Prediction and Picks for the 2021 Lotte Championship

Despite Michelle Wie’s announcement that she’ll be skipping her hometown event, the 2021 Lotte Championship features plenty of star power. 11 of the top 12 in the Rolex Rankings are in O’ahu as this week marks the starting point for players to earn points toward qualifying for the Olympics and the Solheim Cup.
First, a couple of details to get out of the way.
- The Lotte Championship makes its debut at Kapolei GC after the previous eight editions were held a few miles west at Ko Olina GC. There will be no fans on site.
- The action kicks off on Wednesday (ends Saturday) to accommodate the Korean viewership.
Let’s start digging into some Lotte Championship picks.
Lotte Championship Best Bets in 2021
Picking a winner in a full-field event is a bit of a crapshoot. The path toward profitability is a lot less bumpy if you attack the top-10 market and the matchup selection.
Here’s a recommendation for each.
Gabriela Ruffels To Finish Inside the Top 10 (+450)
After a standout amateur career highlighted by a victory at the 2019 Women’s US Amateur, Gabi Ruffels is off to the races as a professional. The Aussie sensation placed 36th in her professional debut at the 2021 Gainbridge LPGA before posting a top-20 two weeks ago at the ANA Inspiration.
Gabi has now competed in four LPGA majors (including her days as an amateur) – landing 19th or better in each. The USC product hits it long (284.0 yards/per drive at the ANA Inspiration) and totes a wonderful short game – she’s on her way to a fruitful year.
Minjee Lee (-120) Over Jessica Korda
As tremendous of a player as Jessica Korda is, fading her in Hawaii seems like the logical thing to do. Born and bred in the Sunshine State, this Florida resident makes her hay on the east coast and overseas.
Performing well in Hawaii – not so much.
Jessica missed the cut at the 2015 Lotte Championship and hasn’t been back to O’ahu since.
Flip the coin, and Minjee Lee has done a lot of damage on the Hawaiian Islands – specifically at this event. Lee won the 2016 Lotte Championship and tied for third at Ko Olina in 2019. Lee, the LPGA’s leader in birdies, made a season ago, finished 5th at the Kia Classic and 25th at the ANA Inspiration in her only two starts this calendar year.
2021 Lotte Championship Pick to Win
Listed at +5000 to hoist the trophy at many of the top golf betting sites, Hannah Green’s +6000 price tag at XBet seems rather juicy. The two-time winner in 2019 quietly fired four red numbers en route to a T14 at the ANA Inspiration and could be due for another breakthrough. She struck the ball beautifully on Saturday, and her putter bailed her out on Sunday.
Perhaps it all comes together at Kapolei Golf Club.
Green has connected on 11 straight cuts and was the runner-up at the 2020 CME Group Tour Championship.
For what it’s worth, know that Hannah is no stranger to going low in this event. She opened with a 66 (-6) at the 2019 Lotte Championship (T27).
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Hannah Green+6000
Previous Winners of the Lotte Championship
Before penciling in any Lotte Championship predictions in 2021, you may want to glance at the previous winners for some context.
Lotte Championship Winners | |||
---|---|---|---|
Year | Winner | Winning Score | Winning Margin |
2019 | Brooke Henderson | -16 | 4 |
2018 | Brooke Henderson | -12 | 4 |
2017 | Christie Kerr | -20 | 3 |
2016 | Minjee Lee | -16 | 1 |
2015 | Kim Sei-Young | -11 | Playoff |
2014 | Michelle Wie | -14 | 2 |
2013 | Suzann Petersen | -19 | Playoff |
2012 | Ai Miyazato | -12 | 4 |
Brooke Henderson is aiming to win her third consecutive Lotte Championship, yet she’s not even one of the six women priced at +1100 or lower. Installed 7th on the betting sheet at +1200, Brooke’s got a lot going for her other than being the two-time defending champ.
Henderson arrives in the Aloha State playing extremely dependable golf. The 9-time LPGA Tour winner has racked up 7 top-10s and 9 top-20s in her last 11 starts.
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