| DATES: February 23-26 | ||
| SITE: Siam Country Club, Pattaya Old Course, Chonburi | ||
| PRIZE MONEY: $1,600,000 | ||
Round 4 - Amy Yang wins 2nd Thai title
February 26, 2017
Amy Yang carded a final round 68 to set a new Tournament record of 22-under and win her second Honda LPGA Thailand title, her third total. The previous record was held by
Suzann Pettersen 2007 and Ai Miyazato 2010 at 21-under.
Due to heavy rainstorms in the second round players had to slog through warm and humid conditions for 31 holes on Saturday and finish round 3 on Sunday morning. This didn't seem to impact Yang's game and she carded 10 birdies and an eagle, and a single bogey, on Saturday to take a 4-shot lead into Sunday. She made birdie on the 1th Sunday morning to increase that lead to 5 shots which she maintained to finsh ahead of So Yeon Ryu at 17-under.
"You know, very happy, beyond happy. Wasn't easy with rain delays and 4:00 a.m. wake-up calls two days in a row." Yang described following her victory. "But, you know, I stayed really patient out there, did my best, and very happy to win the tournament."
Thai Player Updates
Moriya and Ariya Jutanugarn both finished in the top-10 at the Honda LPGA Thailand. Moriya finished in solo seventh place at 12-under, while Ariya was a shot behind in a tie for eighth at 11-under.
“I’m very happy with what it is this week,” Moriya said. “I really happy that I can perform in front of Thai fans and play in the last group with great two players and in home country. It’s just great.”
“It feel great and really grateful to play here and play in front of all the Thai fans,” Ariya added. “Like they show me how much support they are.”
The T7 finish is the best for Moriya since June 24, 2016 at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship Presented by P&G where she finished T4. She will look to build on her solid start to the 2017 season with top-20 performances at the Pure Silk Bahamas LPGA Classic and the ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open.
Inbee Park is Back
In her first tournament since capturing Gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Inbee Park finished tied for 25th at 5-under-par.
“Yeah, I feel pretty good,” Park said. “That’s really the most important thing, I guess. I’m ready to play now. Yeah, it’s all good. Four rounds been pretty similar. Ball striking was pretty good. Just around the greens wasn’t getting the feel yet. And the putting was a little bit disappointing this week, obviously. I’m just going to try to stay patient and, yeah, it’s going to drop at some point.”
CME Group Tour Cares Weekends Eagles Update After Honda LPGA Thailand
14 eagles were made on the weekend at the Honda LPGA Thailand raising $14,000 for charity. The total amount for the 2017 thus far is $39,000.
Race to CME Globe Update
Amy Yang earned 500 points to move from 77th into third in the LPGA’s season-long Race to CME Globe.
Quick Hits
•Amy Yang Crossed the $7 million mark with the win, the 30th player in LPGA history to do so
•This is Yang’s first win since this event in 2015, a stretch of 44 events without a win. Yang had 17 top-10 finishes in that time frame
•Defending champion Lexi Thompson finished tied for fourth
•Eight Americans finished in the top-20 led by Thompson. Americans who finish in the top-20 each week earn Solheim Cup points
•World No. 1 Lydia Ko finished tied for eighth her first top-10 of the young season
| Pos. | Player | Scores | Total | To Par | Prize Money |
| 1 | Amy Yang | 66 - 67 - 65 - 68 | 266 | -22 | $240,000.00 |
| 2 | So Yeon Ryu | 69 - 66 - 68 - 68 | 271 | -17 | $149,659.00 |
| 3 | Sei Young Kim | 67 - 70 - 68 - 68 | 273 | -15 | $108,567.00 |
Click here for full scores & prize money.
Round 3 - Yang in the lead as play suspended
February 25, 2017
Amy Yang, who still has five holes left in her third round, will take a four-shot lead into Sunday at the Honda LPGA Thailand. Third round play was suspended due to darkness at 6:21 p.m. local time with 10 groups still on the course.
“My shot was good. You know, I'm hitting good all week,” Yang said. “Tomorrow again I'll, you know, finish third round. I'll try to do just one shot at time, hole by hole.”
Yang holds a four shot lead over So Yeon Ryu who posted a 4-under round of 68 to move into solo second at 13-under.
The third round will resume at 7:00 a.m. on Sunday with the final round scheduled to begin at 9:38 after a repairing. The final group is scheduled to go off at 11:50.
Thai Player Updates
Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn lead the way for the Thai contingency this week sitting in a tie for the fifth at 10-under. Pornanong Phatlum (-3) is the only other Thai player under par which is tied for 33rd.
Fast Facts
•Amy Yang is looking for her first win since this event in 2015, a stretch of 44 events without a win. Yang has 17 top-10 finishes in that time frame
•So Yeon Ryu has made 57 starts since her last win with 26 top-10 finishes
•Yani Tseng’s 65 (-7) is her lowest round since a second round 64 at the 2015 Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic
•Catriona Matthew bettered her 1st round by 18 strokes tying the low 2nd round of the day w/ a 66
Round 2 - Play suspended due to severe weather
February 24, 2017
Play at the Honda LPGA Thailand was called at 3:45 p.m. due to unplayable course conditions brought on by severe weather at the Pattaya Old Course.
“We were hoping we could get out and play some more golf. All four of us (LPGA Rules Officials) went out and looked, and there is just too much of a mess out there to be able to go and play today,” said LPGA Vice President of Rules and Competition Sue Witters. “It’ll take them a long time to restore the bunkers and pump the water out. We’re not going to play anymore today, and we’ll resume play at 7:00 tomorrow to finish round two.”
Round 1 - Yang and Jutanugarn leading in Thailand
February 23, 2017
Jutanugarn played a bogey-free 66 on day 1 in Thailand to share the lead with Amy Yang at 6-under.
"I feel really good with my iron today." Jutanugarn said following her round. "Like especially tee shot is pretty good. I just try to like have like myself have a chance to make birdie."
Yang herself only had one bit of trouble on the 10th hole with control of the ball.
"In the middle, during the round, you know, I had some time I couldn't control the ball, but I still had a lot of good shots. Gave myself a lot of good opportunities out there."
She recovered and birdied the next hole then made successive birdies on the last two holes to joun Jutanugarn at the top.
"Last couple of holes I was hitting it so solid." Yang said following her round. "I was aiming at the pin and it was going right at the pin."
Sei Young Kim shares third place with Shanshan Feng, Ryann O'Toole and Minjee Lee which she attributes to having finished the round with 25 putts.
"The last couple holes I made good birdie chance." Kim told the media following her round. "So it's pretty good on the putting green. That's the reason why I play better than last couple weeks."
Caddie Change Working Well For Ryann O'Toole
Ryann O’Toole has a new caddie on the bag this season and it appears to be paying dividends following an opening-round 67 at the Honda LPGA Thailand.
“Mark and I, we met out at Scottsdale National, and right off the bat -- like usually I would never take a country club caddie, but he’s played the mini tours and so he had a lot of background in golf,” O’Toole explained. “Him and I just read greens really well. We read greens very well. I think we read very similar, so that communication was key. Then I just love his drive and passion. Like we sat down yesterday and talked about what’s our game plan. I think, to be honest, it’s nice to have that team feel and kind of know that, Okay, he wants it just as much as I do.”
Inbee Park Is Back
In her first round back since capturing Gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Inbee Park shot an even par round of 72 to sit six shots back of the lead.
“I’m feeling really good,” Park said. “I don’t feel much of the injury anymore. I feel like I’m really free of injury. Ball-striking was really good today. Just around the greens wasn’t as sharp as I wanted. Obviously that’s just going to happen. Just got to be patient.”
Kerr Bringing New Mindset After Surgery
Cristie Kerr, who sits two-back of the lead after a four-under 68, enters this season with a new mindset following off-season knee surgery.
“I had knee surgery on November 29th and wasn’t ready to come back for the Bahamas,” Kerr explained. I feel good now. I’ve been working really hard on rehab and getting my leg strong again. I’ve been working with a trainer now for the last six weeks, which it’s been a few years since I’ve done that. I feel better. I feel very lucky to be playing golf for a living. I think having surgery kind of changed my perspective again for the better.”
Sei Young Kim Used Time Off To Visit Coach In Vietnam
Sei Young Kim used her time off following the LPGA’s season opener in the Bahamas to visit her coach Kyung Hoom Lee for a training session in Vietnam.
“We practice a little bit -- we practice not much. Just talk a lot with the conversation and figure out how play steady and how play better than last years. We find out some answer, and I think works today. That’s what help me.”
The session appears to be paying off as Kim shot and opening round 67 to sit a shot back of the lead.
Thai Player Updates
Ariya Jutanugarn leads the way for the Thai contingency this week sitting in a tie for the lead at 6-under. Her sister, Moriya (-3) and Pornanong Phatlum (-1) are the only other Thai players under par.
Charity Auction Raises One Million Bhat
As part of the Honda LPGA Thailand’s charitable initiatives, the tournament hosted its Charity Auction on Wednesday night at the player’s party. Players including Ariya Jutanugarn, Lydia Ko, Lexi Thompson, Inbee Park and Ai Miyazato donated items to the event.
The total figure raised from the Charity Night is 1,000,000 THB (one million Thai Baht). Parts of this money will be donated to “The Chaipattana Foundation”, a non-governmental organization. All committee members have freedom to consider and initiate work activities. The King is the Honorary President of the Foundation which is public-spirited developers joining to contribute to national and social development.
| Pos. | Player | To Par | R1 |
| T1 | Ariya Jutanugarn | -6 | 66 |
| T1 | Amy Yang | -6 | 66 |
| T3 | Sei Young Kim | -5 | 67 |
| T3 | Shanshan Feng | -5 | 67 |
| T3 | Minjee Lee | -5 | 67 |
| T3 | Ryann O'Toole | -5 | 67 |
| T7 | Ha Na Jang | -4 | 71 |
| T7 | Lee-Anne Pace | -4 | 70 |
| T7 | Eun-Hee Ji | -4 | 69 |
| T7 | So Yeon Ryu | -4 | 69 |
Scores
| Pos. | Player | Scores | Total | To Par | Prize Money |
| 1 | Amy Yang | 66 - 67 - 65 - 68 | 266 | -22 | $240,000.00 |
| 2 | So Yeon Ryu | 69 - 66 - 68 - 68 | 271 | -17 | $149,659.00 |
| 3 | Sei Young Kim | 67 - 70 - 68 - 68 | 273 | -15 | $108,567.00 |
| 4T | Lexi Thompson | 68 - 70 - 70 - 67 | 275 | -13 | $68,964.00 |
| 4T | In Gee Chun | 70 - 70 - 67 - 68 | 275 | -13 | $68,964.00 |
| 4T | Danielle Kang | 68 - 69 - 70 - 68 | 275 | -13 | $68,964.00 |
| 7 | Moriya Jutanugarn | 69 - 69 - 67 - 71 | 276 | -12 | $46,295.00 |
| 8T | Lydia Ko | 70 - 71 - 68 - 68 | 277 | -11 | $33,922.00 |
| 8T | Mirim Lee | 71 - 66 - 72 - 68 | 277 | -11 | $33,922.00 |
| 8T | Austin Ernst | 71 - 68 - 69 - 69 | 277 | -11 | $33,922.00 |
| 8T | Jodi Ewart Shadoff | 69 - 69 - 68 - 71 | 277 | -11 | $33,922.00 |
| 8T | Ariya Jutanugarn | 66 - 68 - 72 - 71 | 277 | -11 | $33,922.00 |
| 13 | Brittany Lincicome | 73 - 67 - 70 - 68 | 278 | -10 | $26,875.00 |
| 14T | Stacy Lewis | 69 - 73 - 70 - 67 | 279 | -9 | $23,188.00 |
| 14T | Hyo Joo Kim | 71 - 73 - 67 - 68 | 279 | -9 | $23,188.00 |
| 14T | Jessica Korda | 69 - 69 - 72 - 69 | 279 | -9 | $23,188.00 |
| 14T | Yani Tseng | 73 - 69 - 65 - 72 | 279 | -9 | $23,188.00 |
| 18T | Eun-Hee Ji | 69 - 69 - 72 - 70 | 280 | -8 | $19,556.00 |
| 18T | Angela Stanford | 69 - 69 - 70 - 72 | 280 | -8 | $19,556.00 |
| 18T | Cristie Kerr | 68 - 68 - 71 - 73 | 280 | -8 | $19,556.00 |
| 21T | Chella Choi | 72 - 69 - 65 - 75 | 281 | -7 | $17,862.00 |
| 21T | Shanshan Feng | 67 - 67 - 71 - 76 | 281 | -7 | $17,862.00 |
| 23T | Charley Hull | 69 - 73 - 69 - 71 | 282 | -6 | $16,552.00 |
| 23T | Azahara Munoz | 69 - 73 - 69 - 71 | 282 | -6 | $16,552.00 |
| 25T | Carlota Ciganda | 72 - 73 - 70 - 68 | 283 | -5 | $13,964.00 |
| 25T | Inbee Park | 72 - 71 - 71 - 69 | 283 | -5 | $13,964.00 |
| 25T | Brittany Lang | 72 - 70 - 72 - 69 | 283 | -5 | $13,964.00 |
| 25T | Minjee Lee | 67 - 73 - 74 - 69 | 283 | -5 | $13,964.00 |
| 25T | Mi Jung Hur | 72 - 70 - 70 - 71 | 283 | -5 | $13,964.00 |
| 25T | Kim Kaufman | 73 - 70 - 68 - 72 | 283 | -5 | $13,964.00 |
| 25T | Mi Hyang Lee | 71 - 67 - 73 - 72 | 283 | -5 | $13,964.00 |
| 32T | Suzann Pettersen | 74 - 70 - 72 - 68 | 284 | -4 | $10,947.00 |
| 32T | Anna Nordqvist | 70 - 71 - 74 - 69 | 284 | -4 | $10,947.00 |
| 32T | Lee-Anne Pace | 70 - 70 - 73 - 71 | 284 | -4 | $10,947.00 |
| 32T | Ha Na Jang | 71 - 68 - 73 - 72 | 284 | -4 | $10,947.00 |
| 32T | Sandra Gal | 69 - 73 - 69 - 73 | 284 | -4 | $10,947.00 |
| 37T | Atthaya Thitikul | 77 - 68 - 72 - 68 | 285 | -3 | $0.00 |
| 37T | Karine Icher | 68 - 74 - 71 - 72 | 285 | -3 | $9,464.00 |
| 37T | Hee Young Park | 73 - 70 - 68 - 74 | 285 | -3 | $9,464.00 |
| 40T | Xiyu Lin | 73 - 73 - 73 - 67 | 286 | -2 | $8,358.00 |
| 40T | Caroline Masson | 75 - 72 - 69 - 70 | 286 | -2 | $8,358.00 |
| 40T | Megan Khang | 71 - 76 - 69 - 70 | 286 | -2 | $8,358.00 |
| 40T | Jenny Shin | 71 - 76 - 67 - 72 | 286 | -2 | $8,358.00 |
| 44 | Ryann O'Toole | 67 - 72 - 76 - 72 | 287 | -1 | $7,538.00 |
| 45T | Alena Sharp | 74 - 71 - 74 - 69 | 288 | E | $6,360.00 |
| 45T | Catriona Matthew | 84 - 66 - 67 - 71 | 288 | E | $6,360.00 |
| 45T | Alison Lee | 73 - 76 - 68 - 71 | 288 | E | $6,360.00 |
| 45T | Brooke M. Henderson | 75 - 70 - 71 - 72 | 288 | E | $6,360.00 |
| 45T | Haru Nomura | 68 - 72 - 76 - 72 | 288 | E | $6,360.00 |
| 45T | Morgan Pressel | 74 - 70 - 70 - 74 | 288 | E | $6,360.00 |
| 45T | Sarah Jane Smith | 74 - 71 - 68 - 75 | 288 | E | $6,360.00 |
| 45T | Pornanong Phatlum | 71 - 73 - 69 - 75 | 288 | E | $6,360.00 |
| 53 | Georgia Hall | 72 - 73 - 72 - 72 | 289 | 1 | $5,408.00 |
| 54T | Su Oh | 75 - 74 - 73 - 68 | 290 | 2 | $5,162.00 |
| 54T | Lizette Salas | 72 - 73 - 72 - 73 | 290 | 2 | $5,162.00 |
| 56T | Ai Miyazato | 71 - 75 - 73 - 72 | 291 | 3 | $4,752.00 |
| 56T | Karrie Webb | 75 - 71 - 72 - 73 | 291 | 3 | $4,752.00 |
| 56T | Nasa Hataoka | 70 - 73 - 74 - 74 | 291 | 3 | $4,752.00 |
| 59T | Mo Martin | 72 - 71 - 76 - 73 | 292 | 4 | $4,343.00 |
| 59T | Gerina Piller | 73 - 71 - 74 - 74 | 292 | 4 | $4,343.00 |
| 61T | Beatriz Recari | 74 - 75 - 71 - 73 | 293 | 5 | $4,056.00 |
| 61T | Gaby Lopez | 75 - 72 - 70 - 76 | 293 | 5 | $4,056.00 |
| 63 | Candie Kung | 75 - 72 - 74 - 73 | 294 | 6 | $3,933.00 |
| 64T | Pajaree Anannarukarn | 74 - 81 - 71 - 69 | 295 | 7 | $0.00 |
| 64T | Pannarat Thanapolboonyaras | 75 - 73 - 78 - 69 | 295 | 7 | $3,810.00 |
| 64T | Jennifer Song | 74 - 72 - 77 - 72 | 295 | 7 | $3,810.00 |
| 67T | Pernilla Lindberg | 75 - 79 - 73 - 69 | 296 | 8 | $3,646.00 |
| 67T | Christina Kim | 75 - 77 - 71 - 73 | 296 | 8 | $3,646.00 |
| 69 | Na Yeon Choi | 78 - 72 - 73 - 81 | 304 | 16 | $3,524.00 |
| 70 | Porani Chutichai | 77 - 78 - 78 - 79 | 312 | 24 | $3,441.00 |
Preview
Lexi Thompson enters this week as the defending champion at the Honda LPGA Thailand after running away with the 2016 title by six strokes, the largest margin of victory in the history of the event.
“It feels great to be back in Thailand, this is one of my favorite tournaments here, and the course is in amazing shape for us once again,” Thompson said. “The fans are great here. I just had an amazing Pro-Am. It was so much fun. I’m really looking forward to this week once again.”
Thompson will be part of a group which consists of the past three Honda LPGA Thailand winners teeing off at 11:28 tomorrow morning with Amy Yang and Anna Nordqvist.
Ariya Jutanugarn Excited To Play In Front of Home Crowd
Ariya Jutanugarn is excited to be competing again in front of her hometown fans at this week’s Honda LPGA Thailand.
“You know, I always really excited to come back here again, and really looking forward to the tournament,” Jutanugarn said. “It’s mean a lot playing in front of all the fans in Thailand that come and support us.”
Jutanugarn is the highest ranked of the 13 Thai players in the field at No. 2 in the latest Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings.
“I think it’s growing up a lot,” Jutanugarn said of the growth of the tournament. “Since like I play as an amateur everything is always to me look better. We got more like kids start play golf from this tournament because they we got inspired from all the golfer here, which is great for Thailand.”
Below are Jutanugarn’s results at this event:
2016 - T48
2015 - T13
2014 - T51
2013 - 2
2012 - T12
2011 - T8
2010 - 30
2007 - T 51
2007 - T22
Lydia Ko Returns To Thailand
Lydia Ko will be back in Thailand for the first time since 2014 and just the third time in her career. Ko’s best finish is a tie for 14th in 2013.
“Yeah, it’s definitely nice to be back. I think it’s been a couple years since I was here last. The course, there hasn’t been much change to it, so it’s nice to come back and see that not a lot has changed. The heat has definitely not changed. It’s definitely nice to be back here, especially with the Thai girls playing so well. It’s a great time for golf in Thailand.”
Numbers To Know
11:06 - Inbee Park returns to LPGA action at 11:06 tomorrow
19 - Inbee Park has missed the last 19 events on the LPGA Tour
55 - So Yeon Ryu has made 55 consecutive cuts
Most Wins 2016 and 2017 (LPGA and PGA Tour)
5 - Ariya Jutanugarn
4 - Lydia Ko, Dustin Johnson, Ha Na Jang
Quote of the Day
“Of course. Even more major because I think this week is really special for me.”
- Ariya Jutanugarn on if the Honda LPGA Thailand feels like a major to her
