LPGA Drive On Championship Betting Preview (2021) – Odds and Prediction

After an exciting week at Lake Nona, the LPGA Tour is back in action 100 or so miles north in Ocala, FL. Once again, the field is a “who’s who” in women’s golf, with 7 of the top 10 females in the Rolex Rankings set to tee it up on Thursday.

Will one of the Korda sisters, reign supreme for the third time in three events, or can one of the Korean superstars steal back the limelight?

Let’s break down this week’s odds and get to some LPGA Drive On Championship predictions.

On the heels of a three-shot win at the Gainbridge LPGA, Nelly Korda has joined the world #1 Jin Young Ko at the top of the price sheet. Jin Young finished in solo 4th this past weekend, her fourth consecutive top-5 showing. Some of the top betting sites have the pair listed as low at +650.

The third member of the sub-+1000 odds club is world #2, Sei Young Kim. The 28-year-old South Korean got off to a slow start at Lake at Nona, but a blistering finish on Sunday gives her all sorts of momentum heading into Ocala. Kim played her final nine holes of the tournament seven-under-par and shot the low final round (66).  

Rounding out the quartet of favorites is Lydia Ko. After her T2 at the Gainbridge LPGA, Lydia’s now tallied five straight top-13s and is back inside the top 20 in the Rolex Rankings. Ko had been slotted outside of the top 20 since July of 2019.

Let’s now look beyond the favorites and talk about some LPGA picks at Golden Ocala Golf Club.

Before we get on Daniele’s case for missing the cut at Lake Nona, keep in mind that it’s her first “MC Hammer” since September of 2019. She wound up winning three weeks later and has tacked on another two victories since.

Uncharacteristically poor iron play held her back at the Gainbridge LPGA, but it was nothing that can’t be fixed during a couple of hard-working range sessions. Kang ranked 6th last season in GIR (72.22%) and clocked in 3rd in Putts per GIR (1.77). That’s a deadly combination when you’re as feisty and confident as Danielle is on the links.

I wouldn’t bet against her putting her hat in the ring this weekend, especially considering she made 25 birdies and an eagle in her previous outing (2nd at the Diamond Resorts TOC).

I’m tempted to go back to the Brooke Henderson well, and I like Sophia Popov as a sleeper. But when push comes to shove, I find myself fascinated by how well Lexi Thompson has been playing.

That’s three straight top-7s and 12 consecutive red numbers.

Although the sample size in 2021 is quite small, it’s worth noting that Lexi ranks 2nd on the LPGA Tour in driving distance (271.44) and 2nd in GIR (83.33%). Perhaps most important is the fact that Thompson is in a great frame of mind and isn’t putting too much pressure on herself to be perfect.

After a full scope of the odds for the LPGA Drive On Championship, Lexi at +1200 is my favorite bet on the board.

Need more LPGA Drive On Championship picks?

If you’re in the mood to get some more money down on the action in Ocala, here’s a plus-money matchup I’ve got my eye on.

I’ll keep it nice and simple as to why I love Lewis in this H2H.

Anna finished 24th last week and registered at least 30 putts in all four rounds. On the flip side, Stacy landed 8th and averaged 27.75 putts per round. Nordqvist is the 54th-ranked player in the world; Lewis is #30.

Lock Thompson in to win, nab Lewis in this matchup, and then get ready to fire some shells into the Arnold Palmer Invitational.