Featured Groups: Mizuho Americas Open | LPGA

Perfect pairings

The LPGA Tour is just across Upper New York Bay from the Big Apple this week for the inaugural Mizuho Americas Open at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, NJ. The Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings and seven of the eight winners of the 2023 LPGA Tour are ready to tee off in Lady Liberty’s shadow.

This event also features the top 24 AJGA juniors playing in a 72-hole Stableford competition. With a 36-hole professional cut after Friday for the top 50 and a tie, the weekend grouping will see one AJGA amateur play with two LPGA pros.

Here are some of the featured groups to keep an eye on this week at the Mizuho Americas Open:

Thursday, 8:21 am

Nasa Hataoka/Jennifer Kupcho/Georgia Hall

Six-time LPGA Tour winner Nasa Hataoka has had a somewhat ho-hum year. He has recorded six top-15 finishes in eight starts, the best of which was a solo fifth at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions. The 24-year-old played well at the Tour’s last stop in the Garden State, the Cognizant Founders Cup at Upper Montclair Country Club in Clifton, NJ, and will look to find that same form in Jersey City.

Jennifer Kupcho hasn’t had much of a year to write home about either, missing two cuts in nine starts and a season-best T16 finish at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions. But the Wake Forest University alum has shown he can play well in storied, well-known venues. She won the 2022 Chevron Championship at Mission Hills Country Club and finished T16 at last year’s KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Congressional Country Club, not to mention the arrest. Augusta National Women’s Amateur title in 2019.

Georgia Hall, on the other hand, has had a stellar 2023 season, earning seven top-15 finishes in eight starts, including back-to-back second-place finishes at the LPGA Drive On Championship at Superstition Mountain and the DIO Implant LA Open. His worst finish this season is a T44 coming at the JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro, and he tied for tenth at the Cognizant Founders Cup a few weeks ago. Hall ranks second in sub-par holes, second in rounds under par, third in birdies, fifth in scoring average and 12th in greens this season.

Thursday, 8:32 am

Jin Young Ko/Patty Tavatanakit/Danielle Kang

Rolex Rankings No. 1 Jin Young Ko earned her 15th career LPGA Tour win at the Cognizant Founders Cup with a playoff win over Minjee Lee to capture her third Founders Cup in five total visits. Ko returned to the top of the Rolex Rankings after the win, and given his interest in golf in New Jersey and a week off before Mizuho, ​​he is sure to be at the top of the list of players who could lift the trophy on Sunday. .

Patty Tavatanakit showed herself again at the Hanwha LIFEPLUS International Crown earlier this month, helping Team Thailand to their first Crown title with an impressive 4-1-0 performance. He has had a solid 2023 season after a challenging 2022. He has missed just one cut and earned one top-five finish, a T3 at the DIO Implant LA Open, in his previous eight starts.

Rounding out the group is Danielle Kang, who has struggled a bit with her ball-striking and comes into Liberty National looking to recapture the form she had earlier this season. Despite the challenges, 2023 has seen strong golf from the 30-year-old. She has earned three top-15 finishes, including a T3 at the HSBC Women’s World Championship, and has not missed the LPGA Drive On Championship due to illness.

Thursday, 13:10*

Grace Kim/Ayaka Furue/Maja Stark

Rookie Grace Kim became Rolex’s first winner earlier this season at the LOTTE Championship presented by Hoakalei, but ran into trouble immediately after the win as she missed out on both The Chevron Championship and the JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro. However, the Australian found his footing again, finishing T10 at the Cognizant Founders Cup in Clifton, NJ, and it will be interesting to see how he fares at Liberty National Golf Club.

Japan’s Ayaka Furue is coming off a runner-up finish at last week’s Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play presented by MGM Rewards, falling in the championship match for the second year in a row. Rolex Rankings No. 17 has been trending toward her second career LPGA Tour victory this season, recording four top-five finishes, including her runner-up performance in Las Vegas.

Maja Stark is also building momentum for the second New Jersey event of the 2023 season. The Swede just missed out on a spot in the Elite Eight of the Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play, finishing ninth, her top 15 of the year. Two of those top-five finishes come at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions and the Honda LPGA Thailand, where Stark finished T2 and T4.

* From No. 10