Out of the Rough: LOTTE Championship presented by Hoakalei (2026)

As the LPGA Tour prepares for its end-of-the-season Asian swing, it’ll make one final stop in the United States, although in Hawaii, for this week’s LOTTE Championship presented by Hoakalei.

Since its inception in 2012, the event had been held in April and had been through 2023.

In 2024, the event was moved to November and last season, it was moved to October. It will be held in October for a second consecutive season this week.

This season marks the 14th edition of this event and will be held at the Hoakalei Country Club, just as it has been since 2022.

Historically, to accommodate broadcast times in South Korea, the home of Lotte, this event ran from Wednesday through Saturday.

This season, the event will follow the traditional Thursday through Sunday format for the first time.

The Field

As the LPGA Tour prepares for a month-long stay in Asia, this week naturally serves as a bye week for many on Tour.

That doesn’t mean that some of the world’s best won’t be teeing it up this week in Hawaii however.

World No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul headlines this week’s field as she’ll be joined by Hyo Joo Kim (No. 4,) Miyu Yamashita (No. 5,) Hannah Green (No. 10,) Lydia Ko (No. 12,) Mao Saigo (No. 18,) Esther Henseleit (No. 19) and Ina Yoon (No. 20) as those ranked within the top 20 of the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings.

Youmin Hwang comes in as the defending champion, having topped Hyo Joo Kim by a stroke a season ago to claim her maiden LPGA title.

Other former winners of this event at Hoakalei Country Club playing this week include A Lim Kim (2024,) Grace Kim (2023) and Hyo Joo Kim (2022.)

The Course

Hoakalei Country Club is a relatively new golf course. It is an Ernie Els design that was opened in 2009.

It plays as a par-72 at 6,530 yards.

The fairways here at Hoakalei Country Club are wide with generous landing areas, inviting golfers to take driver off-the-tee.

However, the course is littered with over 110 deep white-sand bunkers. They are brought into play on nearly every shot on this course.

The course also features extensive water hazards in the form of large lakes and lagoons. Water comes into play on 13 holes this week.

In all, the course is set up for position off-the-tee opposed to distance. 

From there, golfers will attack these Seashore Paspalum greens. They are mid-sized and heavily protected.

These elevated, firm, fast and well-manicured putting surfaces are tightly guarded by deep, white-sand bunkers.

These greens will require an aerial attack on the approach shots to avoid the short-sided bunkers and collection areas.

There will be an emphasis on putting this week as Paspalum is a grass type not often seen in professional golf. 

Additionally, as the course sits near the Pacific Ocean, strong island winds will play their part in how this course is played not only day-to-day, but shot-to-shot.

Winds will influence club selection on nearly every shot this week. 

The Weather

As of the time of writing this, Thursday is currently calling for a 60-percent of rain showers throughout the day. Showers will continue into Friday with a 45-percent chance. Chances will be reduced to 15-percent on Saturday and a ten-percent chance on Sunday. Temperatures will begin with a high of 85-degrees on Thursday before settling to 86-degrees for the rest of the week. The high winds earlier in the week will settle to just 11 miles-per-hour on Thursday, ten miles-per-hour on Friday and nine miles-per-hour on Saturday before finishing the week at 11 miles-per-hour on Sunday. 

Key Stats

• Strokes Gained: Approach (SG: APP)

• Ball Striking

• Strokes Gained: Driving / Total Driving

• Strokes Gained: Around the Green (SG: ATG)

• Sand Saves Percentage

• Scrambling

• Par-Five Average Scoring

• Strokes Gained: Putting (SG: PUTT)

• Birdie or Better Percentage

Betting Card

Somi Lee (+3000)

I played Somi Lee last week in Arkansas where she went on to place 34th. Prior to that he was ninth at the FM Championship, 23rd at the KPMC Women’s Open and tenth at The Standard Portland Classic. Lee has great course history here at Hoakalei Country Club, placing 14th a season ago, 15th in 2024 and fifth in 2022. On Tour she is currently 13th in total driving, 16th in scrambling, 17th in ball striking, 30th in birdie-or-better percentage, 34th in par-five average scoring, 38th in DG: DRIVE, 47th in SG: PUTT, 61st in SG: APP, 82nd in SG: ATG and 101st in sand saves percentage.

Auston Kim (+3500)

Across her last five outings on the LPGA Tour, Kim has two top fives and three top tens. She most recently placed fifth at last week’s Walmart NW Arkansas Championship. Prior to that she missed the cut at the FM Championship, placed 41st at the AIG Women’s Open, ninth at The Amundi Evian Championship and fifth at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. She has played this event the past two seasons as well, missing the cut a season ago but placing third in her debut in 2024. Kim is currently 12th on Tour in both SG: ATG and birdie-or-better percentage, 24th in par-five average scoring, 35th in SG: DRIVE, 52nd in ball striking, 61st in total driving, 66th in scrambling, 69th in SG: PUTT, 74th in SG: APP and 88th in sand saves percentage. In other terms, she is above average in each of the ten statistical categories I took into consideration this week. This could be the week she gets her maiden LPGA victory.

Allisen Corpuz (+3600)

Corpuz most recently played the FM Championship where she placed third, ending a four-event skid of missed cuts or poor performances. Prior to that skid however, she was fifth at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, 32nd at the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give and eighth at the U.S. Women’s Open. Corpuz placed 14th here a season ago, missed the cut in 2023 and placed 18th in 2022. She is currently 12th on Tour in ball striking, 19th in total driving, 24th in scrambling, 28th in SG: APP, 36th in both SG: DRIVE and birdie-or-better percentage, 60th in SG: PUTT, 64th in par-five average scoring, 82nd in SG: ATG and 134th in sand saves percentage.

In Gee Chun (+7600)

The first of my two long shots this week is a familiar name to the program. Chun is currently 21st on Tour in both SG: APP and birdie-or-better percentage, 26th in SG: ATG, 34th in both scrambling and par-five average scoring, 26th in SG: ATG, 65th in ball striking, 66th in sand saves percentage, 84th in SG: PUTT and 93rd in both SG: DRIVE and total driving. She was the runner-up last week at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship. Prior to that she did miss the cut at the AIG Women’s Open and placed 55th at the ISPS HANDA Women’s Scottish Open but also placed 24th at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, 12th at the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give and fourth at the U.S. Women’s Open. Chun placed 42nd here a season ago, missed the cut in 2023 and was 12th in 2022.

Narin An (+12500)

Narin An may have missed the cut last week at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship but before that she placed 13th at the FM Championship, 23rd at the CPKC Women’s Open and fifth at The Standard Portland Classic for Simply Give. She also placed 55th at this event a season ago and sixth in 2022. An is currently 11th on Tour in ball striking, 16th in SG: ATG, 26th in total driving, 29th in scrambling, 46th in sand saves percentage, 56th in SG: APP, 75th in SG: DRIVE, 91st in birdie-or-better percentage, 98th in par-five average scoring and 126th in SG: PUTT.

2025 Betting Card

• A Lim Kim (+2500) - T10th

• Jennifer Kupcho (+3300) - T23rd

• Auston Kim (+8000) - MC

• Jenny Bae (+10000) - MC