Whole LOTTE Love ποΈ
Seven moreThe LOTTE Championship presented by Hoakalei starts on WEDNESDAY. I gave up trying to understand the LPGA schedule years ago, but stopping in Hawaii before the fall Asia swing does make sense. Last year, the ladies played the LOTTE on their way back from the Far EAST in November. The LOTTE started in 2012 as a spring event held in April. Last year was the first time it was played in the fall. For the fourth year in a row, the tournament is being contested at Hoakalei Country Club. Four of the top 10 players in the Rolex rankings are competing, and 9 of the top 25. That does surprise me, as we only have seven more events to play (including this week) before the top 60 cut-off for the CME Group Tour Championship. Five of those last seven are overseas and limited field events. Points are precious and will be tough to come by on Oahu. I have reactions to the 45th Ryder Cup and thought they would be more relevant in the PGA TOUR newsletter, so I am saving them for Wednesday. LOTTE Championship starts in...Hoakalei Country Club has been a fun venue for this event. The average winning score in three editions is 14 under par. A Lim Kim was 18 under par last year, but the wind wasn't there. In the previous two years, the average winning score was 12 under par. Get those trade winds whipping across this 2009 Ernie Els design, and you will start missing fairways and greens. Hoakalei is located a little west along the coastline from Waialae Country Club, where they play the Sony Open. If you are looking at Pearl Harbor on a map, it is just to the left. Thirteen holes have water in play, and 112 bunkers cover the golf course. The weather conditions can cause havoc, especially in the afternoon rounds. A field of 120 players is competing for $3 million. The top 65 and ties get to the weekend and have a chance to take home the $450,000 winner's check and trophy. The forecast calls for beautiful temperatures and moderate wind. Any breeze blowing in the mid-teens or less will be a blessing to these players. Hoakalei is a par 72 layout covering 6,566 yards. Nine par 4s measure under 400 yards, and the average par 3 length is 159 yards. Tons of short irons are in play. With less ball speed than the men, strike a wedge up in the air, and it is going sideways in the wind. I can remember the carnage around the fourth hole in 2022. A short 135-yard par 3, the women were missing that perched green all day and couldnβt get up and down. If you have played Hoakalei, then you know the fourth hole is not a par 3. Tournament Officials employ a special routing for the tournament.
The afternoons will top off in the high 80s. Hawaii is paradise, and it will feel like it all week. There's a 10-15% chance of afternoon showers each day, but those rain predictions have not held all summer. No rain will be a welcome sight after the washed-out Walmart. HCC does have pretty large greens at 7,500 sq/ft (on average). Those putting surfaces are covered in Seashore Paspalum. Those familiar with Paspalum grass know how the playability favors the field. It is easier to chip from, green speeds are never super-fast, and the ball will sit up on top in the rough. The spongy consistency tends to produce great lies, and that will help these ladies score. Unfortunately, with over 110 bunkers and plenty of penalty areas, the LPGA ladies wish there was more of it! Two full field events this week to fill the card. Let's keep an eye on those players who need a serious fall run. Last year's runner-up, Nataliya Guseva, is currently ranked 73rd on the points list. Other "names" outside the top 60 are Lilia Vu, Gabby Ruffels, Robyn Choi, Rose Zhang, Ashleigh Buhai, and Alison Lee. Women we will be watching over the next month who need to make a move. Speaking of moves, Nelly Korda is the favorite and still without a win. I'm not sure if Paspalum greens will solve her putting woes, but a little change might not hurt. Korda had seven wins last year and still has not captured a trophy in 2025. Those that have are ALL different. Is this the first week we get a repeat champion? Read below to see what it will take to bring home the first-place LOTTE lei. Balancing actHoakalei CC is designed by the "Big Easy", which seems like an oxymoron. The ladies have anything but an easy run on this coastal course. One of the most balanced T2G tests on the LPGA tour, strokes gained approach does rank first of the four main categories, but the other three are quite equal. Recent venues have emphasized the iron game. As such, we do have plenty of recent history going into Hawaii. HCC has 30 acres of fairway. Not a ton by LPGA or even PGA TOUR standards, but we know the women are far more accurate off the tee. With 90% of the par 4s under 400 yards, I'm not terribly worried about length. A nice 70/30 combination of accuracy over ball speed is my skill set off the tee. Putting on Paspalum favors those putters who can adjust quickly to different speeds. The greens are slower and much grainier. It takes patience and a whole lotta hit at the bottom to get the ball to the hole consistently. Adding more hit (speed) can throw some players off. Couple that with 7,500 sq/ft greens, and three-putting becomes a problem. Players need great lag putting and solid saves from under eight feet. The difficulty of pulling that off can be measured in the last three leaderboards. The top 10s gain and average of less than two strokes on the field with their flatstick. If there's one place you want the putter working, it is the par 5s. Of the three par categories, players score on the 5s. Most weeks, that is the truth, but at HCC, it is imperative. Many of the medium-length par 3s and 4s are where the field gets into trouble. Those recent LOTTE contenders hit about 70% of their GIRs and 75% of their fairways. Most of that is wind-affected, but the well-rounded point remains. Our winner will have a healthy birdie-to-bogey ratio. With 112 bunkers, you'll definitely need some sand acumen, and one number that does stand out is scrambling. Players who excel around the green can gain on the field. This is one of the few events where you can lower the emphasis on ball striking and heighten it on the short game influence. Our winner will need to gain 10 strokes on the field T2G. At least two (or more) of those strokes will come from close range. The target approach player is really good with a wedge. These greens will be far from soft as the island chain has been in a drought all summer. Oahu has received less than an inch of rain since June 1. Plenty of bounce will make a big difference. Even without the wind, short game, putter speed control, and driving it in the fairway will be a blueprint needed to contend. Spin, in this case, will keep your ball on the green. Most LPGA players lack the speed needed to rip a ball back like the boys at Bethpage. These women can stop it on a dime. Combining that with controlling your trajectory in the wind will make a huge difference. Great ball strikers hit their long irons and fairway woods high, and their wedges low with a penetrating ball flight. The last couple of leaderboards have been interesting. Don't be thrown off by the names. Last year, four of the top 25 in the Rolex competed. The year before, it was eight of the top 30. Location and timing play a role in that. Nelly has never played here along with Charley, and Rio. This leaves an opportunity for a couple of players who have. I'm splitting the card between four players who have recent form and a mix of course experience. By covering both sides, I believe there are a couple of players listed below who can make a serious run on Sunday Saturday afternoon. Outright winners - LOTTE ChampionshipRead between the linesThe best place to follow news about Read The Line is right here! β Do you know what it means to be a member of Read The Line?We provide more outrights, prop bets, H2H matchups, DFS lineups, and One & Done picks. Hit the link above and see for yourself! β
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