Golf
Portland Classic preview: Chanettee will Wanna go back-to-back
With the PGA Tour taking a break this week we turn our attention to the LPGA as it makes its way to Oregon.
Many of the world’s best from both tours will be battling it out in Paris, but those who aren’t representing their countries will be giving their all to add another victory to their personal tally.
Winning experience could be more important than ever in this less experienced, weakened field and we have two previous victors whom we feel could go well.
Lauren Coughlin 12/1
When it comes to winning there is no one with more recent experience than Lauren Coughlin after the American won last week’s Canadian Women’s Open.
That was her first LPGA Tour win, with her only other professional victory coming on the Symetra Tour back in 2018, but it did not come as a surprise. Coughlin had been threatening to top the leaderboard with four T10 or better finishes prior to her victory, not to mention that two of those came at Majors.
With that in mind, her wins could come like buses with the first one opening the floodgates. She heads here third in the market at 12/1 with a wealth of momentum behind her and, having shown great consistency this season, could be good value to finish in the 5 places available with William Hill.
This week will pose a serious test of low scoring and Coughlin certainly looks as though she could be up to the task. Last year’s winning score was a whopping 26-under-par, so birdies will almost become pars and any dropped shots could prove incredibly costly.
She doesn’t possess great distance but Coughlin’s accuracy is right up there, ranking fifth on the Tour for hitting greens in regulation, sixth for total birdies and eigth for total eagles. With the second-most rounds under-par on the LPGA Tour this season, she could run away with the field again should she be ready to go back-to-back.
Chanettee Wannasaen 22/1
Chanettee Wannasaen is second to only Coughlin when it comes to recent winning experience as she landed the Dana Open just two weeks ago.
That is not the only winning experience that Wannasaen holds over the others, as the Thai star pulled clear of the field at this tournament last year to land her maiden LPGA Tour victory.
The reigning champion heads here as a 22/1-shot to defend her crown and her recent win suggests that she is in a great place to do so.
Ranking third on the Tour for total birdies, Wannasaen certainly knows how to shoot low, which was emphasised when she was a runaway four-shot winner here last time, setting a record-low score in the process.
There is no doubt Wannasaen will be eyeing up a finish in the 5 places available with William Hill, but at the forefront of her mind will be a title defence and a third LPGA Tour victory.
