By: Max Bechtoldt
The LPGA Drive On Championship is the opening full-field event for the 2024 season. Here are some of the strongest groupings for the first two rounds (all times Est.)
7:58 – Cheyenne Knight, Alexa Pano, Xiyu Lin
Cheyenne Knight and Xiyu Lin are both coming off the strongest seasons of their careers. Knight won at The Dow Championship and made her Solheim Cup debut, while Lin notched seven top-10 finishes. The two breakouts from 2023 tee-it-up with 19-year-old Alexa Pano, who finished in second last week at the Tournament of Champions.
8:09 – Georgia Hall, Linn Grant, Celine Boutier
Three players that were on the 2023 Solheim Cup Team Europe, and inevitable will be again in 2024. These are three of the best European players in the world. Boutier is coming off a season where she won three events including a major, while Hall is looking for a win after three top-six finishes in 2023. Linn Grant seems to be one of the fastest rising stars in the sport, and will try to continue her late-season momentum.
8:20 – Megan Khang, Nelly Korda, Ruoning Yin
This group is going to be fun, featuring two of the best ball-strikers on tour in Ruoning Yin and Nelly Korda. Yin is ranked No. 2 in the world after her two-win 2023 including a major, while Korda is up to No. 4. They tee it up with Korda’s close friend Khang, who had a fantastic 2023, with a win and seven additional top-10s. The strongest group of the day to be sure.
12:38* – Lydia Ko, Hae Ran Ryu, Lilia Vu
Last week’s champion Lydia Ko will be with the reigning Rookie of the Year and the reigning Player of the Year for her second event of the season. Vu is, of course, a two-time major champion, while Ryu had one win in Arkansas but also had four additional top-10 finishes. Lydia Ko is coming off one of the weakest years in her career, but the win last week should propel a bounce back.
12: 49* – Lexi Thompson, Brooke Henderson, Amy Yang
Arguably the two biggest stars on the LPGA Tour, Lexi Thompson and Brooke Henderson, kick the Drive On Championship alongside last year’s CME Champion Amy Yang. It’s the first start of the season for Thompson, looking to recover from a mostly disastrous 2023. Henderson and Yang are both making their second starts of the year, with Henderson looking to continue her momentum after a third place finish, while Yang will look to improve on 22nd.
