The LOTTE Championship presented by Hoakalei gets underway on Wednesday this week as 120 players compete at Hoakalei Country Club in Hawaii. The field features defending champion Grace Kim, 2022 winner Hyo Joo Kim and two-time LOTTE Championship winner Brooke Henderson, as well as 2024 major champion Ayaka Furue and Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G winner Jasmine Suwannapura. The winner of this week’s tournament will take home $450,000 and 500 Race to the CME Globe points, the latter of which have become incredibly significant with the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship coming up quickly later this month. The top 60 players in the Race after the end of The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican will qualify for the year’s final event and have a shot at taking home a $4 million first-place prize, the largest winner’s check in the history of women’s golf.

Take a look at just some of the featured groups this week at the LOTTE Championship presented by Hoakalei using data provided by KPMG Performance Insights:

Wednesday, 7:18 a.m.* – Angel Yin/Nasa Hataoka/Hye-Jin Choi

Angel Yin is making her fourth appearance in the LOTTE Championship presented by Hoakalei this week and her first since 2019. She has missed two cuts and finished T39 in her three previous starts in this tournament, performances the LPGA Tour winner will be working to better in what will be her first time competing at Hoakalei Country Club. Yin has teed it up in 17 events so far this year, and even though she has only made 11 cuts, the California native has collected five top-10 results, the best of which is a tie for second that came at the Portland Classic in August and the most notable of which is a tie for 10th that Yin recorded at the AIG Women’s Open at St Andrews. Yin earned her most recent top-10 finish at the BMW Ladies Championship in October, tying for eighth after posting a 72-hole total of 14-under in the Republic of Korea. Looking at data provided by KPMG Performance Insights, Yin is most notably ranked second in strokes gained putting this season, picking up an average of 1.22 strokes on the greens. She leads the LPGA Tour in putting from 10 to 15 feet, making putts in that range 50.5 percent of the time, and also leads in putts made per round from 10 or more feet, holing it from 10 feet or longer an average of 3.3 times each round. However, she is losing shots in strokes gained around the green, strokes gained tee to green and strokes gained approach, details she will be working to shore up with just three events left on the 2024 schedule.

Japan native Nasa Hataoka is teeing it up in the LOTTE Championship presented by Hoakalei for the seventh time in her career at Hoakalei Country Club. In her six prior starts in Hawaii, the six-time LPGA Tour winner has missed two cuts and only finished in the top 20 twice, tying for 19th in 2018 and tying for 16th in 2023, two showings she will be working to outdo this week. Hataoka has played in 23 events so far this season, making 18 cuts and collecting five top-10 finishes, two of which have come in her last three LPGA Tour starts at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G, where she tied for seventh, and the Buick LPGA Shanghai, where Hataoka tied for ninth. She has five additional top-15 performances on her 2024 resume, a slate of results that includes a pair of T13s at The Chevron Championship and JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro, a tie for 12th at the Cognizant Founders Cup, a tie for 14th at the Mizuho Americas Open and a tie for 15th at the ISPS Handa Women's Scottish Open. Statistically, the Rolex Rankings No. 32 is picking up shots in five major strokes gained categories this season, most notably ranking 10th in strokes gained tee to green (+1.12), 16th in strokes gained around the green (+0.27) and 21st in strokes gained approach (+0.67), according to KPMG Performance Insights. She is only losing shots in putting, currently ranking 124th in strokes gained putting on the LPGA Tour this season (-0.44).

This week marks Hye-Jin Choi’s seventh career start in the LOTTE Championship, but it is only the Republic of Korea native’s third time competing in the tournament as an LPGA Tour member, as Choi joined the organization three seasons ago in 2022. She has played incredibly well in Hawaii in recent years, tying for fifth in 2019 at Ko Olina Golf Club, finishing solo third in 2022 at Hoakalei Country Club and then tying for 13th last year at the same venue. This is her 25th event of the 2024 LPGA Tour season, and in her 24 previous tournaments, Choi has collected seven top-10 finishes, three of which have come in her last three LPGA Tour starts in Asia at the Buick LPGA Shanghai (T5), BMW Ladies Championship (T4) and Maybank Championship (T6). One of those top-10 performances also came at a major championship, as Choi tied for seventh at The Amundi Evian Championship back in July. She has also earned five additional top-20 finishes this year, one of which came at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in June, when Choi tied for 16th at Sahalee Country Club in Sammamish, Wash. The 25-year-old currently ranks 20th in both strokes gained total (+1.10) and strokes gained putting (+0.56) on the LPGA Tour this season, according to KPMG Performance Insights, and is also tied for 10th in birdies (305) and tied for 13th in rounds in the 60s (27).

Wednesday, 11:53 a.m. – Grace Kim/Brooke Henderson/Hyo Joo Kim

Grace Kim became a Rolex First-Time Winner at the 2023 LOTTE Championship presented by Hoakalei, taking home her first LPGA Tour title as a rookie after outlasting Yu Liu and Yu Jin Sung in a one-hole playoff at Hoakalei Country Club. She became the 12th different player from Australia to collect at least one victory on the LPGA Tour and will be working to successfully defend a title for the first time in her career this week in Hawaii. The LOTTE Championship is the 23-year-old’s 27th start of the 2024 LPGA Tour season, and in her 26 previous events, Kim has made 20 cuts and earned three top-10 results – tying for second at the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give, tying for fifth at the Dow Championship alongside her playing partner Auston Kim and tying for ninth at the Portland Classic. She has also recorded three other top-20 results, the most recent of which is a tie for 12th that came at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G in September. According to KPMG Performance Insights, Kim is gaining strokes in five major categories this year, ranking highest in strokes gained approach, a metric in which the Epson Tour Graduate is currently 32nd (+0.48). The only category in which Kim is losing shots is putting (113, -0.34). Statistically, Kim is 13th on Tour in driving accuracy, finding the fairway 79.02 percent of the time off the tee, and she is one of 21 LPGA Tour members to record an ace this season, holing out on the par-3 7th hole at Midland Country Club during the second round of the Dow Championship.

Brooke Henderson is a two-time winner of the LOTTE Championship presented by Hoakalei, claiming her first Hawaiian title in 2018 and then successfully defending it in 2019 when the tournament was last contested at Ko Olina Golf Club in Kapolei, Hawaii. This week is her eighth start in this championship, and along with her two victories, Henderson has earned three other top-12 finishes at the LOTTE Championship presented by Hoakalei, tying for 10th in her tournament debut in 2016 and then tying for 11th in both 2017 and 2023. This is her 23rd start of the 2024 season, and thus far, Henderson has made 20 cuts and racked up eight top-10 finishes, the most recent of which came at the Maybank Championship (T10) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and the most notable of which is a tie for third that she recorded at The Chevron Championship in April. Henderson has two other top-25 results on her 2024 resume, one of which is a tie for 22nd that came at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Sahalee Country Club, site of the 27-year-old’s first major victory in 2016. Looking at data provided by KPMG Performance Insights, Henderson is a combined 68-under in her seven previous appearances at the LOTTE Championship and has a scoring average of 69.3 after making birdie or better 24 percent of the time. On the LPGA Tour this season, she is ranked in the top 26 of three major strokes gained categories, currently sitting at 14th in strokes gained driving (+0.53), 23rd in strokes gained total (+1.09) and 26th in strokes gained tee to green (+0.82). Henderson is also in the top 20 on Tour in bogey-free rounds (T14, 6), bogey avoidance (14, 14.43%), greens in regulation (15, 73.16%), rounds in the 60s (T17, 26) and sub-par rounds (T20, 41).

Hyo Joo Kim won the LOTTE Championship presented by Hoakalei in 2022 after defeating Hinako Shibuno by two shots at Hoakalei Country Club. The Republic of Korea native has only found the winner’s circle on the LPGA Tour once since then, taking home the Ascendant LPGA benefiting Volunteers of America title in 2023, and will be working to collect her seventh career victory this week in Hawaii. This is just her 16th start of the season, and in her 15 previous tournaments, Kim has only managed to earn two top-10 finishes, tying for fifth in her 2024 debut at the Honda LPGA Thailand and then tying for eighth at the Ford Championship presented by KCC. But the major champion has racked up five other top-20 results, a slate of performances that includes a T18 showing at the FIR HILLS SERI PAK Championship, a tie for 12th at the U.S. Women’s Open presented by Ally, a tie for 16th at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, another T12 result at The Amundi Evian Championship and a tie for 17th that came last week at the TOTO Japan Classic. According to KPMG Performance Insights, Kim is only ranked in the top 25 of two strokes gained categories, currently sitting at second in strokes gained around the green (+0.49) and 25th in strokes gained total (+1.01). She is also tied for fourth in putts per green in regulation (1.77), sixth in driving accuracy (81.27%) and ninth in putts per round (29.24).

Wednesday, 12:04 p.m. – Ayaka Furue/Jin Young Ko/Marina Alex

Ayaka Furue is making just her third start ever in the LOTTE Championship this week and will be working to better her tournament-best result of T23 that she recorded last year at Hoakalei Country Club. This is her 23rd start of the 2024 season, and in addition to her first major victory at The Amundi Evian Championship, Furue has racked up 10 other top-10 results in her 22 prior events, most recently tying for 10th last week at the TOTO Japan Classic in her home country. Five of those top-10 finishes were actually top-five performances that came at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions (T4), the LPGA Drive On Championship (T4), the Blue Bay LPGA (3), the ShopRite LPGA Classic presented by Acer (T2) and the ISPS Handa Women's Scottish Open (T3). Statistically, the two-time LPGA Tour winner is ranked in the top 20 in four strokes gained categories this year, according to data provided by KPMG Performance Insights. She is currently third in strokes gained total (+1.94), eighth in strokes gained approach (+0.93), 12th in strokes gained putting (+0.81) and 18th in strokes gained tee to green (+0.95). Furue is also first in bogey avoidance (11.52%), tied for first in bogey-free rounds (12), second in sub-par rounds (58) and third in scoring average (70.03) on Tour this season. With Nelly Korda and Atthaya Thitikul not meeting the Official Tournament rounds minimum, Furue is currently the highest-ranked player in the Vare Trophy standings and could win the award for lowest season-long scoring average if she maintains her slim lead over Haeran Ryu, who is not competing in the LOTTE Championship.

Jin Young Ko in the LOTTE Championship field for just the second time ever in her career, having finished in a tie for 17th in her tournament debut in 2019 when the event was last contested at Ko Olina Golf Club. This week is Ko’s 17th start of the 2024 LPGA Tour season, and in her 16 prior tournaments, the 15-time LPGA Tour winner has earned six top-10 results, two of which were T2s or better that Ko recorded at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship (T2) at Sahalee Country Club and the FM Championship (2). Ko has not finished in the top 10 on the LPGA Tour since falling to Haeran Ryu in a playoff and finishing solo second at TPC Boston in August. She has also earned four other top-20 finishes in addition to her six top 10s, one of which came last week at the TOTO Japan Classic in Shiga, Japan. According to KPMG Performance Insights, the Rolex Rankings No. 10 is ranked third in strokes gained approach (+1.14) and 13th in strokes gained total (+1.34) on the LPGA Tour this season. She has also gained at least one stroke in 60 percent of her rounds played in 2024, the second-most of any eligible player this year. Ko is still looking for her first 2024 victory in an effort to maintain her consecutive seasons with a win streak that dates all the way back to 2017 when she captured the LPGA KEB Hana Bank Championship as a non-member.

Marina Alex will be riding a hot hand this week in Hawaii as she works to keep her momentum rolling after a strong performance in Asia. The two-time winner hadn’t finished in the top 10 in an event on the LPGA Tour since she tied for sixth at the ShopRite LPGA Classic in June before tying for sixth at the Maybank Championship in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, just a couple of weeks ago. Alex then backed that up with a runner-up showing at the TOTO Japan Classic, ultimately finishing second to Rio Takeda after the pair battled it out in a gritty six-hole playoff at Seta Golf Course, the longest playoff of the 2024 LPGA Tour season. According to data provided by KPMG Performance Insights, Alex’s putting was the biggest reason for her success in Japan, as she made 40 percent of her putts from 10 to 15 feet over 54 holes last week, 8.4 percent more than her season-long average from that same distance. She also gained an average of 3.37 strokes total per round, a drastically higher amount than the 0.64 average she was gaining heading into the week. In addition to those three previously mentioned top-10 results, Alex has two other top-10 finishes on her resume this year – a tie for ninth that came at the season-opening Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions and a tie for seventh that she recorded at the Mizuho Americas Open at Liberty National Golf Club in May. This week marks Alex’s fifth appearance in the LOTTE Championship presented by Hoakalei, and in her four previous starts, she has missed three cuts and carded a tournament-best result of T38, doing so last year at Hoakalei Country Club.

All times local

*Off No. 10

For a full list of tee times, please click here.

Featured Groups: 2024 LOTTE Championship presented by Hoakalei

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