Predictions and Best Bets for the 2021 ANA Inspiration

The 2021 ANA Inspiration begins Thursday morning at the Dinah Shore Tournament Course at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, CA. In this post I make my ANA Inspiration predictions – zeroing in on the best bets and a pick to win.
I’ll also tell you about a particular head-to-head selection that I couldn’t wait to lock-in.
ANA Inspiration Best Bets in 2021
Inbee Park’s commanding five-shot victory last week in Carlsbad has made its mark on the betting sheet. According to the latest odds for the ANA Inspiration, Park has surged ahead of the top dogs and stands alone at +750.
Rather than bank on Inbee putting it all together for a second consecutive week, I’m heading in a different direction for my top ANA Inspiration picks.
Brooke Henderson to Finish in the Top 10
Going back to the 2020 ANA Inspiration in September, Brooke Henderson has teed it up 10 times on the LPGA Tour. She hasn’t won during that stretch but has stayed busy knocking on the door with seven top-10s. Henderson has hovered around 6/7 in the Rolex Rankings during that time frame.
Despite being just 23 years old, Brooke has finished 17th or better four times at this event – including landing as the runner-up in the 2020 edition. With some unfinished business to tend to at Mission Hills CC, she seems like a lock to get into contention by Sunday.
Brooke Henderson’s LPGA Stats This season
- 10th in GIR
- 9th in Scoring Average
- 8th in Driving Distance
- 2nd in Birdies.
Jessica Korda to Finish in the Top 20
With odds twice as juicy as her sister’s, there’s tons of merit in backing Jessica Korda to tally a top 20 in Rancho Mirage.
Let’s start with recent form – Jessica’s last seven starts include a win, four top-20s, and nothing worse than a T31. She ranks 5th in driving distance and 3rd in putting average – a pretty good recipe for shooting low scores.
Now let’s take a quick peek at her history at the Dinah Shore Tournament Course. Before you give Korda a hard time for missing the cut in 2020, know that she went 11th-4th-6th here from 2017-2019.
Jin Young Ko (+104) Over Inbee Park
On the surface, it’s easy to like Inbee Park in this head-to-head-matchup. However, a little bit of digging reveals that Jin Young Ko should probably be favored.
We’re talking about the top-two ranked female golfers on the planet – so there’s nothing negative to say. On the other hand, Inbee hasn’t broken 70 during her last eight rounds at Mission Hills CC.
Inbee Park – By the Numbers at the ANA Inspiration | ||
---|---|---|
Year | Scores | Finish |
2020 | 73-72-70-72 | T37 |
2019 | 73-72-76-74 | T68 |
Jin Young Ko wasn’t able to travel to Southern California in September of 2020, but it’s worth noting that she won the 2019 ANA Inspiration. She’s the Dustin Johnson of the LPGA Tour (#1 ranked woman in the world) and has registered top-5 finishes in five of her last six starts.
Here’s some perspective on how good Jin Young is hitting it right now.
She finished 4th last week (8-under par) despite averaging 32 putts per round. Another top-5 finish seems imminent; take this “plus-money” and run.
2021 ANA Inspiration Pick to Win
After cashing in on a top 10 last week, Danielle Kang is primed to pick up her first victory in 2021. The 5x LPGA Tour winner finds her name littered near the top of the leaderboard in almost every key stat, and she’s finally garnered some momentum at the Dinah Shore Tournament Course.
After struggling at this event in the early portion of her career, Danielle finished 11th here in 2019 and 6th in 2020. Not that she needed a boost in confidence, but hitting lasers into par fives and making eagles certainly doesn’t hurt.
Listed at +1200 to emerge at lots of the best golf sportsbooks, head XBet to latch onto Kang at +1400.
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Danielle Kang+1400
Past Winners of the ANA Inspiration
Before you lock in your ANA Inspiration predictions, here’s a quick look at who has jumped into “Poppie’s Pond” during the last five years.
ANA Inspiration Winners Since 2016 | |||
---|---|---|---|
Year | Winner | Winning Score to Par | Margin of Victory |
2020 | Mirim Lee | -15 | Playoff |
2019 | Jin Young Ko | -10 | 3 |
2018 | Pernilla Lindberg | -15 | Playoff |
2017 | So Yeong Ryu | -14 | Playoff |
2016 | Brittany Lincicome | -9 | 1 |
Expect another tight finish in 2021.
And it likely won’t be the only professional golf tournament that comes down to the wire on Sunday.
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