In the 40 years since Amy Alcott won the first Women’s Kemper Open at Royal Kaanapali in 1982, the LPGA has held tournaments in Hawaii under 16 different names.
Most lasted two years or less, as sponsors quickly pulled up their stakes.
But the current women’s pro event has displayed a decade of staying power in Hawaii.
With the first tee shots this morning at Hoakalei Country Club, the Lotte Championship becomes the second LPGA event to reach double-digits.
And only COVID-19 has kept Lotte, which debuted in 2012, from matching the Kemper Open’s 11 years. The 2020 tournament was canceled due to the pandemic.
With only one repeat winner, eight players representing seven countries have attempted the victory hula after surviving what was usually a close finish at Ko Olina Golf Club, including two playoffs. Lydia Ko’s 7-stroke victory last year is the exception, nearly twice as large a margin as any preceding Lotte winner.
As the event moves to Hoakalei for the first time, here are my rankings of the first nine Lotte Championships, in terms of exciting winning performances.
1. 2015, Sei Young Kim:
How can you top an unlikely shot to force a playoff? How about an exponentially more rare one to win it? That’s what the rookie from South Korea did seven years ago.
First, she made an 18-foot chip for birdie on the final regulation hole to force the playoff with Inbee Park.
A few minutes later Kim outdid herself by holing a 156-yard 8-iron to win it with an eagle 2.
Maybe it shouldn’t have been too surprising, considering Kim had already won a tournament in Korea thanks to a hole-in-one on the 17th hole of the final round.
2. 2014, Michelle Wie:
The Hawaii product hadn’t won in four years and had yet to win an LPGA event on American soil. That changed for Wie with her final-round 67 on her home course. It propelled her to a 2-shot victory after starting the day four strokes behind Angela Stanford.
It could be called a turning point in her pro career; two months later Wie won her fourth LPGA Tour event and first major, the U.S. Women’s Open.
3. 2013, Suzann Pettersen:
Second-year pro Lizette Salas came out of nowhere with a final-round 62, making her the clubhouse leader. When those finishing after her were done, Pettersen and Salas were tied at 19 under for the tourney.
The dream ended for Salas when she found the water before the hole in the playoff. For Pettersen, it was one of 15 LPGA Tour victories — and among a career-high four in ’13 for the Norwegian.
4. 2016, Minjee Lee:
Lee, 19, had appeared to shoot her way out of contention with a third-round 74. But she wasn’t done.
Lee fired an 8-under 64 in her final 18 holes, making up a 5-shot deficit. It was good enough to catch In Gee Chun and Katie Burnett, and Lee won by one shot. The Australian became just the fifth player in history with multiple LPGA victories before her 20th birthday.
5. 2021, Lydia Ko:
Golf is one of those sports where you’re never too young for a comeback.
Ko fired 28-under 260 for a seven-stroke victory over Sei Young Kim, Nelly Korda, Leona Maguire and Inbee Park.
Ko, 23 during last year’s Lotte, hadn’t won in more than three years. After this jump-start, the former prodigy who calls New Zealand home is now back among the game’s elite, No. 3 in the Rolex world rankings.
6. 2017, Cristie Kerr:
The American won her 19th LPGA event at age 39, with a then-tournament-record 62 and a 66 in the last two rounds. Kerr also set a tournament mark with 20 under overall, despite having to sit through bad weather delays.
7. 2019, Brooke Henderson:
No one told Henderson you’re not supposed to win this thing twice … let alone back-to-back.
Her successful title defense came via three rounds in the 60s that put her at 14 under heading into the last 18 holes. Henderson’s eighth win tied her with Sandra Post, Mike Weir and George Knudson for most career victories by a Canadian on the PGA or LPGA Tour — at age 21.
8. 2012: Ai Miyazato:
Miyazato shot 7 under in the second round but didn’t break away from Meena Lee until three birdies on her last six holes gave her a 4-shot win in the Lotte debut.
It was the eighth LPGA Tour win for the star from Japan.
9. 2018, Brooke Henderson:
Henderson, a 20-year-old former hockey player with her sister serving as caddy, took charge at the midway point and won by four strokes over Inbee Park and Azahara Munoz.
