By: Max Bechtoldt
The third major of the season is about to get underway at Sahalee Country Club near Seattle, and there is some extra pressure on the players this week. In addition to being another chance to etch yourself into major championship history, it is also the last chance to make a final push at the Olympic qualifying. Who will join Nelly Korda and Yuka Saso as 2024 major champions? Here are my picks:
No. 5: Jin Hee Im – Ever since her strong, top-10 performance in the Chevron Championship, Jin Hee Im has established herself as a consistent presence on tour. The rookie has three top-20 finishes since that event and has placed top-15 in both of her major championship performances so far. There is no reason to believe that she won’t have another strong week.
No. 4: Atthaya Thitikul – All Thitikul has done since returning from injury this season is what she does best, post low scores. The 2023 Vare Trophy winner for best stroke play has finished in the top 10 in her last four starts. In six total appearances in 2024, Thitikul has finished outside of the top 12 only one time. It is safe to bet on a high finish here once again.
No. 3: Brooke Henderson – Why is Henderson this high? Pretty simple, she won on Sahalee in 2016. Her first major title was a pretty dominant performance, winning in a playoff over prime Lydia Ko after a -6 Sunday performance. Henderson should obviously have positive memories at Sahalee and has for the most part, played very well in 2024 with only one missed cut and five top-10 finishes, though none of them have been particularly recent. As a former champion, and considering Sahalee’s close distance to Canada, bet on Henderson having the biggest crowds behind her this week.
No. 2: Ally Ewing – Nobody has played better golf recently than Ally Ewing. Ewing finished in the top five in each of her last two appearances, and had a real shot for a lot of the weekend at Meijer. Her final round performance at the U.S. Women’s Open was incredible, and clearly set off strong momentum moving forward. Ewing hasn’t missed a single cut this season, and her ball-striking is incredible. While she is still looking for her first career major, she is one of the best in the world without one, and that is the kind of player who often wins this event.
No. 1 Lilia Vu – Lilia Vu came back strong in her first event since March, beating a strong field at the Meijer LPGA Classic. That’s all I needed to see out of the best modern major championship performer to pick her to win. Vu has played in 10 career majors as a professional, she has finished in the top 10 in three of them, winning two last season. I think Vu will grab the third leg of the career grand slam at Sahalee, and win her third major championship in just two years.
