LPGA PLAYERS IN THE ZONE
My list includes five players that have been playing some excellent golf to begin the season. What immediately stands out to me is that these five players have been identified by either myself or another member of the Cobe Life Youtube community as players to watch heading in to 2022.
If you haven't subscribed to the Cobe Life Youtube channel, and are a golf fan. Without sounding too self serving, I would strongly suggest that you do! There is a great community of LPGA fans there, and we discuss every single event on the Tour.
Now in no particular order I will go over my Top 5 players on the Rise in 2022.
Brooke Henderson
- T11 or better at all 5 tournaments she has competed in this year.
- Shot only 1 Round over Par so far this year. It was at the Gainbridge LPGA and she finished T6.
- 11th in Average Driving Distance
- 11th in Greens in Regulation
- 5th in Putts per GIR
Brooke is looking great this year. She has no holes in her game whatsoever, and more importantly looks happy to be out on the course again. I have mentioned this before that the Covid situation appeared to seriously effect some players and Brooke Henderson was near the top of that list. With restrictions being reduced it looks like she is fully focused again. A fully focused Brooke Henderson wins tournaments. It's that simple.
Xiyu Lin
- Lost in a playoff to Madsen for the Honda LPGA Championship
- T4 at the LPGA Drive On Championship
- 10th in Greens in Regulation
- 7th in Putts per GIR
I have been pretty high on Xiyu Lin for over a year now. The only thing that was holding her back was the Flat stick. She seems to have that working now. She has a game that travels well. By that I mean any course is a decent fit for her. Losing in a playoff has to be disappointing, but I expect her to feel motivated as a result. I really like her chances at the ANA Inspiration at Mission Hills this year.
Celine Boutier
- 3 Top 5 finishes in her first 5 events
- 19th Greens in Regulation
- 10th in Putts per GIR
I have been a little suspect of Celine's ability to be consistent from week to week because of her lack of distance off the Tee, and Putting issues. So far this Season her Putter hasn't been holding her back. That has been enough to make her a factor every time out. As long as she is Putting well she can compete, and it looks like that will be the case this year.
Amy Yang
- T4 at the Honda LPGA Thailand
- T6 at the HSBC Women's Championship
- T13 at Gainbridge LPGA
- Putting has been great with her Putts per GIR, and Putting Average in the Top 20
So this selection could potentially be a mistake but I feel like I've seen enough to take the risk. Amy Yang always performs well at the HSBC Women's and Honda LPGA. It's practically a given that she will be in the running. Then generally the rest of the season is a bit hit or miss. I expect it to be different this year. Will she compete for a major title? I doubt that but look for her at some of the more challenging courses.
Nanna Koerstz Madsen
- Win the Honda LPGA Thailand
- 2 Top 20 finishes at the HSBC Women's Championship, and the LPGA Drive On Championship
- 2nd on Tour in Average Driving Distance
- 4th in Greens in Regulation
Boom! Nanna Koerstz Madsen has been blasting it off the Tee this year. She hasn't been the most accurate but so what. Her Putter isn't doing her any favours either. But when you are reaching every Par 5 in two, or hitting Wedge into Greens on a Par 4. Your Putting just needs to be average to be in contention. Any course with light Rough or light tree cover is going to be a feast for her this year.
If you are a fan of betting on Sports, as many of the Cobe Life crew are than these five players should be on your radar in 2022. If you are located in Canada and would like a Canadian legal Sportsbook then click our affiliate link with Sports Interaction. It helps us out, and gets you a free bets bonus!
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I share most of your thoughts on these players. Brooke has an abysmal record at Carlsbad (flopped 5/5 and missed the cut twice), so I'd think twice about going there next week, Cobe ha ha. Lin looks like a talent on the rise and it will be interesting to see how versatile she proves to be, but she's a real chance next week if she lines up. I said at the end of last year I thought Boutier would have a big year in 2022; she could win a big one if she's well in contention starting the last round because she's one of the few players I'd back to run down JYK in a tight finish. I share your…
I'll be betting on at least 3 of these players over the next few tournaments. There will be a couple of notable players missing from Carlsbad next week: Yuka Saso, Patty Tavatanakit & Nelly Korda haven't entered and Lydia Ko is a doubt due to contracting Covid earlier this week.
JYK will quite rightly be a heavy favourite, but I'll be backing Brooke Henderson to win this time out; along with a few others of course...