By: Max Bechtoldt
It’s tournament season in basketball, but also on the LPGA Tour as the final bracket is decided for the T-Mobile Match Play in Las Vegas. Here are my rankings of the eight players left:
- Nelly Korda – Of course, it is hard to pick against the No. 1 ranked player in the world, who also has won her last three tournaments. On Friday it seems like she finally figured out Shadow Creek and its unique quirks, as this is her first time playing the event. She also has a favorable draw.
- Leona Maguire – Maguire (above) should be feared in match play. Maguire is 2-0-0 in Solheim Cup singles matches, with blowout wins over both Rose Zhang and Jennifer Kupcho. She also plays Shadow Creek well, evidenced by her No. 1 seed status. If the weather is bad once again, she is a strong player in adverse conditions.
- Sei Young Kim – Kim’s game seems tailor made for match play. She is aggressive, and can pull off shots that nobody else would dare try. This can get her into trouble, but in match play that matters just a little less. Kim is in the best form she’s been in since she won LPGA Player of the Year in 2020, with top-20 finishes in every event this season.
- Rose Zhang – Zhang pulled a tough draw having to go head-to-head with Kim in the opening round, but if the weather is as bad as it has been the last couple of days, it could work to her advantage. We heard Korda say in her interview yesterday that pars will win a lot of holes, and if Zhang plays that strategy it could work against the more aggressive Kim.
- Moriya Jutanugarn – After what Jutanugarn showed yesterday, I have to believe we’ll see her in strong form again today. She plays Maguire, which is a tough matchup to see her winning. That being said, Jutanugarn shot the low round of the day Friday, and won a playoff against some LPGA stars. Jutanugarn needed a 67 plus a birdie on the 21st hole to get in, but that effort showed a lot.
- Narin An – An has been a bit erratic this year with two missed cuts, but her game is clearly on an upswing with a top-15 finish last week and earning her way in with a strong round yesterday. She draws favorably in round one and if an upset occurs in the Korda vs Yin match, she could have a strong chance at getting to the finals.
- Angel Yin – Put plainly, it is tough to see Yin being able to go the distance here. In a normal circumstance she would possibly crack the top three, but coming off a broken foot, you have to believe that catches up to her at some point. Yin is 2-0-1 in her Solheim Cup singles matches, but she will have to play 36 holes today just to advance on a difficult walking course.
- Minami Katsu – Certainly the underdog here, Katsu is in her second year on tour and has only four top-20 finishes in her career. This could be a breakout showing for her, but with how many big names are on this leaderboard, it is tough to see her knocking them all off.
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