Gainbridge LPGA At Boca Rio Golf Betting Tips 2022
There’s a third helping of top-class golf on Sky this weekend with the Gainbridge LPGA in Florida, the first full-field event of 2022 on the world’s most lucrative women’s circuit.
After surprisingly drawing a blank in 2021, the charismatic Danielle Kang won the curtain-raising Tournament of Champions by beating 28 elite rivals at a decidedly chilly Lake Nona and will be hard to stop with the tournament moving back to Boca Raton where she went so close two years ago.
The Gainbridge moved temporarily to Lake Nona for Covid reasons last year when Nelly Korda, now world No.1, won on American soil for the first time but now returns to the 6701-yard Boca Rio club where Sweden’s Madelene Sagstrom was the unexpected winner in 2020.
Sagstrom defeated tiny Nasa Hataoka by one with Kang one further back for her first and only LPGA victory and although last year she pushed compatriot Anna Nordqvist all the way in the AIG Women's Open, it will be hard for her to repeat.
Kang will be bursting with even more confidence than this fierce competitor normally displays after Sunday’s much-needed win but that came in a noisy party atmosphere with a celebrity tournament - legend Annika Sorenstam was one involved in that - going on at the same time.
It will much quieter at Boca where world No.1 Nelly Korda is favourite to atone for the poor last round on Sunday that saw her slip from first to third. It is a similar scenario to last year when the younger Korda won the re-routed Gainbridge after failing to convert her lead into Champions victory the previous week, that title going to big sister Jessica.
Nelly is a far more accomplished golfer now than when a lowly 28th at Boca Rio two years ago but even so is opposable after last week’s blip.
There could even be a follow-up course winner from Europe as our Solheim Cup heroines are out in force, including the star of that brilliant week, Leona Maguire. I am particularly keen on 28-year-old Celine Boutier, the French star who was fourth at Boca in 2020 and started 2022 as impressively as she finished 2021.
Fourth spot at Lake Nona follows her November third at the Tour Championship - and don’t forget this far-from-powerful hitter captured the ShopRite Classic only three months ago and more than did her bit at the Solheim Cup. The Dallas-based Boutier looks each-way gold at 25/1 and at least three bookies are paying six places. Another French lady but one just starting out her professional career is Pauline Roussin-Bouchard who was world No. 1 amateur for 34 weeks and clicked straight away on turning pro with a second-time-out August success in the Skafto Open in Sweden on the European circuit.
Only 21, she earned her LPGA Tour card with some spectacular golf at Q-School in Alabama, finishing just behind winner Na Rin An and ahead of LET No. 1 Atthaya Thitikul.
All three are among this week’s 120-runner field and all three will be winning sooner rather than later. Thai prodigy Thitikul, still an 18-year-old for three weeks, is a multiple winner already and has the golfing world at her feet.
Maguire will also hopefully be opening her LPGA account this year but as she missed the cut at Boca Rio last time, there may be better opportunities.
Finn Matilda Castren who gave us a fair spin for a 66/1 shot last week, has great potential and is preferred as she’s even more juicily priced here. She has already won on both tours, played a blinder on Solheim debut and is only just out of rookie status.
Nordqvist, Charley Hull and Georgia Hall must also be considered and now Europe have won back-to-back Solheim Cups, their stars need to shine just as brightly individually. Never mind building up the Asians and Americans, it’s high time we realised how good our best are!
Gainbridge LPGA At Boca Rio Golf Betting Tips 2022
- 2pts each-way Celine Boutier at 25/1 (William Hill) 5 places
- 1.5pts each-way Danielle Kang at 18/1 (William Hill) 5 places
- 0.5pt each-way Pauline Roussin-Bouchard at 33/1 (Bet365) 5 places
- 0.5pt each-way Atthaya Thitikul at 28/1 (Bet365) 5 places
- 0.5pt each-way Matilda Castren at 80/1 (888Sport) 5 places
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