Some early questions regarding the 2023 Hilton Grand Tournament of Champions may be answered by the field. Jin Young Ko, who suffered a severe wrist injury in late last year’s finale, will be making her debut in the event from Jan. 19-22. Nelly Korda hopes to build on the momentum gained last year.
However, the field of 30 will also be missing some major names. The current World No. The field did not include 1 Lydia Ko. Ko is currently on her honeymoon following her Dec. 30-wedding. She has a residence at Lake Nona where the event takes place. On Tuesday, Aramco Saudi Ladies International announced Ko’s confirmation for the mid-February event. It looks like Ko will be starting her 2023 season.
Ko is not the only top player at the LPGA TOC. Minjee Lee (the 2022 major winner) and In Gee Chun (the other top player in the field at the LPGA TOC) won’t be attending. Six of the top 10 Rolex Rankings players won’t be there later in the month. Atthaya Thitifkul was last year’s Louise Suggs rookie of the year. She didn’t sign-up. No. 9 Hyo Joo Kim. Lexi Thompson is currently No. 6 was not eligible for the event because she hasn’t won on LPGA since 2019.
The LPGA season ended just before Thanksgiving in Naples Florida. This made it a short offseason for those who participated in the Australian Open or PGA silly season events.
The TOC is on an island in the LPGA schedule. There are no other events in January, and the tour has a month to rest before it resumes with its Asia swing, which will be held in Thailand, Singapore, and China. For Australian and Asian players, it’s quite a distance to travel for just one event.
The TOC’s $1.5 million purse matches the lowest on the LPGA schedule. Jon Rahm’s $2.7million winner’s check at Sentry Tournament of Champions is $1.2million more than the entire LPGA purse next week.
Danielle Kang, USA, takes a selfie after she won the 2022 Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, Lake Nona Golf & Country Club, Orlando, Florida on January 23, 2022. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images).
Brooke Henderson, Danielle Kang, last year’s champion, and many first-time winners, including major champions Ashleigh Bulhai and Jennifer Kupcho, are all committed to the field. Celebrities compete alongside LPGA pros in the Stableford format for a separate purse.
