The JTBC Classic presented by Barbasol was known for many years as the Kia Classic, but the Korean pay TV broadcaster and U.S. based shaving products company have taken over rights this year.
Played since 2010, the tournament boasts a formidable honour roll including Lydia Ko and last year’s winner, Inbee Park.
Interestingly, the seven-time major champion won a Kia as part of the prize in 2021, the first time she had won a car through golf.
The big news from the lead up to this year’s event is the absence of Nelly Korda who was diagnosed with a blood clot in her arm two weeks ago and continues to rest.
RIGHT: Inbee Park took what was then named the Kia Classic in 2021, her 21st win on the LPGA Tour. PHOTO: Donald Miralle/Getty Images.
DEFENDING CHAMPION: 21 times the LPGA engraver has been called on to inscribe the name Inbee Park on a trophy, the last of those coming last year at this very event.
Park won by five strokes, matching the largest winning margin of her LPGA career, over Lexi Thompson and Amy Olson.
COURSE: An Arnold Palmer design on a difficult piece of land, Aviara Golf Club is home to a Hyatt resort and residential development and all indicators suggest it was these facilities, not golf course architecture, driving the development.
Home to this event since 2013, the course has tended to produce runaway winners with four of the eight events played here won by three strokes or more and just one play-off in that time.
Scoring has tended on the low side over the years with single digits under par the winning score just once.
That’s no surprise given the target market of this course for 51 weeks per year, the multiple manufactured water hazards much more hazardous to the scorecards of resort guests than touring professionals.
PRIZEMONEY: US$1,500,000
PLAYERS TO WATCH: The two standout names on the LPGA for the best part of the last 12 months have been Nelly Korda and Jin Young Ko but only one of them will be in action this week.
Korda remains out of action with a blood clot discovered in her arm two weeks ago with no predicted date yet for her return.
Jin Young Ko is one-from-one in her 2022 LPGA Tour season and is once again a player to watch this week. PHOTO: Andrew Redington/Getty Images.
Meanwhile, Ko comes into the week off a win Singapore in her only start of the season, a victory that began 2022 the way she ended 2021.
Ko won the final event of last season and with a record at this tournament of two top-fives and one top-10 in three starts, it is hard to imagine she won’t be in the mix come Sunday.
However, the LPGA is not lacking depth and our own minjee lee is likely to be among the contenders after a T5 finish here last year.
Runner-up and T12 in her two starts in Asia, Lee is showing signs 2022 could be another outstanding year and an early victory would be a great head start.
Other likely suspects include Brooke Henderson after a start to the year which has seen her finish outside the top-10 only once in five tournaments. She finished T11 in the other.
Danielle Kang has been even more impressive with a victory, a runner-up and two top-10s in her four starts so far and after a T7 result here last year will like her chances.
72-HOLE RECORD: 268 (-20, Mirim Lee2017; Cristie Kerr 2015)
18-HOLE RECORD: 62 (Mi Jung Hur2019; Kim Hyo Joo2019)
PAST AUSSIE WINNERS: No Australian has won the event.
AUSTRALIANS IN THE FIELD: Minjee Lee, Hannah Green, Sarah Kemp, Katherine Kirk and Steph Kyriacou.
TV TIMES*
Round 1: Friday (Fox Sports 503 8am –11am)
Round 2: Saturday (Fox Sports 503 8am – 11am)
Round 3: Sunday (Fox Sports 503 8am – 11am)
Round 4: Monday (Fox Sports 503 8am – 11am)
*AEDT, check local guides
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