Sei Young Kim Takes the Pelican Women's Championship in Dominant Fashion for 12th Career Win

Photo provided by Ben Harpring

Top 10

1) Sei Young Kim (-14) (+1000)

2) Ally McDonald (-11) (+2500)

3) Stephanie Meadow (-9) (+17500)

T4) Austin Ernst (-8) (+4500)

T4) Lydia Ko (-8) (+2500)

T6) Jessica Korda (-7) (+5500)

T6) Angela Stanford (-7) (+15000)

T6) Jennifer Song (-7) (+3500)

T6) Brooke Henderson (-7) (+1100)

10) Ashleigh Buhai (-5) (+7500)

Kent Picks:

Jin Young Ko at 7.5 units (+1100)- T34

Minjee Lee at 5 units (+1400)- T15

Brittany Altomare at 5 units (+4000)-T15

Sung Hyun Park at 5 units (+4500)- T66

Bianca Pagdanganan at 2.5 units (+7500)- T34

Ben Picks:

Lexi Thompson at 5 units (+2200)-T27

Lydia Ko at 7 units (+2500) - T4

Sung Hyun Park at 8 units (+4500)- T66

Mi Hyang Lee at 4 units (+9000)- T58

Muni He at 1 unit (+200000)- MC

Total Units Won: 237.5

Total Units Bet: 275

ROI on the season: -13.6%

Ben Picks:

Total Units Won: 0

Total Units Bet: 50

ROI on the season: N/A

Recap:

Sei Young Kim adds to an illustrious 2020 campaign with back-to-back wins, moving her into third all-time of Korean wins on the LPGA Tour with 12 wins in six seasons after winning the Pelican LPGA Championship by three shots.

“I'm very happy to win the 12th tournament, and then after win the major tournament, so it means a lot to me,” Kim said.

Kim won by only practicing for five days after her last victory in late October. She returned home to South Korea after winning the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. During her three weeks in the eastern hemisphere, she never touched a club, celebrating her victory with friends after a two-week quarantine period.

She flew back to Dallas, Texas last week where she has residence in the United States to begin practicing for five days before the Pelican LPGA Championship.

It wasn’t as easy as it seemed for the No. 2 player in the world. Kim had to fend off Ally McDonald, who also eyed back-to-back wins after her first career victory at the Drive On Championship three weeks ago in a boxing style match, as the two played together all weekend long.

They were dead even through 37 holes after McDonald birdied the first Saturday to get to (-8). In turn, Kim built a three-shot lead on Saturday going birdie-birdie-bogey from the sixth through the eighth after a double-bogey at the 8th for the American gave another stroke to the 2020 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship winner.

After the two parred the next three holes, McDonald landed a counter right hook with an ace at the 12th hole, cutting Kim’s lead to one.

“I thought a 115 shot, just playing the front edge, would be enough to pitch it a few yards on and let it release. Honestly, this is kind of how my strategy works was everything told me to look a couple paces right of it, so I did. That's kind of my strategy, because I wasn't looking at the hole but then it went in. That's kind of how it is,” McDonald said.

Kim went into a gear she can only get into on the LPGA Tour to respond. The Korean birdied four of the final five holes Saturday to emerge with a daunting five-shot lead going into Sunday.

“13 is a par-5. I reached the green and then two-putt, easy birdie. And then next hole par-3, I had 6-iron, but it was really solid. So I had like two feet, a tap-in birdie. And then, 16 and 17 also, I had a good shot and a good putt,” Kim laughed after explaining.

She went home and watched The Last Dance, the Netflix and ESPN co-produced documentary on Michael Jordan’s 1997-98 Chicago Bulls, on the sheer dominance Jordan displayed for his 6th title.

Sunday lined up little drama with the large lead, but Kim felt pressure after it dropped to three with nine to play off a bogey on the ninth, the second stroke McDonald picked up in three holes.

“After the back nine my feeling wasn't good, so Ally was going really good. It could be she chase me. That was -- that's my thought. So when I turned the nine hole I was a little bit pressure before made the birdie on 14," Kim said.

The birdie on the par 5 14th extended Kim's lead to four, and McDonald didn't get closer to that until the American birdied and Kim bogeyed the tournament's final hole. Like Mike, Kim ended the competition in a shower of champagne. She even admitted in her press conference after play she felt tipsy.

Kim’s 12th career victory is a reason to drink the bubbly, as she now only trails Hall of Famers Inbee Park (20) and Se Ri Pak (25) for most wins on the LPGA Tour from South Korea. Kim also holds the lead in the Vare Trophy and Rolex Player of the Year Award races after her 2nd win of 2020.

Jin Young Ko and Jeongeun Lee6, reigning Player of the Year and Louise Suggs Players of the Year, made their return to action on the LPGA Tour. They finished T34 and T42, respectively.

Jessica Korda had her best finish of 2020, and has three consecutive top 10s in the sunshine state, dating back to the CME Group Tour Championship at the end of 2019.

Ben’s Analysis of Kent’s Picks

Jin Young Ko, the World Number One, made her first start of 2020 on the LPGA Tour this week at the Pelican Women's Championship. Ko was a good pick, with her recent success on the KLPGA Tour (Two Top-10's) heading into this week. She is also the Number One player for a reason. She's really, really good! But with this being her first event on the LPGA Tour in over a year, I think there is a little "settling in" period that takes place. I think that was this week. I expect a strong performance from Ko in her next event.

Minjee Lee was fresh off a win on the Ladies European Tour, and is always one of the most consistent LPGA Tour players. She is almost always a great pick! Minjee has five top-10's this season, and 52 in her career. To go along with her five LPGA victories. Lee finished T15 this week. Not quite in contention, as Sei Young Kim really separated herself, but a good week nonetheless.

A win for Brittany Altomare may be close. She finished T15 this week, which is solid, in a tournament where the winner really distanced herself. As Altomare came into this week with a T8 finish in her last start at the LPGA Drive On Championship, this was a good pick. Brittany was a perfect 26 for 26 in cuts made in 2019, and made her Solheim Cup debut as well. There's a lot of confidence, and good results, for Altomare over the last year, and I would not bet against the seven-year LPGA veteran.

Sung Hyun Park has not quite found her stride since her return to LPGA action this year. At the odds she's been listed at, it's very difficult not to pick her. Seven LPGA Tour wins, including two Majors, Park has been one of the best in the women's game for several years. I can't disagree with this pick. It will be interesting to see how she does at the next stop in Texas, where she is a past winner.

Bianca Pagdanganan has shown she can play at the highest level. Her previous two starts heading into the Pelican Women's Championship were T9 and 3rd place finishes. The Rookie is currently leading the Tour in Driving Distance, averaging 286.44 yards off the tee. She did not have her A-game this week but played decent golf. Being the longest player on Tour, along with the rest of her game (which is solid), should give her many more chances in the future.

Kent’s Analysis of Ben’s Picks

As discussed on the 9th Tee Podcast, Lydia Ko feels awfully close to winning again. She was the best selection made this week and the only one of the favorites to beat her projected positions based on betting odds. At 25 to 1, Ko had the 7th most likely to win with Ally McDonald heading into the week.

It isn't easy to bet on so many weeks off. Any sense of momentum is lost. Picking Lexi Thompson in her home state off the break was also an additional value-added despite her not being in contention this week. The clock is ticking on her chance to extend her consecutive seasons with a victory to eight, though it will have an asterisk due to the shortened season this year.

We dove into this topic in the recap podcast, but Sung Hyun Park is a value selection this week, but probably not at similar odds in Texas off one of her worst finishes of the season.

Mi Hyang Lee is in Ally McDonald's odds range before her victory. She's also a two-time winner on the LPGA Tour, which bolsters the value of the selection. In an event with no previous history at the course and three weeks off preceding it, this is a good pick at 90 to 1.

The only pick I strongly disagreed with was selecting Muni He, even at 1 unit. It's a bit of a blind hail marry selection, and you're unsure of which way the end zone is. She's a worthy LPGA Tour player who was in contention at the 2019 Cambia Portland Classic. But that one flash in the pan isn't enough to justify betting on a player who has missed the weekend in five straight events. In the 2010 decade, 88% of players who won made the cut the event before their victory.