Navistar LPGA Classic Preview

Defending Champion - Maria Hjorth

Capitol Hill's The Senator

Prattville, Alabama

72 holes, begins Thursday

Par 72, 6632 yards

Field Score - 71

Scoring Averages - 73.37 (2007)

2008 Scoring Average to date - 72.89

U.S. TV coverage (all times EDT):

Thu 6:30-8:30p GC

Fri 8:30-10:30p GC

Sat 6:30-9p GC

Sun 6:30-9p GC

After a sporatic schedule to end the summer, the LPGA kicks off nine straight weeks of action with this week's second-annual Navistar event near Montgomery, Alabama.  Maria Hjorth overtook Lorena Ochoa and Stacy Prammanasudh on the Sunday back nine to win last year's inaugural.

For the second event in a row, the ladies tee it up on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail.  Capitol Hill's The Senator has a links-like feel to it, with pot bunkers and fairway mounds.  The yardage is listed at nearly 400 yards longer than a year ago so apparently a few tee boxes have been moved back.  Three of the par-5s exceed 500 yards (#10 is 547) which is a little unusual for an LPGA layout.

The number of Top 10 players here is on the slim side - only Lorena Ochoa, Yani Tseng, Cristie Kerr and Seon Hwa Lee - but the rest of the Top 40 is only missing three players, making this a good field.  Of the 35 players I mentioned in my Quest For The Card post as needing less than a miracle to gain Top 80 or 100 status, only Russy Gulyanamitta (75), Linda Wessberg (78), Jimin Jeong (107) and Sophie Giquel (115) are not in Prattville.  I'll be tracking the bubble players this weekend along with the leaders.

My losing streak continues.  This week's worthless prediction?  Lorena Ochoa to win, with Katherine Hull and Hee-Won Han my CYAs.

Stats:  Winners 5-25 (9-25 with CYAs), Top Tens 33-75.