The LPGA Tour returns to North America for a three-tournament August stretch before it heads back overseas for the season’s final major in France, and then onto its annual fall Asian Swing.
This week it’s second annual Indy Women in Tech Championship at Brickyard Crossing Golf Club in Indianapolis.
THE SKINNY
Name: Indy Women in Tech Championship
Course: Brickyard Crossing Golf Club
Where: Indianapolis, IN
Distance: 36-36–72, 6,456 yards
Field: 144 players
Format: 72-hole stroke play/36-hole cut/top 70 and ties
Total Purse: $2,000,000
Winner’s Share: $300,000
Defending Champion: Lexi Thompson
Headliners: Ariya Jutanugarn, So Yeon Ryu, Sung Hyun Park, Shanshan Feng, Minjee Lee, Brooke Henderson, Lydia Ko, Jessica Korda, Pernilla Lindberg, Annie Park
TV COVERAGE
Rd 1: Thu. 12-2:30 pm (GOLF)
Rd 2: Fri. 12-2:30 pm (GOLF)
Rd 3: Sat. 5-7:00 pm (GOLF)
Rd 4: Sun. 5-7:00 pm (GOLF)
DEFENDING CHAMPION
Lexi Thompson posted a final-round 4-under par 68 to finish at 19-under 197 and capture the inaugural Indy Women in Tech Championship at Brickyard Crossing.
The then 22-year old was tied with runner-up Lydia Ko (72) after eight holes, but following birdies on 9 and 10, she pulled away down the stretch.
Thompson finished her final round with six birdies and two bogeys. Ko posted an even-par 72.
Afterwards, Thompson celebrated in true Brickyard fashion with a shower of milk and a kiss of the bricks.
“I was trying to comprehend that on the car ride over. I was like, what?” said Thompson. “It was a huge honor to be here in Indiana, to be able to kiss those bricks — definitely a memory that I’ll never forget.”
FINAL TOP 10
1. Lexi Thompson -19
2. Lydia Ko -15
3. Minjee Lee -14
4. Olafia Kristinsdottir -13
5. Haeji Kang -12
5. Lizette Salas -12
5. Brooke Henderson -12
5. Ashleigh Buhai -12
5. Candie Kung -12
10. Moriya Jutanugarn -11
6 THINGS TO KNOW
- New event: The Indy Women in Tech Championship was one of four new events on the 2017 LPGA schedule
- First champion: Lexi Lexi Thompson won the inaugural event with a 19-under 197 at Brickyard Crossing Golf Course, edging Lydia Ko by four shots
- Marketing ingenuity: Following her victory, Thompson replicated the tradition of racing champions at Indianapolis Motor Speedway by kissing the bricks, and dousing herself with milk on the Yard of Brick. She finished it off with a victory lap behind the driver’s seat of a Corvette
- Rerouting the track: For the IWiT Championship, holes 7-10 at Brickyard Crossing GC, which are located inside the 2.5-mile oval track, will play as the closing holes (15-18) for TV visuals
- Hoosier State: The event in 2017 was the LPGA’s first stop in Indiana since the 2005 Solheim Cup, and it’s the only major tour event in the state
RACE TO THE CME GLOBE
This week’s Indy Women in Tech Championship marks the 23rd lap of the 2018 Race to the CME Globe. Ariya Jutanugarn continues to hold a sizeable lead atop the standings with 3,323 points, followed by Minjee Lee with 2,199 points.
Moriya Jutanugarn sits third with 1,932 points, followed by So Yeon Ryu (1,876) and Jin Young Ko (1,804).
THE FIELD
The field in the Hoosier State will include 144 players, headlined by defending champion, and world No.5, Lexi Thompson. Other top-10 ranked stars teeing it up include No.1 Ariya Jutanugarn, No.2 So Yeon Ryu, No. 4 Sung Hyun Park, No.5 Shanshan Feng, and No.7 Minjee Lee.
Other prominent names in the field include Jessica Korda, Cristie Kerr, Pernilla Lindberg, Brooke Henderson, Moriya Jutanugarn, Lydia Ko, and Annie Park.
NOTABLE PAIRINGS
HOLE 1 (RD1)/HOLE 10 (RD2)
- Jessica Korda, Emma Talley, Lydia Ko
- 8:21 am/1:21 pm
- Lexi Thompson, So Yeon Ryu, Shanshan Feng
- 8:32 am/1:32 pm
HOLE 10 (RD1)/HOLE 1 (RD2)
- Brooke Henderson, Moriya Jutanugarn, Sung Hyun Park
- 1:21 pm/8:21 am
- Ariya Jutanugarn, Minjee Lee, Pernilla Lindberg
- 1:32 pm/8:32 am
FULL FIELD & ODDS
Indy Women in Tech Championship | Brickyard Crossing GC | Indianapolis, IN | Aug. 16-19, 2018
Credits: LPGA Tour Communications, Getty Images