Buick LPGA Shanghai 2024 Tips: Massive 250/1 shot one of five for China

This week signals the start of a month-long stint in East Asia for the LPGA. Before taking in events in Korea, Malaysia and Japan in the coming weeks, the journey begins in China, with the Buick LPGA Shanghai at Qizhong Garden Golf Club.

Our star golf tipster Jamie Worsley is back with his full Buick LPGA Shanghai preview and tips, which range from 22/1 to a huge 250/1!

TOURNAMENT HISTORY

Danielle Kang won the first two editions of the Buick LPGA Shanghai in 2018 and 2019. However, she had to wait four years to defend her title in 2023, with the 2020-2022 editions all cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kang put up a commendable defence in 2023, finishing 17^th, as Angel Yin took home the trophy. It was a long-awaited first LPGA victory for the American, who had to beat then world #1, Lilia Vu in a playoff, and she returns to defend this week.

THE COURSE

Each edition of the Buick LPGA Shanghai has been held here at Qizhong Garden Golf Club. The course opened in 2013 and is the work of U.S architect, Dana Fry and local designer Jun Lu. Prior to taking up hosting duties of this event in 2018, it staged the Buick Championship on the Ladies European Tour from 2015-2016.

The course plays as a par 72 and measures 6672 yards, containing 10x par 4s (342-419 yards), 4x par 5s (481-571 yards) and 4x par 3s (149-176 yards). The course has asked plenty of questions of the players in the three renewals of this event so far, averaging a winning score of -14.33.

The designers inherited a flat piece of land and turned Qizhong Garden Golf Club into an undulating and exciting course. It is tree-lined but still feels fairly spacious, with elevation changes throughout and water in-play on 11 holes.

The bermudagrass fairways are average-wide in width, with non-penal rough not acting as too much of a deterrent. That being said, smartly-placed fairway bunkers – many of which are large and deep – tighten the landing areas and must be avoided to be able to score well at the course.

The large bentgrass greens are heavily undulating but will play at a slow 11 on the stimp this week. They’re well protected, abound with run-offs and more of that imposing bunkering.

That water is in-play throughout and is especially prevalent at the finish, coming into play on each of the last four holes. The final of these is a 391-yard par 4, which is protected by a lake to left from start to finish.

Qizhong Garden Golf Club is a fun course littered with risk/reward opportunities. Three of the four par 5s and par 3s have water in-play, whilst the par 4 14^th will have the tee pushed up over the course of the week, making it an easily drivable 255 yards. This should all make for another enjoyable week in China.

THE WEATHER

Conditions look perfect in Shanghai, with dry, warm and bright weather predicted over the course of the week. Winds are forecast to gust at upwards of 20mph during the event, though they are predominantly mild and shouldn’t be too problematic for the players.

KEY STATS

• SG: Approach

Approach play into these large greens is a key ingredient to success at Qizhong Garden Golf Club.

Four of last year’s top 7 ranked inside the top 25 in approach, whilst this is also an area in which two-time winner, Danielle Kang has excelled through her career.

• SG: Off-the-Tee
• Driving Distance

A strong all-round ball-striking performance will enhance a player’s chances further and despite some contenders not necessarily possessing great length, the wide fairways should benefit longer hitters.

That is something that we witnessed last year, as each of the top 7 ranked no worse than 36^th off-the-tee, with many also among the longest drivers. Angel Yin definitely ticks this box, ranking 16^th in driving distance and 33^rd OTT, while 3^rd-place finisher, Yu Liu’s driving display also stands out, as she ranked 3^rd OTT and 11^th in driving distance.

• SG: Putting (bentgrass)

Mastering the contoured bentgrass greens is another route to the title and many of last year’s top challengers rode a hot putter. Angel Yin ranked 1^st on the greens and Hye-jin Choi in 3^rd ranked 2^nd.

• Par 5 Scoring

Finally, the par 5s are a scorable bunch, with three potentially playing at under 515 yards across the week. The field will likely need to take advantage of them to be in the mix.

CORRELATING EVENTS (COURSES)

Meijer LPGA Classic (Blythefield Country Club)

Blythefield Country Club is another test with generous fairways that are bordered by non-penal rough. This has made the course popular with strong, lengthy drivers, whilst it also requires high-class iron play into the poa/bent mixed greens.

Notable correlating form:

Lilia Vu:

Buick LPGA (2^nd) / Meijer (1^st)

Sei Young Kim:

Buick LPGA (2^nd) / Meijer (1^st)

Brittany Altomare:

Buick LPGA (2^nd) / Meijer (2^nd, 3^rd)

Ariya Jutanugarn:

Buick LPGA (2^nd, 3^rd) / Meijer (2^nd)

Annie Park:

Buick LPGA (2^nd) / Meijer (7^th)

Jessica Korda:

Buick LPGA (2^nd) / Meijer (5^th)

Nasa Hataoka:

Buick LPGA (3^rd) / Meijer (2^nd)

Hye-jin Choi:

Buick LPGA (3^rd) / Meijer (8^th)

Kristen Gillman:

Buick LPGA (3^rd) / Meijer (7^th, 9^th)

Dana Open (Highland Meadows Golf Club)

While the fairways at Highland Meadows are narrower, the rough isn’t especially punishing. With slow poa/bent greens which are well bunkered and lots of water in-play, that creates several risk/reward opportunities – including a drivable par 4 – the courses have enough in common that has enabled them to develop strong form-ties.

Notable correlating form:

Danielle Kang:

Buick LPGA (1^st, 1^st) / Dana (1^st)

Angel Yin:

Buick LPGA (1^st) / Dana (8^th)

Sei Young Kim:

Buick LPGA (2^nd) / Dana (1^st)

Ariya Jutanugarn:

Buick LPGA (2^nd, 3^rd) / Dana (2^nd)

Marina Alex:

Buick LPGA (2^nd) / Dana (5^th)

Nasa Hataoka:

Buick LPGA (3^rd) / Dana (1^st)

Esther Henseleit:

Buick LPGA (3^rd) / Dana (4^th)

Yu Liu:

Buick LPGA (3^rd, 3^rd) / Dana (5^th)

Hye-jin Choi:

Buick LPGA (3^rd) / Dana (7^th)

Pavarisa Yoktuan:

Buick LPGA (3^rd) / Dana (5^th)

Arkansas Championship (Pinnacle Country Club)

Possessing generous fairways, large bentgrass greens and lots of water in-play, the Arkansas Championship at Pinnacle Country Club looks a helpful comp this week.

Notable correlating form:

Danielle Kang:

Buick LPGA (1^st, 1^st) / Arkansas (2^nd, 2^nd, 4^th)

Brittany Altomare:

Buick LPGA (2^nd) / Arkansas (3^rd, 5^th)

Sei Young Kim:

Buick LPGA (2^nd) / Arkansas (3^rd, 3^rd)

Marina Alex:

Buick LPGA (2^nd) / Arkansas (8^th, 9^th)

Nasa Hataoka:

Buick LPGA (3^rd) / Arkansas (1^st, 1^st)

Yuna Nishimura:

Buick LPGA (8^th) / Arkansas (3^rd)

Honda LPGA Thailand (Siam Country Club – Old Course)

Siam Country Club’s Old Course has many similarities with Qizhong Garden Golf Club. It is tree-lined yet spacious, with average-width fairways that whilst possessing a lack of challenging rough, are protected by lots of strategic bunkering.

Notable correlating form:

Angel Yin:

Buick LPGA (1^st) / Honda LPGA (3^rd)

Danielle Kang:

Buick LPGA (1^st, 1^st) / Honda LPGA (4^th)

Lilia Vu:

Buick LPGA (2^nd) / Honda LPGA (1^st)

Jessica Korda:

Buick LPGA (2^nd) / Honda LPGA (1^st)

Ariya Jutanugarn:

Buick LPGA (2^nd, 3^rd) / Honda LPGA (1^st)

Sei Young Kim:

Buick LPGA (2^nd) / Honda LPGA (3^rd, 3^rd)

Hye-jin Choi:

Buick LPGA (3^rd) / Honda LPGA (3^rd)

THE FIELD

World #4 and home favourite, Ruoning Yin is the top-ranked player in this week’s field. She is one of three from inside the top 10, joined by #7 Hannah Green and last week’s Aramco Series Shenzhen winner on the Ladies European Tour, Celine Boutier at #9.

There are a further five from the world’s top 25, in the shape of Jeeno Thitikul (#11), Rose Zhang (#12), Minjee Lee (#16), Xiyu Lin (#18) and Patty Tavatanakit (#22).

Last year’s winner, Angel Yin will defend her title and the back-to-back winner in 2018 and 2019, Danielle Kang also tees it up.

Alongside the stars of the LPGA, there are 15 spots available to players on the China LPGA. This includes the current leading player in that tour’s rankings this season, 17-year-old Runzhi Pang.

Buick LPGA Shanghai Odds

*Please click on the link above to be taken to the main Buick LPGA Shanghai market on betfred.com (or app) for all the live betting prices on this tournament.

SELECTIONS

Market leaders: Jeeno Thitikul 11/2, Xiyu Lin 11/1, Ruoning Yin 12/1, Minjee Lee 16/1, Mao Saigo 18/1, Nasa Hataoka 18/1, Rose Zhang 18/1, Celine Boutier 18/1, Hannah Green 18/1

You can make a case for any number from the top of the betting this week. However, coming here in excellent form and hitting her irons better than she has in several years, it’s last year’s winner Angel Yin that appeals most, and she goes in as the headline selection to successfully defend her title in Shanghai.

2 pts Angel Yin each-way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 22/1 

Yin had a tough start to the year, with a lingering ankle injury causing her to miss several events over the first few months. When she did tee it up, she struggled to build any momentum, missing six of her first 10 cuts and recording just one top-20 finish over that period. Though her last handful of starts have been a different story.

She turned her year around by finishing 2^nd in the Portland Classic five starts ago, finishing two strokes behind Moriya Jutanugarn. A 10^th-place finish in the Women’s Open followed and over her last three events, she’s finished 19^th in the FM Championship, 14^th in the Kroger Queen City Championship and 10^th in China on the LET last week.

The putter continues to be a major asset, ranking 1^st on the greens this year. That being said, it’s this big-hitter’s approach play that has really caught the eye, recording her four best displays in this area across each of those last four starts on the LPGA. As an area that has often been a real weakness, this is a major positive this week.

Yin finished 17^th on her debut here in 2018, before improving into 14^th place in 2019. She then displayed plenty of resilience last year, making birdie on her final two holes in regulation to force a playoff with world #1 Lilia Vu, which she won to record her first ever LPGA victory after seven years as a pro. With her impressive recent play, she can follow in Danielle Kang’s footsteps by winning back-to-back Buick LPGA Shanghai titles.

2 pts Sei Young Kim each way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 25/1

Sei Young Kim can count herself a touch unfortunate not to have been in a playoff at the very least on her latest start in the Arkansas Championship, where she finished 3^rd. That being said, she’s clearly in good shape and possessing a strong record at Qizhong Garden Golf Club, she can make amends for her narrow defeat last time out.

Kim had enjoyed a positive start to the season, but her game went missing in the middle part of the year. She showed somewhat of a return to form in the Kroger Queen City Championship two starts ago and built on that promise last time out in Arkansas with that 3^rd-place finish. An event in which she shot a superb 8-under-par final round, but missed out on the playoff by one shot, after Jasmine Suwannapura and Lucy Li both shot incredible 10 and 11-under-par rounds respectively.

Each of those two most recent performances have been engineered by a return to her strongest approach play, indeed, her effort in the Kroger Queen was a result of her best iron display of the season. She ranks 28^th overall for the season in this area and when combined with her length, top-50 rankings in driving and putting, and scoring ability on the par 5s, ranking 25^th, she has an appealing statistical chance.

Kim finished 2^nd and 6^th in her first two attempts here, before withdrawing after a solid opening round last year due to illness. Having recorded wins in the Meijer LPGA Classic and Dana Open, as well as possessing several top 5s in the Honda LPGA Thailand and Arkansas Championship, she has excellent form at all the comp courses mentioned, strengthening her case for this week.

0.75 pts So Mi Lee each way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 80/1 

So Mi Lee has had a mixed rookie season on the LPGA, but there has been plenty of promise over recent weeks. As an accomplished driver and putter, the five-time Korean LPGA winner can go close this week.

Lee missed nine of her first 14 starts on tour this season, though she does come into this week after missing just one of her last six. She has recorded three top 25s over this period, including a best-of-the-season 5^th in the Portland Classic and a 22^nd-place finish in the Women’s Open.

The putter has been her biggest asset this year, ranking 22^nd and she’s rock-solid off-the-tee, combining a reasonable level of power with accuracy to rank 51^st. The irons have been a little off this year, but it is an area in which she has shone in the past and she did produce her best approach numbers of the season during that 5^th-place finish in Portland.

If she can rediscover that level of approach play this week and maintain her strength off-the-tee and on the greens, the highly-talented Lee may just spring a surprise in Shanghai.

0.75 pts Peiyun Chien each way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 100/1

Hitting the ball as well as anyone this year, Pieyun Chien looks a positive putting performance away from a huge result. Possessing a good record at Qizhong Garden Golf Club, she can find it this week.

Chien began the year with a fourth success on the Taiwan LPGA and she has converted that promise into a consistent year on the LPGA, missing just four cuts in 22 starts. There have been two top 10s among those efforts, as she finished 4^th in the Founders Cup and 7^th in the Evian Championship.

Her approach play has been key, ranking 9^th for the season. She combines this with a ranking of 33^rd off-the-tee, marrying power and accuracy, and is also a good scrambler, ranking 33^rd. With this tee-to-green quality it’s perhaps a surprise to see her only managing two top-10 finishes on tour this season, but as the 142^nd-ranked putter, she just doesn’t take enough advantage of the opportunities she creates. That being said, she won’t have to find too much on the greens to contend, due to those other strengths.

Chien played here in 2015 on the LET, finishing 18^th and has performed with credit in each visit to the course on the LPGA, finishing 26^th in 2018 and 31^st last year. A 3^rd-place finish in 2017 Dana Open is another plus and can help her transfer a laudable winning ability to the LPGA.

0.5 pts Frida Kinhult each way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 250/1

1 pt Frida Kinhult Top 10 @ 12/1

Finally, I’m going to take a chance on Frida Kinhult at a massive price. She’s started to find some form in approach over her last couple of starts and having gone well here on debut last year, this former #1 amateur can make moves near the top of the leaderboard in China.

She had made a good start to the season before some health concerns derailed her progress and since returning, she’s struggled to rediscover her form. However, two starts ago in the Kroger Queen City Championship, she produced her best ball-striking performance of the season, ranking 5^th in approach and 28^th off-the-tee, and though missing the cut on her latest start in Arkansas, it was encouraging to see her retain a decent standard of approach play.

It was the ball-striking that shone in her 13^th-place finish at Qizhong Garden Golf Club last year, ranking 5^th in approach and 27^th OTT, whilst she also put up a sound putting display.

Kinhult hasn’t yet reached the heights that were expected when she turned pro in 2019. Although, that effort here last year, combined with a 7^th-place finish in the Dana Open, suggests that this event may give her as good an opportunity as any to contend for that LPGA breakthrough, that could well open the floodgates for the Swedish star.

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