golfer of the century in 1999.

LPGA star Michelle Wie is taking advantage of her time off, getting married to Jonnie West on Saturday in Beverly Hills, California.

Michelle Wie is officially off the market! She got married to Jonnie West in Beverley Hills yesterday.

Here's more details about the event: https://t.co/h2T1WaQqtl pic.twitter.com/ebgXS741S7

— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) August 11, 2019

The pair got engaged in March, which Wie posted about on Instagram.

West, the son of NBA Hall of Famer Jerry West, is currently an executive with the Golden State Warriors and brought big names like Stephen Curry to the wedding, per Randall Mell of Golf Channel. LPGA pros Danielle Kang, Jessica Korda and others were also there to support Wie.

"Mr. & Mrs. West ♥️ congratulations to the beautiful couple and what a fairytale of a wedding.." Kang wrote in an Instagram caption. "Wishing @themichellewie & @jonniewest4 a lifetime of love and happiness ♥️ #WieGoesWest"

Michelle Wie marries Jonnie West in California https://t.co/sopARcKSAP #HNN

— Hawaii News Now (@HawaiiNewsNow) August 11, 2019

Wie has ruled out playing the rest of the year while recovering from a wrist injury that has held her to just five events in 2019.

Fortunately, her life off the course appears to be going much better.

Hinako Shibuno won the 2019 Women's British Open after finishing 18 under par on the Marquess' Course at Woburn Golf Club in Milton Keynes, England, on Sunday.

The winner carded 68 to finish one shot ahead of Lizette Salas and earn a $675,000 (£540,000) share of the $4.5 million (£3.6 million) prize money available.

   

Final Leaderboard (To Par, Round 4 Score and Payouts, per Golf News Net)

1. Hinako Shibuno: -18, 68 ($675,000 £540,000)

2. Lizette Salas: -17, 65 ($412,607 £339,311)

3. Jin Young Ko: -16, 66 ($299,317 £246,146)

4. Morgan Pressel: -15, 67 ($231,545 £190,413)

5. Ashleigh Buhai: -14, 70 ($186,369 £153,262)

The full leaderboard can be found at the LPGA's official website.

Salas began in fine form by sinking birdies over the first two holes, before a bogey on the par-three sixth appeared to slow her progress. The 30-year-old's response was a brilliant hat-trick of birdies to bridge the front and back nines.

.@LizetteSalas5 gets her third birdie in-a-row to get to 16-under! She now has a two-shot lead over Jin Young Ko and Hinako Shibuno!

@AIGWBO | @NBC pic.twitter.com/XArWGmG94l

— LPGA (@LPGA) August 4, 2019

While Sala looked in control, Ko wasn't backing down. She sunk birdies on three of the first four holes on the back nine.

Ko was bogey-free over 13 holes, an efficient run good enough to keep her in touch at the top:

Jin Young Ko gets her 6th birdie of the day to take a share of the lead with Lizette Salas @AIGWBO.

Will she win her third​ major of the season? Tune in @NBC to find out! pic.twitter.com/tIjeF5Bw7G

— LPGA (@LPGA) August 4, 2019

Among those keeping the pressure on the joint-leaders was Morgan Pressel. She only managed a single birdie over the front nine, but things improved on the second half of the course.

Pressel managed an eagle on the par-five 11th, before birdies at the 13th and 14th:

.@mpressel eagles 11 to get to 13-under and 3 back of leader Lizette Salas @AIGWBO! pic.twitter.com/LhjuGsbONg

— LPGA (@LPGA) August 4, 2019

Things were becoming congested at the business end of the leaderboard, but Salas seized the chance to separate herself from the pack at the par-five 15th.

Her deft putt to complete birdie once again gave the American sole ownership of first place:

Lizette Salas takes the solo lead at #AIGWBO - Can she hold on!? pic.twitter.com/KarpljUPPz

— AIG Women’s Open (@AIGWomensOpen) August 4, 2019

Shibuno was also making her move after she recovered from a double bogey on the par-four third. She made an eagle at the eighth, before sinking a trio of birdies over the four holes of the back nine.

Ko and Shibuno were now locked in a tie for second, but the latter soon joined Salas at the top thanks to this birdie at the 15th:

Shibuno ties the lead!! #AIGWBO pic.twitter.com/xyJ5zDromO

— AIG Women’s Open (@AIGWomensOpen) August 4, 2019

Salas' response was to close out with pars over the last three holes. However, she missed a birdie putt on the 18th that would have put her out of sight.

How does that not drop?!@LizetteSalas5 makes par and takes the clubhouse lead at 17-under.

She's tied with Hinako Shibuno who is on the 18th tee. pic.twitter.com/K8ASJ9xGwB

— LPGA (@LPGA) August 4, 2019

The birdie that was meant to be gave Shibuno the opportunity, but she couldn't take it. Instead, the 20-year-old wasted a birdie putt and settled for par on the 17th.

Shibuno knew a birdie on the 18th would give her the title and made a great start to completing the hole:

Shibuno's brilliant approach to the 18th green here at Woburn! #AIGWBO pic.twitter.com/B0BLSLhGpv

— AIG Women’s Open (@AIGWomensOpen) August 4, 2019

It left her with a straightforward putt to claim the championship after a superb 31-shot performance over the back nine.

Ashleigh Buhai leads the 2019 Women's British Open by one stroke after she shot an opening-round 65 on the Duchess Course at Woburn Golf and Country Club on Thursday.

American Danielle Kang and 20-year-old Hinako Shibuno each held shares of the lead outright at one point but head into Friday's second round trailing Buhai by one shot.

World No. 1 Jin Young Ko birdied the 18th to move up to joint-eighth on four under, while Brooke Henderson shot three under and is one of 10 participants tied in 11th place after Day 1. Georgia Hall also carded 69 and sits at three under after getting her title defence underway.

Former world No. 1 Lydia Ko had an opening round to forget after recording a 76, leaving her at risk of failing to make this weekend's cut unless she can recover from joint-115th.

               

Day 1 Leaderboard (To Par)

1. Ashleigh Buhai (-7)

T2. Danielle Kang (-6)

T2. Hinako Shibuno (-6)

T4. Megan Khang (-5)

T4. Moriya Jutanugarn (-5)

T4. Charley Hull (-5)

T4. Sung Hyun Park (-5)

T8. Jin Young Ko (-4)

T8. Ariya Jutanugarn (-4)

T8. Jeongeun Lee6 (-4)

Via the official Ladies Professional Golf Association website.

            

Recap

South African Buhai has never finished higher than joint-27th at a major tournament, but she's got the start she needs to break that duck at Woburn.

The 30-year-old displayed composure throughout Thursday, and she would hold an even more commanding lead were it not for a bogey on the 11th, one of four par fives on the course.

Buhai registered only one more par (nine) than she did birdies on Day 1, and she capped off her first round with two safe putts, via Sky Sports Golf:

And that's it for Ashleigh Buhai who finishes her first round in the lead with 6️⃣5️⃣

The South African has never won a major before, is this her time?

📺 Watch all the #AIGWBO action live on Sky Sports Golf https://t.co/sBY1xT24BE pic.twitter.com/2QyKV7Hqx9

— Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) August 1, 2019

Kang and Megan Khang are the only Americans in the top 10 after Day 1, while South Koreans Jin Young Ko, Sung Hyun Park and Jeongeun Lee6 occupy three top-10 places.

Another newcomer out to cause an upset is Shibuno, who failed to record a birdie on any of the first seven holes before saving shots on seven of the last 11 holes:

A great day of golf today, see what Hinako Shibuno, @ANordqvist, @CaroMasson
and @daniellekang
thought of their day!#AIGWBO #MasterTheElements #FlagHunting #Golf pic.twitter.com/KLLydFTsP5

— AIG Women’s Open (@AIGWomensOpen) August 1, 2019

Charley Hull got off to bright start in search of her home championship, completing a bogey-free first round and finding her rhythm with four birdies over the back nine to finish at five under.

2016 British Open winner Ariya Jutanugarn impressed alongside sister Moriya as they each ended Day 1 inside the top 10 with scores of 68 and 67, respectively.

The younger of the siblings, Ariya, demonstrated her putting credentials on the 14th with a superb finish from long range, via the Ladies Professional Golf Association:

Boom. 🐦

Ariya @Jutanugarn drains the long birdie putt to get to 3-under.

Watch now on the @GolfChannel! pic.twitter.com/vgtSRDd9AJ

— LPGA (@LPGA) August 1, 2019

The 23-year-old then recorded a spectacular approach at the 18th and clinched a fourth and final birdie of the day to move to four under, three shots off the lead:

2016 Women's British Open Champion Ariya Jutanugarn hits a superb approach at 18 and holes the put to card a 4-under 68!
She won the last time the WBO was played at Woburn - can she do it again?#AGIWBO #MasterTheElements #Golf #Sport pic.twitter.com/cJTQDo2XSR

— AIG Women’s Open (@AIGWomensOpen) August 1, 2019

She and sister Moriya did not post a single bogey between them during the opening round, and the Jutanugarn sisters look worthy of attention this weekend if they can maintain that pristine pace.

Buhai will tee off at 2 p.m. BST on Friday as she seeks to defend her spot at the British Open summit and continue her run to a possible maiden major title.

Jin Young Ko, Lexi Thompson and defending champion Georgia Hall are among the golfers to watch when the 2019 AIG Women's British Open begins on Thursday.

The tournament will see the best of the LPGA attempt to navigate a testing Marquess' Course at Woburn Golf Club in Milton Keynes, England. A share worth $675,000 (£540,000) of the $4.5 million (£3.6 million) in prize money is due to the winner.

        

Dates: Thursday, August 1 to Sunday, August 4

TV Info: Sky Sports Golf, NBC, Golf Channel

Live Stream: Sky Go, NBC Sports

     

TV Times

• Thursday: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. BST/6 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET
• Friday: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. BST/6 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET
• Saturday: 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. BST/7 a.m. to 2 p.m. ET
• Sunday: 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. BST/7 a.m. to 2 p.m. ET

       

Thursday Tee Times (BST/ET)

• 6:30 a.m./1:30 a.m. Charlotte Thomas, Austin Ernst, Pernilla Lindberg
• 6:41 a.m./1:41 a.m. Annie Park, Meghan Maclaren, Nicole Broch Larsen
• 6:52 a.m./1:52 a.m. Celine Herbin, In-Kyung Kim, Laura Davies
• 7:03 a.m./2:03 a.m. Sung Hyun Park, Marina Alex, Brittany Altomare
• 7:14 a.m./2:14 a.m. Inbee Park, Jessica Korda, Angela Stanford
• 7:25 a.m./2:25 a.m. Minjee Lee, Hinako Shibuno, Anna Nordqvist
• 7:36 a.m./2:36 a.m. Charley Hull, Hannah Green, Shanshan Feng
• 7:47 a.m./2:47 a.m. Lexi Thompson, Nasa Hataoka, Anne Van Dam
• 7:58 a.m./2:58 a.m. Danielle Kang, Jennifer Kupcho, Minami Katsu
• 8:09 a.m./3:09 a.m. Melissa Reid, Moriya Jutanugarn, Sei Young Kim
• 8:20 a.m./3:20 a.m. Azahara Munoz, Yuka Yasuda (A), Paula Creamer
• 8:31 a.m./3:31 a.m. Karrie Webb, Caroline Masson, Carly Booth
• 8:47 a.m./3:47 a.m. Mirim Lee, Angel Yin, Sandra Gal
• 8:58 a.m./3:58 a.m. Marianne Skarpnord, Ryann O'Toole, Su Oh
• 9:09 a.m./4:09 a.m. Camilla Lennarth, Olivia Cowan, Katja Pogacar
• 9:20 a.m./4:20 a.m. Ashleigh Buhai, Gaby Lopez, Amy Olson
• 9:31 a.m./4:31 a.m. Lynn Carlsson, Diksha Dagar, Ally Mcdonald
• 9:42 a.m./4:42 a.m. Yu Liu, Madelene Sagstrom, Lina Boqvist
• 9:53 a.m./4:53 a.m. Hye-jin Choi, Jacqui Concolino, Ingrid Lindblad (A)
• 10:04 a.m./5:04 a.m. Beth Allen, Jenny Shin, Jennifer Song
• 10:15 a.m./5:15 a.m. Mariajo Uribe, Chella Choi, Atthaya Thitikul (A)
• 10:26 a.m./5:26 a.m. Tonje Daffinrud, Jasmine Suwannapura, Mariah Stackhouse
• 10:37 a.m./5:37 a.m. Cydney Clanton, Frida Kinhult (A), Kylie Henry
• 10:48 a.m./5:48 a.m. Whitney Hillier, Linnea Strom, Sarah Schmelzel
• 11:10 a.m./6:10 a.m. Annabel Dimmock, Jaye Marie Green, Mi Hyang Lee
• 11:21 a.m./6:21 a.m. Stacy Lewis, Jodi Ewart Shadoff, Eun Hee Ji
• 11:32 a.m./6:32 a.m. Gerina Piller, Caroline Hedwall, Teresa Lu
• 11:43 a.m./6:43 a.m. Jeongeun Lee6, Nuria Iturrioz, Brittany Lang
• 11:54 a.m./6:54 a.m. Cristie Kerr, Bronte Law, Catriona Matthew
• 12:05 p.m./7:05 a.m. So Yeon Ryu, Ariya Jutanugarn, Ayako Uehara
• 12:16 p.m./7:16 a.m. Georgia Hall, Brooke M. Henderson, Mamiko Higa
• 12:27 p.m./7:27 a.m. Maria Fassi, Momoko Ueda, Lydia Ko
• 12:38 p.m./7:38 a.m. Ai Suzuki, Nelly Korda, Jin Young Ko
• 12:49 p.m./7:49 a.m. Sakura Yokomine, Lizette Salas, In Gee Chun
• 1 p.m./8 a.m. Carlota Ciganda, Esther Henseleit, Amy Yang
• 1:11 p.m./8:11 a.m. Morgan Pressel, Celine Boutier, Maria Torres
• 1:27 p.m./8:27 a.m. Felicity Johnson, Alice Hewson (A), Tiffany Joh
• 1:38 p.m./8:38 a.m. Wei-ling Hsu, Karine Icher, Nanna Koerstz Madsen
• 1:49 p.m./8:49 a.m. Mi Jung Hur, Alena Sharp, Christine Wolf
• 2 p.m./9 a.m. Megan Khang, Pornanong Phatlum, Cheyenne Knight
• 2:11 p.m./9:11 a.m. Haeji Kang, Gabriella Cowley, Jenny Haglund
• 2:22 p.m./9:22 a.m. Kristen Gillman, Hyo Joo Kim, Emily Toy (A)
• 2:33 p.m./9:33 a.m. Laura Fuenfstueck, Katherine Kirk, Xiyu Lin
• 2:44 p.m./9:44 a.m. Sarah Kemp, Daniela Darquea, Valentine Derrey
• 2:55 p.m./9:55 a.m. Lindy Duncan, Karo Lampert, Da Yeon Lee
• 3:06 p.m./10:06 a.m. Agathe Sauzon, Jing Yan, Jeongeun Lee
• 3:17 p.m./10:17 a.m. Pajaree Anannarukarn, Noora Komulainen, Pavarisa Yoktuan
• 3:28 p.m./10:28 a.m. Lauren Stephenson, Charlotte Thompson, Emma Spitz (A)

      

Problems have already beset some at the tournament after Thompson left her passport on a truck driven by caddie Ian Wright, according to Golf Channel's Randall Mell.

He noted how Thompson retrieving the misplaced document delayed the practice plans of as many as 40 players, including Nelly Korda and Anna Nordqvist.

It's debatable how much this will impact the performances of those involved. Ko is still going to be one of the main contenders after winning the Evian Championship in France on Sunday.

Victory in France was the perfect follow up to winning the ANA Inspiration back in April. With two majors to her credit, Ko has a strong claim to collect the prestigious Rolex Annika Major Award to acknowledge the most successful LPGA player in majors in a calendar year.

Ko finished two strokes ahead of Jennifer Kupcho at the Evian Resort Golf Club after a final round that included five birdies. The 24-year-old's ability to hold her nerve and stay consistent in the decisive rounds could once again separate her from the rest of a talented field.

The challenge to win a hat-trick of majors is something the world No. 1 is relishing:

Jin Young Ko has an opportunity to do something rare this week @AIGWBO - win three majors in a single season.@TheAmyRogers asked Ko what it would mean to her if she were to accomplish this rare feat ==> pic.twitter.com/VUTDy3pczm

— LPGA (@LPGA) July 30, 2019

Hall will make a determined effort to retain her title, even if she is hardly entering this year's tournament in the best of form. Hall's best finish this year was ninth in the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions in Florida, per Kent Paisley of the LPGA official website.

However, the 23-year-old proved her ability to thrive on a links course 12 months ago. If she gets to grips with the Marquess' early, Hall will be in the final reckoning once again.

"These things happen, but it was very upsetting at the time."

Defending British Open champion Georgia Hall reveals how she had her beloved trophy stolen from the boot of her car.

More: https://t.co/CKy54ojWi2 pic.twitter.com/eijcgOzjrw

— Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) July 30, 2019

There are plenty of other notable contenders to consider, with Thompson and Kupcho among them. So are Sung Hyun Park and Kelly, but it's Ko who already looks like the player to beat.