RANCHO MIRAGE, CALIFORNIA, March 26, 2018 – Defending champion So Yeon Ryu headlines this year’s 118-player ANA Inspiration tournament field, which includes 24 Ladies European Tour members representing 13 different countries. Ten other past champions and the top 20 players from the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings will join Ryu including world No. 1 Shanshan Feng and 2014 winner and world No. 2 Lexi Thompson.
Based on their finishes at last week’s Kia Classic, Aditi Ashok (T14) and Cindy LaCrosse (T18) played their way into the ANA Inspiration field via the Top-20 Current Money List category.
Two of the five winners on the 2018 LET this season will be in Rancho Mirage this week including Minjee Lee (Oates Vic Open) and Ashleigh Buhai (Investec South African Women’s Open). They are joined by all six winners on the 2018 LPGA Tour including Brittany Lincicome (Pure Silk Bahamas LPGA Classic), Jin Young Ko (ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open), Jessica Korda (Honda LPGA Thailand), Michelle Wie (HSBC Women’s World Championship), Inbee Park (Bank of Hope Founders Cup) and Eun-Hee Ji (Kia Classic).
Fourteen-year-old Rose Zhang earned the final amateur exemption on Sunday with her victory at the ANA Junior Inspiration. Reigning U.S. Amateur Champion Sophia Schubert, 2017 ANA Junior Inspiration winner Lucy Li, Albane Valenzuela, Lilia Vu, Maria Fassi and Atthaya Thitikul, who won the 2017 Ladies European Thailand Championship and the recent Asia Pacific Amateur Championship, join Zhang as the seven amateurs competing in the major championship field.
LET MEMBERS IN THE FIELD (alphabetical order):
- Aditi Ashok, India
- Nicole Broch Larsen, Denmark
- Ashleigh Buhai, South Africa
- Carlota Ciganda, Spain
- Laura Davies, England
- Jodi Ewart Shadoff, England
- Sandra Gal, Germany
- Laura Gonzalez Escallon, Belgium
- Georgia Hall, England
- Charley Hull, England
- Karine Icher, France
- In-Kyung Kim, South Korea
- Olafia Kristinsdottir, Iceland
- Nanna Koertsz Madsen, Denmark
- Pernilla Lindberg, Sweden
- Caroline Masson, Germany
- Catriona Matthew, Scotland
- Azahara Muñoz, Spain
- Anna Nordqvist, Sweden
- Florentyna Parker, England
- Emily Kristine Pedersen, Denmark
- Mel Reid, England
- Madelene Sagstrom, Sweden
- Angel Yin, USA
TOURNAMENT FORMAT
118 players; 72 holes, stroke play; after 36 holes, the field will be cut to the top 70 and ties
PURSE
$2.8 million USD; winner’s portion is $420,000
SOCIAL MEDIA
Tournament: @ANAInspiration, #ANAinspiration, #InspirationStartsHere
LPGA: @LPGA, @LPGAMedia
US TV Times – Showtime in Primetime (all times EST on Golf Channel)
Tuesday, March 27: Live press conferences from 5-6 p.m.
Wednesday, March 28: Live press conferences from 5-6 p.m.; Pro-Am show from 11 p.m. to 12 a.m.
Thursday, March 29: 12-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m.
Friday, March 30: 12-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m.
Saturday, March 31: 5-9 p.m.
Sunday, April 1: 5-9 p.m.
WHITELINE PAR AND YARDAGE
36-36–72, 6,763 yards (par and yardage are subject to change through the start of the tournament)
LAST FIVE CHAMPIONS AND RUNNERS-UP
2017: So Yeon Ryu, 274 (-14); defeated Lexi Thompson on first playoff hole
2016: Lydia Ko, 276 (-12); In Gee Chun and Charley Hull, 277 (-11)
2015: Brittany Lincicome, 279 (-9); defeated Stacy Lewis on third playoff hole
2014: Lexi Thompson, 274 (-14); Michelle Wie, 277 (-11)
2013: Inbee Park, 273 (-15); So Yeon Ryu, 277 (-11)
TOURNAMENT SCORING RECORDS
18 holes: 62 (-10) Lorena Ochoa, first round, 2006
36 holes: 133 (-11), Lorena Ochoa, 2006
54 holes: 203 (-13), Amy Alcott, 1988; Dottie Pepper, 1999
72 holes: 269 (-19), Dottie Pepper, 1999
PAST CHAMPIONS IN THE FIELD
Donna Andrews (1994), Juli Inkster (1984, 1989), Lydia Ko (2016), Stacy Lewis (2011), Brittany Lincicome (2009, 2015), Inbee Park (2013), Morgan Pressel (2007), So Yeon Ryu (2017), Lexi Thompson (2014), Yani Tseng (2010), Sun Young Yoo (2012)
ADDITIONAL FIELD STATS
- 24 – nationalities in the field
- 55 – number of major championship victories from 29 players in the field
- 118 – number of Solheim Cup appearances from 30 players in the field
