Honda PTT LPGA Thailand Preview

UPDATE:  They are actually playing the Old Course this year, like they did in 2007.  That's what I get for writing a preview more than three days in advance.

The LPGA's 2010 campaign opens with two events in Asia, firstly with the Honda PTT LPGA Thailand.  This is the first time since 2004 that the official Tour season has not gotten underway in Hawaii and the first time since 1991 that the season has begun outside of the United States.

This is the fourth edition of the Thailand event, which was first played in the fall of 2006.  The tournament was postponed in 2008 so it could be relocated into the early part of the 2009 schedule.  Lorena Ochoa won last year's event, coming from three shots back of Paula Creamer at the start of the final round.  Ochoa wound up winning by three strokes over Hee Young Park, by four over Creamer.

For the second straight year, the tournament will be played on the Plantation Course at Siam Country Club (they played the Old Course at SCC in 2007).  Water comes into play on about a third of the holes and the players should expect warm and humid conditions.  I am anxious to see what a golf tournament in Thailand looks like - Golf Channel will have tape-delayed coverage of this event for the first time, thanks to its new contract with the Tour which kicks off this week.

The 60-player field is about as strong as it could possibly be - every member of my current Top 40 will be playing.  This is only the fifth event to earn a Field Score of 100 since I began calculating them from the beginning of the 2008 season.  The Priority List Top 50 automatically make the field (#51 Inkster is in because #42 Michele Redman is not) along with ten sponsor's exemptions, who number Stacy Prammanasudh, Russy Gulyanamitta, Laura Davies and Amanda Blumenherst among them.

I'm a little rusty on making tournament picks, not having made any since Samsung.  Not that I was any great shakes at it before the layoff - only three outright winners in 21 events but nine winners among my Top 12 weekly choices.  Let's get 2010 off on the right foot, shall we Paula?