A look at some of the top player picks for the Safeway Classic, which is scheduled to begin on Thursday in Portland, Ore.:
Top 3:- Suzann Pettersen: Pettersen hasn’t finished outside of the top seven since July and was a strong veteran presence for the winning Europeans at the Solheim Cup two weeks ago. She won this tournament in 2011 and is paired with Solheim Cup teammates Anna Nordvist and Beatriz Recari in the first two rounds.
- Lizette Salas: The Southern Californian gets to play on the West Coast for the first time since April and should be well rested. She was the only Solheim Cup participant not to play last week in Canada. She will be further motivated by a pairing with Solheim Cup teammates Paula Creamer and Cristie Kerr in the first two rounds as she aims for her first LPGA victory.
- Caroline Masson: The German, a member of the Solheim Cup team, has suddenly become a contender for LPGA Rookie of the Year honors. She trails leader Moriya Jutanugarn by only 31 points.
Darkhorse:
- Yani Tseng: As recently as one year ago, it would have been crazy to mention Tseng in this role but it has been 17 months since her last victory. The native of Taiwan has never won this tournament and came off of four consecutive missed cuts with a T24 last week that included 68-66 in the middle rounds. To provide inspiration, she is paired with Lexi Thompson and Ai Miyazato in the first two rounds.