Now that a new U.S. Women’s Open champion has been crowned, the Tour turns it attention to one of the LPGA’s longest-running non-majors, the Marathon Classic Presented by Owens Corning and O-I.
Highland Meadows Golf Club in Sylvania, Ohio, has hosted the event since 1989, and a number of players in this year’s field have fond memories from the par-71, 6,512-yard course. Former world No. 1 Lydia Ko edged 2012 tournament winner So Yeon Ryu by a stroke last year after Ryu missed a six-foot birdie attempt on the 72nd hole, and it was a banner day for the then 17-year-old Ko.
Not only was it her fourth LPGA victory, but the $210,000 first-place check made Ko the LPGA’s youngest millionaire at 17 years, two months and 26 days. In addition to Ko and Ryu, former Marathon Classic winners Beatriz Recari (2013), Na Yeon Choi (2010) and Paula Creamer (2008) are teeing it up this week.
World No. 1 Inbee Park and two-time and reigning Rolex Player of the Year Stacy Lewis – who tied for third at the U.S. Women’s Open – are also competing and should be in the mix over the course of the weekend. Park and Choi have both won tournaments in the last month, and their fellow Republic of Korea star Sei Young Kim, who has two wins during her rookie campaign this season, could certainly find some red numbers as well.
The field is stacked with talent, including the likes of Yani Tseng, Michelle Wie, Lexi Thompson, Morgan Pressel and Brittany Lincicome, so there should be no shortage of stars on display for the loyal fans from the area to see. Players from eight different countries have won the event since it became part of the LPGA Tour schedule in 1984, and the tournament has been a great place for first-time winners, so a new star could get on a hot streak and emerge this week.
The course closes with back-to-back par-5s on 17 and 18, setting the stage for late birdies and high drama on a daily basis. Strong play on those finishing holes could translate into victory for the right player at the right time, so no clubhouse lead will be safe.
Whoever reigns supreme in the end will no doubt have to go low on a daily basis, as the last 10 champions have averaged a winning total of 15-under-par. Birdies will be plentiful in Ohio this week, and it should make for great viewing on Golf Channel Thursday through Sunday.
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