Ford Championship by Wild Horse Pass - LPGA Tour (2025)

While it's been fun covering Ladies European Tour events in Australia the past two weeks at Coffs Harbour and Wollongong, with really string showings in both, it is back to the nitty gritty bread and butter of LPGA Tour. We try to follow up 21-year-old sensation Rio Takeda's stunning dominant victory at Blue Bay LPGA in China three week's ago. Players have had time off to reflect and work on certain parts of their game and we have a great event this week in Arizona for Ford Championship. Can we win again on the best tour on earth? We shall see but I'm quietly optimistic of continuing a barren run of results.

Tournament

The LPGA Tour returns to mainland USA for the foreseeable future after the three event 'Asian Swing' starting in Arizona's fourth most populous city in Chandler at Whirlwind Golf Club to the south of Phoenix Sky Harbour Airport for some Desert Golf.We'll see a star studded field ready to tee it up this week ahead of a long stretch of events to come with mostly everyone in the field here, barring Minjee Lee, who is the obvious omission.

This Gary Panks designed 6,661 yard Par 72 course, that has great views of Sierra Estrella Mountain Range, is continuously ranked as one of the best courses to play in the state of Arizona. It will host a LPGA Tour event for the first time after last year's inaugural Ford Championship was held at Seville Golf & Country Club in Gilbert, Arizona. The Greens are TifEagle Bermudagrass and will doubtedly firm up as the week goes on with continually hot weather forecasted and winds to a minimum, excluding Friday afternoon, where winds look to gust a little bit more.

This week's purse on LPGA Tour is a staggering $2.25 million, adding the extra motivation for the players as the LPGA Tour keeps stepping up with added purses this year. As always, 500 CME Points will be awarded to the winner.

History

2024 - Nelly Korda (-20) by 2 shots to Hira Naveed

2024 Ford Championship Top 25 and Ties

1) Nelly Korda (-20)

2) Hira Naveed (-18)

3) Frida Kinhult, Maja Stark, Mi Hyang Lee, Lexi Thompson & Carlota Ciganda (-17)

8) Andrea Lee, Lauren Coughlin, Jenn Kupcho, Sarah Schmelzel & Hyo Joo Kim (-16)

13) Megan Khang, Kristen Gillman, Lydia Ko, Ayaka Furue, Yuka Saso, Gabi Ruffels, Na Rin An & Sei Young Kim (-15)

21) Lilia Vu, Hannah Green, Emily Pedersen, Moriya Jutanugarn & Polly Mack (-14)

LPGA Stats

Current Top 20 for SG: Approach:

1) Megan Khang

2) Yealimi Noh

3) Akie Iwai

4) Lexi Thompson

5) Rio Takeda

6) Jeeno Thitikul

7) Maude-Aimee Leblanc

8) Dani Holmqvist

9) Elizabeth Szokol

10) Carlota Ciganda

11) Haeran Ryu

12) Charley Hull

13) Wei-Ling Hsu

14) Georgia Hall

15) Emily Kristine Pedersen

16) Ashleigh Buhai & Allisen Corpuz

18) Nanna Koertz Madsen & Nasa Hataoka

20) Rose Zhang

Current Top 20 for SG: Tee to Green

1) Megan Khang

2) Carlota Ciganda

3) Yealimi Noh

4) Rio Takeda

5) Akie Iwai

6) Haeran Ryu

7) A Lim Kim

8) Charley Hull

9) Nanna Koertz Madsen

10) Jeeno Thitikul

11) Patty Tavatanakit

12) Ina Yoon

13) Nelly Korda & Nasa Hataoka

15) Jin Hee Im

16) Lexi Thompson

17) Wei-Ling Hsu

18) Georgia Hall

19) Minami Katsu

20) Paula Reto & Emily Kristine Pedersen

Current Top 20 for Driving Accuracy

1) Andrea Lee

2) Ayaka Furue

3) Megan Khang

4) Cheyenne Knight

5) Hye Jin Choi

6) Chisato Iwai

7) Lauren Coughlin

8) Jasmine Suwannapura

9) Lilia Vu & Na Rin An

11) Brooke Henderson

12) Nelly Korda, Jenny Shin, Haeran Ryu, Miyu Yamashita, Lucy Li, Wei-Ling Hsu, Yuri Yoshida & Jiwon Jeon

Form of the Tournament Favourites

Jeeno Thitikul (8/1) - 12/2/3/1/1/2/8/5/7/2

Nelly Korda (9/1) - 7/2/5/1/5/2/22/26/MC

Lydia Ko (14/1) - 1/48/6/3/14/12/10/1/1

Ayaka Furue (18/1) - 3/2/20/13/25/8/20/10/30

Jin Young Ko (22/1) - 18/45/2/4/12/7/22/67/2

Rio Takeda (22/1) - 1/21/9/45/8/5/3/MC/1

Haeran Ryu (25/1) - 18/14/14/35/20/3/3/6/MC

Charley Hull (25/1) - 4/8/19/16/2/1/12/19/20

Miyū Yamashita (28/1) - 11/8/21/4/6/1/4/12/26

Yealimi Noh (28/1) - 7/11/1/25/4/30/16/4/17

Ruoning Yin (30/1) - 33/21/26/MC/4/20/1/14/1

Angel Yin (33/1) - WD/1/10/18/2/MC/9/35/8

Nasa Hataoka (33/1) - 8/14/11/55/25/4/63/2/9

A Lim Kim (40/1) - 17/7/6/1/25/34/1/64/39

Hannah Green (40/1) - 7/4/20/4/19/MC/6/1/47

Picks

Ayaka Furue 18/1 (5pl ew, Ladbrokes)

Current Form

• 3rd Blue Bay LPGA

• 2nd HSBC Women's World Championship

• 20th Honda LPGA Thailand

• 13th Founders Cup

• 25th Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions

• 8th CME Globe Tour Championship

• 20th LOTTE Championship

• 10th Toto Japan Classic

• 30th Maybank Championship

Stats

• 2nd Driving Accuracy/26th Greens in Regulation/3rd Most Birdies/23rd Bogey Avoidance/22nd Par 4 Scoring so far in 2025.

• Ranked 1st for both Driving Accuracy & Greens in Regulation at Blue Bay LPGA, also ranked 14th for Scrambling & 7th for Putting Average at HSBC Women's World Champs.

• Currently stands in 4th place in this season's Race to CME Globe Rankings.

While Jeeno is human after all for failing to make a top ten finish for an 11th straight event, Nelly Korda is teeing up for the first time since Bradenton in early February and Lydia Ko returning after a 23rd LPGA Tour victory, any of the top three could go on to win this. I'm going to go with current Evian Championship major winner Ayaka Furue who for me is the most consistent player in the world of golf at the minute. Time-and-time again, she proves why she's one of the best players in the world with a worst finish of 30th in her last nine tournament starts (absolutely ludicrous stat.)

Ayaka and her experienced caddy Mike Scott, who have had a fantastic partnership since 2021, have mustered up an impressive 26 Top tens together since Furue came onto the LPGA in 2022. They come fresh off of back-to-back top fives, finishing third at the Blue Bay LPGA in China and second at the HSBC Women's World Championship in Singapore while they already have three top 20s in five starts this year.

Ayaka is one of the most accurate players off the tee, ranking third for most birdies and is one of the best putters in the women's game, especially on firm and fast greens where she excels on. Feels like the Furue/Scott team are due another big title win! Super star. Wouldn't take any less than 12/1

Hannah Green 40/1 (5pl ew, William Hill)

Current Form:

• 7th HSBC Women's World Championship

• 4th Founders Cup

• 20th Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions

• 4th ISPS Handa Australian Open

• 19th CME Globe Tour Championship

• MC The Annika

• 6th Maybank Championship

• 1st BMW Ladies Open South Korea

• 47th Buick LPGA Shanghai

Stats

• 13th for Greens in Regulation/14th for Bogey Avoidance/28th for Par 4 Scoring & 22nd for Par 4 Scoring this season.

• Ranks 13th/24th & 14th in last 3 starts for Putting Average, also Ranks 23rd, 3rd, 16th & 7th in last 4 for Scrambling. Was 3rd & 4th for Greens in Regulation in last 2 starts

• Currently 13th on Race to CME Globe Rankings

If you are an avid follower of mine over the past two years, then I'm sure you are sick to death of me mentioning the Australian Queen all the time, but what else do you expect when you get a now 6-time LPGA Tour winner at 40/1? It's well documented that Greeny is probably my favourite player on tour having won for me three times in 18 months, twice at JM Eagle LA Championship and HSBC Women's World Champs last year in Singapore, and was devastated that she won in South Korea last year (I wasn't on, crying.)

The Perth ace has started the season as you would expect with a seventh in Singapore on last start when defending her title, fourth at Founders Cup and 20th at the season opening Tournament of Champions at Lake Nona. Hannah continues to be one of the best players in the world and I've noticed over the past few years the bookmakers don't seem to rate her very highly and she can drift out to crazy odds (I mean she was a 70/1 winner for me in Singapore 2024, ha ha!)

For me she is one of the most under appreciate players on tour that is so, so dangerous when she is in the mood. Her ball striking is on top form and she has shown in the past to be one of the best clutch putters in the game. Although Hannah has recently switched up from Nate Blasko to David Buhai on the bag who is the husband of former AIG Women's Open winner Ashleigh, it seems that they have got the right rhythm going. At last year's Ford Championship at Seville G&CC she shot an -11 61 on Friday to take the 36-hole lead, so she has the ammunition to go mental. Only a matter of time before win number seven for the Aussie star. Wouldn't take any less than 25/1

Megan Khang 40/1 (5pl ew, Bet365)

Current Form

• 3rd Founders Cup

• 18th Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions

• 22nd CME Globe Tour Championship

• 8th The Annika

• 56th Maybank Championship

• 8th BMW Ladies Open South Korea

• 65th NW Walmark Arkansas Championship

• 35th FM Championship

• MC AIG Women's Open

Stats

• Currently 1st for SG: App/1st for SG: T2G, 1st for Greens in Regulation/3rd for Driving Accuracy/4th for Bogey Avoidance & 9th for Par 5 Scoring this season.

• Ranks 7th & 9th in 2 of last 4 starts for Putting Average, also Ranks 17th, 23rd & 22nd for Scrambling in last 3 starts.

Next up is the very lively and likeable MK who, in only two starts this year, has started off well with a third at Founders Cup and 18th at Tournament of Champions. The one-time LPGA Tour title winner is consistently up there with the creme-de-la-creme of elite level ball strikers and is supremely accurate off-the-tee.

Megan has an astonishing 43 top ten finishes on LPGA Tour in her career so far. My former podcast guest who, at the time was as high as 13th in the world, broke her win duck after eight years of trying at 2023 CPKC Women's Open defeating Jin Young Ko in an epic playoff.

She gives herself tons of chances in tournaments. If she can get the putter working just above average, then MK has to come into the equation this week at some stage. In two visits to Arizona, she has a 13th and 39th. My only small worry would be just how much rust there may be after six weeks off, but still is a threat.Wouldn't take any less than 25/1

Jennifer Kupcho 66/1 (5pl ew, Ladbrokes)

Current Form

• 29th HSBC Women's World Championship

• 11th Honda LPGA Thailand

• 34th Founders Cup

• 12th CME Globe Tour Championship

• MC The Annika

• 26th Toto Japan Classic

• 30th Maybank Championship

• 41st BMW Ladies Open South Korea

• 7th NW Walmart Arkansas Championship

Stats

• Currently Ranks 27th for Greens in Regulation/26th for Scoring Average/25th for Most Birdies & 33rd for Par 4 Scoring this season.

• Ranked 3rd for Driving Accuracy at Honda LPGA Thailand, also ranked 27th, 23rd & 15th in last 3 for Putting Average

Another that feels quite decent value this week is 2022 Chevron Championship and three-time LPGA title winner Jennifer Kupcho. She is admittedly not pulling up any trees with 29th, 11th and 34th in her three starts this year on Tour, it shows the consistency to her game that years ago, she once never had. She used to be quite erratic in events and miss cuts frequently but has only missed, I believe two cuts in 12 months-plus, which is a brilliant turnaround for a clearly very talented player.

Jennifer has a storied amateur career and was the inaugural winner of the now prestigious Augusta National Women's Amateur Championship in 2019. In her pro career, she is also a three-time Solheim Cup participant for Team USA and while next Solheim isn't until 2026 in The Netherlands, I'm sure Jenn will be itching to be in newly announced captain Angela Stanford's plans. She may have to add a win or two to work her way on automatically, given that she's now 47th in the world, so maybe some extra motivation for the major champion? We shall see.

Jenn, in her two visits to the state of Arizona, finished eighth at Seville last year and 34th at Drive On in 2023. I feel that her stellar off the Tee game should suit her this week. Wouldn't take any less than 50/1

LONGSHOT ALERT! 💣 💣

Hira Naveed 400/1 (5pl ew, Ladbrokes)

Current Form

• 44th Blue Bay LPGA

• 8th PIF Saudi Ladies International

• 56th Founders Cup

• 69th The Annika

• MC LOTTE Championship

• 17th Toto Japan Classic

• 51st Maybank Championship

• 67th BMW Ladies Open South Korea

• 53rd Buick LPGA Shanghai

Stats

• 79th for Greens in Regulation & 72nd for Par 4's (2025)

• Ranked 42nd, 28th & 28th in last 3 for Driving Accuracy. Also ranked 44th, 40th & 20th in last 3 for Greens in Regulation, ranked 2nd for Putting Average in Saudi.

Now you are probably wondering why I'm taking a 400/1 shot this week with not too much form but after speaking with New Zealand born Aussie player Hira Naveed on Friday (spoiler alert that's the next uploaded episode of the pod.) I've got a sense of more good things are to come. She goes back to the scene of her career best second last year across the road at Seville where she was super that week with rounds including a 65 to mount a challenge on the seemingly unbeatable Nelly Korda. She did that well last year to her credit and will take her at massive odds to go well again this year.

Naveed spent three seasons on Epson Tour where they go back to the state of Arizona two times a year, so she is super familiar with Arizona and openly admitted on the podcast that she just loves Desert Golf. She loves to play in the heat given she spent her childhood in Perth. I'm quite sure she wouldn't hate a bit of sun! Her record in Arizona on Epson reads 17th, 48th, 8th, 9th, 62nd and 18th to go along with the second here at Ford Championship last year on the big tour.

Hira is now in her second season as a full LPGA Tour card holder and feel like the more she plays these type of events, the more she will start to get comfortable. Good memories of a state she likes and is familiar with. Hira Naveed 400/1 why not? Wouldn't take any less than 225/1

As always thanks for reading and let's carry on the momentum! Enjoy a bumper week of Golf!

Let's go!