Ford Championship 2025 Tips: Charley Hull to ‘smoke’ the field?

After a three-week break following the culmination of its East Asian swing, the LPGA returns to action with the Ford Championship at Whirlwind Golf Club’s Cattail Course.

Our expert golf tipster Jamie Worsley, as always, is on hand with his comprehensive preview of the LPGA Tour. He provides several players to consider backing each-way as part of his Ford Championship 2025 Tips with us at Betfred Insights, with selections from 22/1 all the way out to 125/1.

They include a now smoke-free Brit in great form...

TOURNAMENT HISTORY 

The Ford Championship only debuted on the LPGA last season at Seville Golf & Country Club, where Nelly Korda won the third of her seven titles in an outstanding year.

She returns to defend this week but will have to do so at a different venue, as Whirlwind Golf Club's Cattail Course takes up hosting duties.

THE COURSE

The Cattail Course at Whirlwind Golf Club was designed by Gary Panks in 2002, who also designed last year's Ford Championship host, Seville G&CC. The venue previously hosted the Gila River Golf Classic on the Korn Ferry Tour from 2001-2005.

This well-kept par 72 measures 6661yds and possesses 4x par 3s (150-180yds), 10x par 4s (337-439yds) and 4x par 5s (495-524yds).

It's your typically flat and reasonably exposed desert layout, with all holes framed by sandy waste areas, packed with native vegetation. The one escape from the generally arid landscape comes in the shape of water features and wetlands, which are in-play on seven holes overall.

The gently undulating fairways are wide and with non-penal rough, it falls on the strategic bunkering to offer the main protection. In addition, there are several holes where denser patches of trees are smartly positioned, meaning players must make sure to find the right side of the hole to be able to attack the greens.

There is a mixture of poa trivialis and bermudagrass on the subtly-breaking putting surfaces, which are average in size and could run at up to a speedy 12 on the stimp.

Most are elevated, whilst with many shallow/narrow in shape and at an angle to the fairway, they could prove tough to hit; adequately bunkered and possessing some short-grass chipping areas, getting up-and-down won't be easy for those who lack the precision to find them.

We're a little in the dark as to how the Cattail Course will play. That being said, all par 5s look reachable in two for most of the field and there are plenty of scoring opportunities to be had on the par 4s. With that lack of punishment from the rough, it could be down to the conditions to make it a substantial test.

THE WEATHER

It's forecast to be a hot, bright and clear week in Arizona, accompanied by a breeze that whilst potentially gusting at around 25mph, looks predominantly gentle and untroublesome.

However, the forecast does bring about the possibility of firm, fast conditions, which could make things interesting.

KEY STATS

• SG: Off-the-Tee/Driving Distance
• SG: Putting (poa trivialis/bermudagrass)
• Par 5 Scoring

It's difficult to predict exactly what will be required to win this week but with those generous fairways and a lack of rough, I'm going to side with high-quality and lengthy driving types at Whirlwind Golf Club.

Additionally, these cleverly-contoured greens are said to be one of the toughest aspects of the course, therefore players who excel on similar surfaces will also be of interest. As will those who score well on the par 5s, which all look like good birdie chances.

CORRELATING EVENTS

There is no correlating form to go off, but I do like several events/courses as a possible comp for this week. Most obvious of which is fellow Gary Panks design, Seville Golf & Country Club, host of the 2024 Ford Championship.

The 2023 Drive On Championship at Superstition Mountain Golf & Country Club is another event in Arizona that is of interest, whilst we can find further events in the state on the Epson Tour: the Casino Del Sol Golf Classic and the Carlisle Arizona Women's Golf Classic.

The Ascendant LPGA was another tour event played on an exposed course with wide fairways and bermudagrass greens, in the shape of Old American Golf Club.

Lastly, although not on the LPGA, events on those sandy, exposed desert layouts in Saudi Arabia on the Ladies European Tour could prove helpful; tournaments that often attract strong fields littered with LPGA players.

THE FIELD

This week's field is full to the brim with star quality, as each member of the world's top 20 is schedule to tee it up in Arizona.

That of course includes world #1 and defending champion, Nelly Korda, alongside #2 Jeeno Thitikul and #3 Lydia Ko.

As only our second full-field event of the year on U.S soil, we haven't yet been able to have a proper look at many of this year's graduates. We will get that opportunity this week, as each of 2024's Epson Tour and Q-School graduates are stated to be teeing it up at Whirlwind Golf Club.

Ford Championship Odds

SELECTIONS 

Market leaders: Nelly Korda 8/1, Jeeno Thitikul 8/1, Lydia Ko 14/1, Ayaka Furue 16/1, Rio Takeda 20/1

It's going to take a lot to overcome the high-class field that has assembled this week; therefore, I think it's smart to have a good look at those at the top of the betting. That being said, it has been a stop-start beginning to the season and with the unknowns that come with a new tour venue, I'm not going to risk those very-top market leaders; for all Nelly Korda and Jeeno Thitikul have been in excellent form so far this year.

Instead, my eye is drawn to a player who sits just outside those main market leaders who has also made a good start to the season, Charley Hull, and with this looking a potentially good fit, she goes in as the headline selection.

2 pts Charley Hull each-way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 22/1

Charley was in great form at the end of 2024, winning on the Ladies European Tour in Riyadh in her third-last start. She's carried that level of play over into this year, recording finishes of 19^th in the Founders Cup, 8^th in the Saudi Ladies International and 4^th in the HSBC Women's World Championship, meaning she has finished inside the top 20 on her last 10 starts.

She'll be able to take this course on with her impressive driving ability, ranking 4^th off-the-tee and 18^th in driving distance this season. In truth, she's hitting the ball just about as well as anyone currently, complimenting her driving with some quality iron play, ranking 9^th in greens-in-regulation and 12^th in approach, and as a generally super putter, she ticks most boxes.

Each of Hull's LPGA wins have come on bermudagrass-based greens, which includes the latest of those at the correlating Ascendant LPGA in 2022. Furthermore, her fine record in Saudi, where she's recorded three other top-three finishes in recent years alongside that victory in 2024, also bodes well.

1.5 pts Yealimi Noh each-way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 30/1

Yealimi Noh had been showing positive signs at the back end of the previous season and finally got rewards for that at the beginning of this, claiming her first LPGA victory in the Founders Cup. As one of the strongest and lengthiest drivers on tour, who looks comfortable on the greens this year and eats up the par 5s, she has every chance of claiming a second title this week.

Noh finished inside the top 30 in her last eight starts of 2024 and has continued that trend into this year, following the win in the Founders Cup with finishes of 11^th in the Honda LPGA Thailand and 7^th in the HSBC Women’s World Championship.

Her ball striking has been of the highest standard, ranking 2^nd in approach, 4^th in GIR, 5^th OTT and 24^th in driving distance. Combined with sound performances on the greens and being the third-best par 5 scorer on tour, she has a great profile for this test.

Noh is another player who has gone well in the Ascendant LPGA, finishing 2^nd in 2020. In addition, she tasted success in Arizona in her amateur days, winning the 2017 Arizona Silver Belle Championship in the desert at nearby Talking Stick Golf Club.

1 pt Patty Tavatanakit each-way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 60/1

Patty Tavatanakit looks one of the best-value bets of the week for me. This major-winning golfer has made a promising start to the new season and as well as looking a good fit for this course statistically, she’s a player who has winning form in the desert.

After enjoying a great start to the previous season, her form tapered off over the last third of the year. However, she’s sprung back into life at the beginning of 2025, finishing 20^th in the Tournament of Championship and 21^st in Saudi on her first two starts, before finding a hugely encouraging 4^th-place finish on her latest start in the Honda LPGA Thailand.

She’s driven the ball very well over her first two LPGA starts, marrying accuracy with her consistent power to rank 11^th OTT. That will be a significant asset on a course where she can take the club out of the bag on most holes and also showing improvement on the greens on that previous effort in Thailand, she can handle the subtleties of these putting surfaces.

Patty’s win in the Middle East last year, when she demolished the field by seven strokes in the Saudi Ladies International, provides us with further encouragement in relation to her chances this week.

1 pt Lilia Vu each-way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 80/1

If Tavatanakit is the best value in the field then two-time major winner, Lilia Vu isn’t that far behind. She finally found her stride after a slow start on her latest start in the HSBC Women’s World Championship and can go well in a state she enjoyed plenty of success as an amateur.

Despite being blighted by back trouble last year, Vu still managed to record a fifth LPGA win in the Meijer LPGA Classic. She began this year disappointingly, finishing way down the field in the Honda LPGA Thailand and looked set for another poor week in the HSBC Women’s World Championship next time out after opening with a five-over 77. However, she responded admirably there, shooting consecutive round of 68-70-72 to finish 29^th and should arrive at this week with much more confidence.

Her biggest strength there was her putting, ranking 7^th and this should come as no surprise as it was also her main weapon last year, ranking 14^th. She also showed much more encouraging signs in approach and I’m hoping she can find further improvements in that area this week.

Vu’s comp form has seen her record finishes of 3^rd and 8^th in Saudi, as well as a 7^th-place finish in the 2023 Drive On Championship at Superstition Mountain. That isn’t her only piece of form in Arizona, as she destroyed a good field by six strokes in the 2017 Pac-12 Championship, before then winning the Arizona Wildcat Invitational the following year – both in her amateur days.

0.75 pts Auston Kim each-way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 125/1

Somi Lee’s form in Saudi Arabia made her of appeal this week but it’s Auston Kim who gets the nod as my final selection. The former #19 amateur looks to have finally found her feet on the LPGA and possessing more power than just about anyone in the field, she should appreciate the generous driving test at Whirlwind Golf Club.

Kim arrives at this week having missed just two of her last 13 cuts on tour. Her best result over this period came when she finished 3^rd in the LOTTE Championship towards the end of 2024 and although missing the cut on her first start this year, she comes into this having record two top-15 finishes in her last three starts, the last of which came when she was 12^th in the Blue Bay LPGA.

She possesses a solid enough short game but it’s with the driver that she without doubt excels most, ranking 4^th in driving distance and 36^th OTT this season.

Kim is at the start of just her second year on the LPGA, therefore we have little comp form to go off. That said, it should come as no surprise that her best tour finish to date came in the LOTTE Championship – at another venue where the fairways are wide and rough non-penal.

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