A Shootout in the Desert

Hyo Joo Kim outlasted Lilia Vu in a playoff to claim the Ford Championship and her sixth LPGA win. A Sunday 64 saw her jump a crowded leaderboard of major winners and top players in what was the best non-major field since 2010. Kim needed only 24 putts for the day, but had to sit on the clubhouse lead for about an hour while Vu made a gutsy par on the 18th to force extra holes. She then made quick work of the playoff, putting the pressure on Vu from the jump by hammering her drive and sticking her approach to six feet. The putt never left the center of the cup, wrapping up the win after Vu’s birdie putt ran out of gas. With the first major of the year less than a month away, Kim can take plenty of positives away from beating the best of the best in a shootout. A few other notes from the week …

Coming up just short will sting for Lilia Vu, but coming in second in such a loaded event without her A game bodes well for the coming weeks. She struggled hitting her numbers with her irons all week as she’s still getting some of her strength back from taking it easy dealing with aches and pains. Her putter helped hide those issues as Vu had a nice and tidy 100 putts for the week.

The Sunday Scaries showed up for the second time this year for Charley Hull. Playing in the final group in Singapore just a few weeks ago, Hull faded away from contention en route to a 74. It was more of the same yesterday as she slipped to a T-11 finish with a 71, a disappointing score when everyone around her was in red numbers. It’s not cause for concern just yet, more of something to keep an eye on. Hull’s playing a very high level of golf and needs to figure out the final piece of the puzzle.

A twisted benefit of a schedule with zero cohesion gave the Ford Championship one of the best fields we’ll see all season. Rookies and veterans alike are looking for playing opportunities, as the Chevron Championship is just around the corner. Next week’s match play event at Shadow Creek is capped at 64 players meaning there’s just one more full field event, the JM Eagle LA Championship, before the first major arrives. Two months into the season, and it’s hard to know where many of the top players stand. What’s easy to say is that the LPGA schedule is firmly a candidate for a complete and total makeover.

This piece originally appeared in the Fried Egg Golf newsletter. Subscribe for free and receive golf news and insight every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.