The LPGA Tour is back in business with the Lotte Championship at the Hoakalei Country Club on Oahu but it will be a while before we see American’s best player — Nelly Korda.
Korda is at home recovering from surgery to repair/alleviate a blood clot in her subclavian vein. “I am pleased to report the procedure went well and the doctors were happy with the outcome,” Korda reported. I am home recovering and preparing to start rehab. I am looking forward to getting back to 100 percent so I can begin practicing.”
Nelly gave no timeline for her return to competition.
She’s had a rough year thus far. She contracted COVID the second week in January and that caused her to miss the beginning of the season. Then came the blood clot.
Meanwhile, Lydia Ko is the defending champion at Hoakalei and she’s risen to No. 3 in the Rolex World Rankings.
Ko broke her three-year winless drought with her victory in 2021. She set both the 54 and 72-hole tournament scoring records with her seven-stroke victory at 28-under par.
Notables in the field include Brooke Henderson, winner of the Lotte in 2018 and 2019. Jennifer Kupcho, winner of the season’s first major at The Chevron, has made the trip to the islands.
This is the Lotte’s 10th anniversary and the first year at the Hoakalei Country Club, an Ernie Els design.
6 Comments
baxter cepeda
You did mention Hoakalei later—but Lydia is defending the Lotte, not defending at Hoakalei.
We know this place pretty well, we have been there quite a bit recently. It is a tougher track than Kapolei or Koolina —stay out of the bunkers and water and the greens are more tricky in spots with some false fronts and sides— and it should be more windy this professional tournament golf week in Hawaii…. Finally.
Holes to watch are the 7th, a tricky par 4 with a creek bisecting the fairway and a pond short of the green, which feels like a par 5 at times.
And the 8th, a long tough par 4 with water right and short of the green which even moreso really feels like a par 5. Both into the prevailing wind.
After 8 They cross a tunnel going away from the clubhouse. The routing is a bit quirky now since they moved/made a new clubhouse.
Back 9 holes to watch are 11- a driveable par 4 with water left and 12- a pretty cool peninsula par 3 surrounded by bunkers.
18 is a decent par 5 with water right but the main thing to avoid again is getting short sided in the deep bunkers around the surface.
We will be guests at a Hoakalei members house behind the tee box on 12. Their kid plays jr league and other stuff with the girls.
btw our younger one had a 65 there to win a high school match a couple weeks ago, just ended the regular season with the lowest average for the public school girls thanks in kart to that score, and she is supposed to be in 8th but got officially moved up years ago.
She benefitted from winning another junior event on that course which was held the two days before the night school event. So it was a good 3 days for her at Ernies track. The tees were a bit up as they were or texting the Lotte tees, but it was windy. Great 65.
But then we had to learn 3 other girls got the amateur invite into the Lotte qualifier. 2 of them we understand. The third doesn’t shoot as well as our champs And let’s just say we call her the barber she does so much shaving.
Length will matter. Wind play will matter. Bunker play will matter.
Who to pick?
I’ll go with Brooke despite her driver issues and what not; and by what not I mean her shaky putting.
Aloha.
Tom Edrington
Baxter: I’m looking forward to one of your girls playing at Stanford one day!
baxter cepeda
I would just love both of them rubbing elbows with that team for 4 years it would be such an invaluable experience. But we are of course very aware making that squad is like making the Dream Team, better do big time stuff if that’s the goal for school.
Btw all the holes at kapolei got flipped upside down like the fresh princes life. We will be watching from a house near the tournament 4 hole. The par 3.
For a long time The members played it similar to the way it is now for the tournament with a small temporary clubhouse near the 9th green. But that 9th is 17 for the members now. Then they cross the tunnel and finish at that par 5 that goes up to the new clubhouse, which is pretty nice to hang at by the pool.
So it’s kind of an out and back course now for the members. Not two out and back 9s As it was before they moved the clubhouse.
But they moved so many holes around for this event we are still confused watching it on tv.
Tom Edrington
I was shocked to see Inbee Park shoot 80 in the first round!!
baxter cepeda
Not sure why that happened to the queen —she has a great record in Hawaii—but It can happen at this course.
It got more windy in the afternoon.
Again, players Really gotta watch having bunker woes there. They are deep. The rough is mostly a pleasure to play from which makes those bunkers that much more important to avoid. I saw queen was in a bunker on 4 Wednesday. Her head was nowhere near the surface.
There’s also some irrigated plant areas which used to be thorny stick areas falling off the keawe trees; which cause flat tires to the carts.
13 holes have water.
After those 3 days both the girls played a practice round with their friends in borderline howling wind from the Lotte tees and both shot mid 70s. They can say Better than a queen !
Tom Edrington
I’ll be checking out round two tonight!