The final major of the LPGA Tour season kicks off this week in England at the AIG Women’s Open, held at the famed Royal Lytham & St. Annes. Here are some of the odds to target, and some of the odds to be skeptical of:
Odds to Target:
Brooke Henderson (+3,500) – The elephant in the room here is undeniably clear, Brooke Henderson doesn’t have the best history on links style courses. She has really never performed well in this event, and it is her weakest major by a long shot. Henderson’s game just seems to be in such a great place though. Henderson has finished in the top three at the last two tournaments, both majors and hasn’t looked this good overall in years. She’s rounding well into form and having the No. 13 odds is tremendous value.
Lauren Coughlin (+6,500) – Coughlin is coming off a good week at the Scottish that gives me some confidence that she has shaken off the, frankly, terrible place her game was in before that. Coughlin had missed five out of her last six cuts, but had a nice top-five finish last week at Dundonald. She has good history on links courses, as shown by her Scottish Open performances over the years. She also plays well on difficult setups, which should help her here.
Andrea Lee (+12,500) – If you are looking for a “long shot” to win this week, I think you could do a whole lot worse than Andrea Lee at +12,500. Lee almost always rounds into form around this time of year, but hasn’t yet shown that strong form. She has made cuts at the last two events she’s played in, both majors, but after some time off, I expect to see her a bit higher on the leaderboard.
Odds to be Skeptical of:
Charley Hull (+2,800) – Hull has gotten better on links courses and has performed arguably better than anyone in this event over the past three seasons. I still have some concerns about her game though. She put together a great effort to make the cut in Scotland last week after a disastrous Thursday, but that isn’t quite enough to convince me she is going to be in serious contention to win.
Miyu Yamashita (+1,100) – The defending champion Yamashita certainly should be considered in the group of players who have a legitimate shot at winning this week. The biggest issue is her odds, which are the second strongest in the field behind Nelly Korda. I think Yamashita will put in her usually good performance this week, but there are better places to look.
Sei Young Kim (+2,800) – Sei Young Kim is an odds darling, and it makes sense. She has huge upside every time she steps on a course and is a long-term, proven winner with loads of experience. She has quietly put up a lot of solid performances, highlighted by a great week at the U.S. Women’s Open, but not enough to put her really on my win radar this week.
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