Follow the Money: Odds for LPGA Money List in 2018
It’s abundantly clear that the story of women’s golf in 2017 was Sung Hyun Park. The 24-year-old South Korean landed her first major in July when winning the US Women’s Open, shot to world number one in the world rankings in November and was then awarded both the LPGA Player of the Year (shared with So Yeon Ryu) and Rookie of the Year awards. That made her the first female golfer since Nancy Lopez (1978) to win those two awards in the same season.
It is clear that Park has a very big future ahead of her, but what do the bookmakers say about her chances of success this season? Have they erred in making her favourite to be top again in 2018? The latest odds to top the 2018 Money List have recently become available, with the table below highlighting some of the main challengers. If you are backing anyone for the Money List or other tournaments, first check out how you can bet on women’s golf with Freebets.co.uk betting offers.
| Player | Odds* | Last Year’s Finish: | Nationality |
| Sung Hyun Park | 9/4 | 1st | South Korea |
| Lexi Thompson | 3/1 | 3rd | USA |
| Shanshan Feng | 5/1 | 4th | China |
| Lydia Ko | 13/2 | 13th | New Zealand |
| Ariya Jutanugarn | 7/1 | 5th | Thailand |
| So Yeon Ryu | 11/1 | 2nd | South Korea |
| Brooke Henderson | 28/1 | 6th | Canada |
| Cristie Kerr | 50/1 | 7th | USA |
| Anna Nordqvist | 80/1 | 8th | Sweden |
*Current odds from Bet365/other golfers available.
Park Clear Favourite to Continue Meteoric Rise
First of all, looking at Park’s odds; the 9/4 offered looks quite short. Her prize money for the Women’s US Open was $900,000, by far the biggest in the LPGA. As that is over double the prize money of, for example, the 2017 ANA Inspiration ($405,000), it slightly skews the Money List in favour of whomever wins the Women’s US Open. She may top the rankings again, but better value is available for punters.
Next in the odds comes Lexi Thompson at 3/1. Despite winning no majors last year, Thompson still finished 3rd on the Money List. She is one of the most consistent players on the tour and boasted the best scoring average (69.114) of anyone last year. She also played in the fewest events of anyone in the Top 5, so adding a few could easily propel her up the charts.
Feng Can Keep Good Run Going
Of all the favourites, the smart money might be on Shanshan Feng at 5/1. The Chinese star is currently number one in the world rankings, after taking two out of the last three tournaments last season. Feng has not won a major since the 2012 Women’s PGA Championship, but is always in the conversation about the world’s best players. One thing to mention though, Feng seems to come stronger towards the end of the season. Of her nine LPGA Tour wins to date, seven have come in the months of October and November. Savvy punters might wait and see if her odds lengthen mid-season before backing her to finish strongly.
Big Value in Backing Experienced Players
Cristie Kerr and Anna Nordqvist also offer big value at 50/1 and 80/1 respectively. Kerr has twenty years’ experience on the Tour, and showed last year she can still cut it with victories in the Lotte Championship and LPGA Malaysia. Nordqvist landed her second major when winning the Evian Championship in September. Most bookmakers will offer each way terms of one-fifth the odds for the top four places. That’s 10/1 for Kerr and 16/1 for Nordqvist to finish fourth or higher in the 2018 Money List. Not bad value at all.
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