Out of the Rough: FM Championship (2025)

The LPGA Tour heads to just outside of Boston, MA for the second playing of the FM Championship this week.

This week marks the third consecutive week of tournaments for the LPGA Tour, which has 11 events left in the season.

As previously mentioned, this season marks the second playing of the FM Championship. With the Olympic Games happening last summer, many of the World’s best opted out of this event but that is not the case this season.

This event, held at TPC Boston, will offer the largest purse outside of the majors and the CME Group Tour Championship at $4.1 million.

The Field

As previously mentioned, many of the World’s best will turn out this week at TPC Boston as 35-of-the-top-40 golfers within the Rolex Rankings will tee it up this week.

Of those in the top ten of the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, Jeeno Thitikul (No. 1,) Nelly Korda (No. 2,) Minjee Lee (No. 4,) Miyu Yamashita (No. 6,) Angel Yin (No. 7,) Mao Saigo (No. 9) and Haeran Ryu (No. 10) will be playing this week.

Ryu comes in as the defending champion, having topped fellow countrywomen Jin Young Ko in a playoff last year. Both women came in at -15 when Ryu won on the first playoff hole.

The Course

Although new to the LPGA Tour, TPC Boston is known in the world of golf.

It hosted the Dell Technologies Championship on the PGA Tour, originally the Deutsche Bank Championship, from 2003 to 2018 over the Labor Day Weekend.

It also hosted the Northern Trust Championship on the PGA Tour in 2020.

The venue was opened in 2002 and was designed by Arnold Palmer. It was later renovated by Gil Hanse and Brad Faxon in 2007.

TPC Boston plays as a par-72 at 6,533 yards.

It features the standard blend of four par-threes, four par-fives and ten par-fours.

Off-the-tee, golfers will be faced with a plethora of native trees and vegetation as well as thick rough. Water comes into play on at least five holes.

The greens this week are protected in the front by bunkers, often to the left side.

Greens will run at roughly 11 on the Stimpmeter. 

Notable holes include the par-five seventh which features its own version of Pine Valley’s “Hell’s Half Acre’ bunker and the 412-yard 17th that features a ridge protected by church-pew bunkers that split the fairway.

The Weather

As of the time of writing this, Thursday calls for just a ten percent chance of precipitation, Friday a 50-percent chance as Saturday and Sunday call for just a 5-percent chance each. Temperatures will begin at 75-degrees on Thursday and gradually decrease to 71-degrees come Saturday and bounce back to 72-degrees on Sunday. Winds will begin at 11 miles-per-hour on Thursday before peaking at 13 miles-per-hour on Friday. Winds will then settle to seven and eight miles-per-hour respectively for Saturday and Sunday. 

Key Stats

• Strokes Gained: Approach (SG: APP)

• Stroked Gained: Putting (SG: PUTT)

• Total Driving

• Scrambling Percentage

• Sand Saves Percentage

• Ball Striking

• Par 5 Average Scoring

Betting Card

Celine Boutier (+3500)

Per my stats-based model, Celine Boutier is my favorite play this week. She is currently second on Tour in par-five average scoring, 12th in scrambling, 14th in SG: APP, 20th in ball striking, 29th in total driving, 38th in SG: PUTT and 82nd in sand saves percentage. She last played at The Standard Portland Classic where she finished 16th. Prior to that she placed 23rd at the AIG Women’s Open, 21st at The Amundi Evian Championship, missed the cut at the KPMG PGA Women’s Championship and placed fourth at the Meijer LPGA Classic. She did play this event a season ago where she missed the cut. 

Hye-Jin Choi (+3500)

Right after Boutier, Choi is also one of my favorite players this week. She is currently first on Tour in total driving, third in ball striking, 11th in SG: PUTT, 35th in scrambling, 49th in par-five average scoring, 51st in SG: APP and 79th in sand saves percentage. That combination of elite driving, ball striking and putting always peaks my interest. She played last week at the CPKC Women’s Open where she placed 36th. She missed the cut at the AIG Women’s Open but prior to that was in some insane form. She placed tenth at the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open, 14th at The Amundi Evian Championship, eighth at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, second at the Meijer LPGA Classic, fourth at the U.S. Women’s Open, fourth at the MEXICO Riviera Maya Open, 33rd at the Mizuho Americas Open, 12th at the Black Desert Championship and ninth at The Chevron Championship. He placed T25th at this event a season ago.

Esther Henseleit (+6000)

Henseleit hasn’t missed a cut dating back to the Blue Bay LPGA in the first week of March. In the 11 events since that lone missed cut on the season, she has five top 25s and two top fives. The highlights of that stretch of events was a third place finish at the JM Eagle LA Championship and a runner-up performance at the Black Desert Championship. She did play last week at the CPKC Women’s Open where she placed 27th. Henseleit is currently 11th on Tour in SG: APP, 26th in total driving, 33rd in ball striking, 38th in scrambling, 39th in par-five average scoring, 77th in SG: PUTT and 121st in sand saves percentage. She’ll be making her tournament debut this week. 

Sarah Schmelzel (+12500)

Schmelzel is currently fifth on Tour in scrambling, 34th in par-five average scoring, 35th in SG: APP, 44th in sand saves percentage, 47th in ball striking, 55th in total driving and 70th in SG: PUTT. He placed T10th here a season ago, six strokes off the lead. She missed the cut in her last outing at last week’s CPKC Women’s Open but prior to that placed 36th at the AIG Women’s Open, 28th at the ISPS HANDA Women’s Scottish Open, 49th at the Amundi Evian Championship and fifth at the Dow Championship.