Rivals have Feng in crosshairs
MIAMI — World No 1 Feng Shanshan of China, who won twice in the final five weeks of the 2017 campaign, remains the woman to beat as the LPGA opens a new season.
The 28-year-old from Guangzhou became the first golfer from China mainland, man or woman, to reach the world No 1 spot in November after winning the Japan Classic and Blue Bay LPGA title in China in back-to-back weeks.
“When I finally see the Chinese flag at the top of the rankings, I feel all the efforts over the past 18 years have been worth it,” Feng said. “I really enjoyed the moment and hopefully this will encourage a younger generation in China to go for the sport.”
It also figures to encourage a number of top rivals to try to dethrone Feng, starting with Thursday’s opening round of the Bahamas LPGA Classic, when the Chinese star makes her Bahamas debut alongside fourthranked Lexi Thompson and US teen sensation Nelly Korda.
South Korea’s Park Sunghyun, the reigning US Women’s Open champion, is ranked second and her compatriot Ryu So-yeon, the reigning ANA Inspiration champion, is third, with Thompson fourth and South Korean Kim In-kyung, last year’s Women’s British Open winner, rounding out the top five.
Thompson lost a playoff to compatriot Brittany Lincicome to drop last year’s Bahamas season opener, one of three playoffs in which she was beaten in 2017, including at the ANA Inspiration, the season’s first major.
Rule changes have ended the chance for the controversy that derailed Thompson’s bid for a second career major win, when a television viewer saw a violation and a penalty of four strokes was imposed the following day, with six holes to play.
As much as Thompson wants to add another major to her trophy case, this could be the third consecutive season in which the five women’s major titles are won by five different players.
American Danielle Kang won last year’s Women’s PGA Championship and Sweden’s Anna Nordqvist captured the Evian Championship.
Feng, the 2016 Rio Olympic bronze medalist, is seeking her second major crown. The first came at the 2012 Women’s PGA Championship, then known as the LPGA Championship.