The LPGA revisits Los Angeles for the third edition of the Hugel-Air Premia LA Open at historic Wilshire Country Club.
Following a 13-year absence from the L.A. market, the ladies tour made a successful return to Hollywood in 2018 as Moriya Jutanugarn claimed her maiden LPGA title at the inaugural edition. Minjee Lee took home the trophy in the 2019 and will be defending after covid cancelled the 2020 edition.
The L.A. Open is the seventh event of the LPGA Tour’s 2021 season, and finale of a four-stop west coast swing before heading to Asia for a pair of events in Singapore and Thailand.
The field this week is loaded with the tour’s biggest names and stars, including seven of the top-10 ranked players in the world, and all six of the season’s early winners.
As we do each week, here’s a round up of information about what to expect this week in Hollywood.
The LPGA Skinny
HUGEL-AIR PREMIA L.A. Open
Where: Los Angeles, Calif
Course: Wilshire Country Club
Distance: Par 71, 6450 yards
Architect: Norman Macbeth (1919)
Redesign: Kyle Phillips (2010)
Purse: $1,500,000
Winning Share: $225,000
Defending: Minjee Lee
How to Follow the HUGEL-AIR PREMIA L.A. Open
TELEVISION: Wed & Sat: 6-9 p.m.; Thu & Fri: 6:30-9 p.m. (GOLF Channel)
LIVESTREAM: Wed & Sat: 6-9 p.m.; Thu & Fri: 6:30-9 p.m. (NBC Sports App, GOLFChannel.com)
LINKS: Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook
LPGA L.A. Open History
The Hugel-Air Premia L.A. Open debuted in 2018 as one of two new California events on the LPGA schedule. Contested at Wilshire Country Club, in the historic Hancock Park area of Los Angeles, the links course was designed by Norman Macbeth in 1919. The acclaimed course has hosted tournaments on the three major golf tours: LPGA, PGA Tour and Champions Tour.
The tournament, itself, is only three years old, but it has bloodlines to the former Office Depot Championship, which appeared on the schedule from 1997 to 2005, and whose winners include a who’s who of yesterday’s LPGA stars, including Grace Park, Se Ri Pak, Annika Sorenstam, and Karrie Webb. It was contested at various Los Angeles area golf courses for its final six years under several title sponsors.
The title sponsors for the latest edition of the L.A. Open are Hugel, Inc, a Korean manufacturer of biopharmaceuticals and beauty products, including botox, and Air Premia – a new commercial airline that flies primarily in Europe and Asia.
HUGEL-AIR PREMIA L.A. Open Field
The field in Hollywood is stacked with big names, headlined by seven of the top-10 ranked players in the world, including Jin Young Ko (1), Inbee Park (2), Sei Young Kim (3), Nelly Korda (4), Brooke Henderson (6), Lexi Thompson (7), and Minjee Lee (10).
In addition, all six of the season’s winners will be teeing it up at Wilshire, including previously mentioned (top-10 ranked) Park and Korda along with Austin Ernst, Lydia Ko, Jessica Korda, and Patty Tavatanakit.
Other familiar names include: 2018 winner Moriya Jutanugarn, Laura Davies, So Yeon Ryu, Charley Hull, Shanshan Feng, Georgia Hall, Ariya Jutanugarn, Jennifer Kupcho, and Angela Stanford, among others.
Top-10 Betting Favorites
1. Lydia Ko (6/1)
2. Inbee Park (7/1)
3. Jin Young Ko (8/1)
3. Sei Young Kim (8/1)
5. Nelly Korda (10/1)
6. Brooke Henderson (20/1)
6. Minjee Lee (20/1)
8. Shanshan Feng (22/1)
9. Lexi Thompson (25/1)
10. So Yeon Ryu (25/1)
Credits: LPGA Tour Media, Getty Images
