View the complete pairings for the Chevron Championship >>

The best and brightest of the LPGA Tour will be on full display this week at The Chevron Championship, the first major of the year. All the Rolex Rankings top 10 and a slew of former champions will be in the field. Plus, with the move to The Club at Carlton Woods after 51 years in California, many more players can claim a little homefield advantage in the Lone Star State this week. But only one group has it all: former champions, the best in the world and some Texas connections.

Jennifer Kupcho

2022 was a breakthrough year for Jennifer Kupcho. She found three wins, including her very first LPGA victory at The Chevron Championship. The 25-year-old propelled herself to victory in the third round, posting an 8-under to set a 54-hole scoring record (200) and create a 6-stroke advantage over the competition. Kupcho’s lead was too much to overcome in the final round and the Colorado-native hoisted her first trophy at a major championship. Kupcho has raced to a strong start to the 2023 season but has yet to complete a win. Her best finish so far was a T16 at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions at the start of the season. But Kupcho’s remarkable 2022 proved that she has the mettle, grit and skill to play her way to the top of the world’s best. Reliving those winning moments might be the catalyst for another terrific season. Kupcho certainly won’t go down without a fight and is sure to put up a staunch defense of her very first title.

Patty Tavatanakit

Before Kupcho took her victory plunge, there was Patty Tavatanakit. The 23-year-old also found her first, and only LPGA Tour win at The Chevron Championship in 2021. She then went on to win both the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year award and the Rolex ANNIKA Major Award. Unfortunately, Tavatanakit struggled for much of 2022, making just 11 cuts in 21 starts. And while she was unable to defend her title from a charging Kupcho, she played her way into contention and carded a T4 result – one of just two top-10 finishes in 2022 for the Thai. But 2023 is already starting to look different for Tavatanakit. In her last tournament, the DIO Implant LA Open, she shot 6-under par in the final round to boost herself to T3 on the leaderboard – her best finish since she finished T3 at the Honda LPGA Thailand in 2021. Tavatanakit is riding a wave of confidence after her last tournament and has found success at the Chevron Championship which may prove enough to fuel a resurgence.

Jin Young Ko

After a rocky 2022 season plagued by injuries, world No.3 Jin Young Ko is back to her winning ways. The 14-time LPGA winner has already racked up three top 10s in four starts, including a successful defense of her title at the HSBC Women’s World Championship. Ko is also a former Chevron Champion, having won the major in 2019 by three strokes over Mi Hyang Lee. It was Ko’s first major victory and vaulted her to the No.1 spot in the Rolex Rankings for the first time in her career. The 27-year-old is also one of 14 Texas residents in the field this week, which may give her enough of an edge over the competition to pull out a win. Ko is in a good spot going into the first major. She’s got momentum, experience and a little homefield advantage. In short, there’s a lot of reasons Ko will be one of the toughest players to beat this week.

Three to Watch at The Chevron Championship

Related Articles