LPGA Cognizant Founders Cup Predictions Favor the World No1 in New Jersey

The 2020 LPGA – Image source: Flickr

The 2022 LPGA Tour continues in New Jersey this week where the 2022 Cognizant Founders Cup is held between 12-15 May. Jin Young Ko is the defending champion and the biggest favorite as well. But she won’t have an easy job in the strong field which includes other top 10 players like Lydia Ko, Lexi Thompson, and Minjee Lee. They are all mentioned in the favorites by the LPGA Cognizant Founders Cup predictions.

The first Founders Cup made its LPGA debut in 2011 at the Wildfire Golf Club in Phoenix, Arizona. The tournament was made as a tribute to the 13 women who founded the LPGA in 1950.  Players didn’t even receive payments in the first edition as the purse was donated to charity. Since 2012, payments are made to players just like in other LPGA events. In 2022, the Upper Montclair Country Club in West Caldwell, New Jersey will host the tournament. We can find this year’s top favorite, Jin Young Ko in previous tournament winners who got her second victory last year. But her compatriots, Kim Sei-young, Inbee Park, and Kim Hyo-joo have also won the event. Along with Swedish 3-time major winner Anna Nordqvist.  

LPGA Cognizant Founders Cup Predictions Favor the Defending Champion

Jin Young Ko won the 2022 HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore in March. And she was second at the Palos Verdes Championship in California two weeks ago. The 28-year-old South Korean player seems to be in great form and she is the top favorite of this weekend’s tournament as well. Where Ko is the defending champion after her second victory at the cup last year. It’s no wonder that online sportsbooks in the US offer the smallest odds, +600.00 for her 14th LPGA Tour win. If she can finish on top, the world No1 could set up the first record of three consecutive wins in an LPGA event since her compatriot, Inbee Park did it between 2013 and 2015. 

Park won’t compete this time, unlike other top 10 players. Like world No3 Lydia Ko, who is mentioned as the next main favorite in the LPGA Cognizant Founders Cup predictions. The Korean-born New Zealand player finished behind Ko in California in 3T. While she also got one victory this year after winning the 2022 Gainbridge LPGA at Boca Rio in January. Ko finished twice 8T in this tournament, her odds of winning it now are +1100.00. Another player with a win from this season is Atthaya Thitikul. She got her first LPGA Tour win at the 2022 JTBC Classic in California this March. The 19-year-old Thai player is one of the biggest talents in the sport with the odds of +1800.00 to win on her tournament debut. 

American favorites

Local fans will hope for an American success though and they have quite a few players to achieve that. The world No9 Lexi Thompson is the highest-ranked among them. She has the biggest chance of winning with the odds of +1200.00. The 2014 ANA Inspiration winner was second in this year’s Drive On Championship in Florida and 4T at the Chevron Championship last month. Now surely she will try to get her 12th LPGA Tour win at the tournament where she competed last time five years ago. Online gambling sites in the US don’t offer too great odds for the winner of the previous LPGA event, Marina Alex.

Even though the 31-year-old American is from the region and in high spirit after winning her second LPGA Tour event. It was also her first trophy since 2018, moving her up 33 places in the world rankings to No28. In spite of being a New Jersey native, she only played at this course as a junior several years ago. Now her odds to finish on top are +4000.00 on BetOnline. Same odds are offered for the victory of another American player, Jennifer Kupcho. The 24-year-old got her first LPGA win at the 2022 Chevron Championship which is the former ANA Inspiration. Not a bad start to win a major tournament as your first trophy, making Kupcho another big promise of the sport. 

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