For the first time, the Olympic Games and the Solheim Cup will take place in the same year, although the Tokyo 2020 title has been retained, the Olympics have been postponed for a year. The stakes are threefold this year for the players who will try to win their ticket for the Olympics and the Solheim cup. To date for the Tokyo Olympics except surprise, the France team would be represented, among the ladies by Céline Boutier (28th in the OGR) and Perrine Delacour (33rd in the OGR), on the men's side it is Victor Perez (16th in the OGR) and Antoine Rozner (26th in the OGR) who would wear the colors of France.

LOTTE Championship: a springboard to the Olympic Games and the Solheim Cup

From left to right: Lydia Ko, Inbee Park and Shanshan Feng - Rio 2016 - © LPGA

Starting with this week's LOTTE Championship, each stage of the LPGA Tour over the next few months will be marked by yet another intense competition within the game, with players looking to secure their participation in Tokyo and Toledo.

After a week to catch his breath following the masterful effort of Patty Tavatanakit against Lydia Ko during the ANA Inspiration, the Tour returns to the Kapolei Golf Club in Hawaii. And it's a safe bet that many of the 144 players participating will check the Rolex Rankings to see if they will be outfitted in a team outfit to represent their nation.

The 60-player field for the August 4-7 Olympics will include two players per country, unless one player is in the top 15 of the Rolex Ranking, in which case four players will be allowed for that country. Currently, the only two countries that allow four players are South Korea and the United States.

After the ANA Inspiration, the first three places in the Rolex Ranking were occupied by South Koreans: Jin Young Ko (n ° 1), Inbee Park (n ° 2) and Sei Young Kim (n ° 3). The next three were Americans - Nelly Korda (# 4), Danielle Kang (# 5) and Lexi Thompson (# 6). South Korea doesn't have to look far to find their fourth player - Hoo-joo Kim (No.8) - as the United States round out their squad with Jennifer Kupcho (No.12).

In fact, South Korea has two other top 15 players and both have won major championships: Sung Hyun Park (14th) and Jeongeun Lee (15th). The Americans have Austin Ernst in 16th place and Jessica Korda in 20th.

With two other major tournaments before qualifying ends - the US Women's Open June 3-6 and the KPMG Women's PGA Championship, ending Olympic qualifying on June 27, the opportunities to make a splash are plentiful. South Korea has So Yeon Ryu, Hae Ran Ryu, Ha Na Jang and Mirim Lee in the top 30, while Americans Amy Olson, Ally Ewing, Stacy Lewis and Lizette Salas are in the top 42.

To date, the three 2016 medalists have qualified for the 2021 Olympics: South Korea's Inbee Park, who won gold, New Zealander Lydia Ko, silver medalist, and China's Shanshan Feng, bronze medalist.

Due to the disruptions from COVID-19, qualifying for the Solheim Cup has been changed slightly. The United States qualifies seven players from the Solheim Cup points list, two from the Rolex Ranking and Pat Hurst will be entitled to select three players.

For Europe, the first two of the Ladies European Tour points list are qualified, as well as the next four highest in the Rolex Ranking, then Catriona Matthew gets six Captain's Picks. A place in the Solheim Cup is still highly coveted, but with the memory of the 14½ to 13½ European victory at Gleneagles in Scotland in 2019 still fresh, Toledo will have a special intensity from September 4 to 6.

As it stands, Emily Kristine Pedersen and Nanna Koerstz Madsen are qualifying from the LET points list, while Carlota Ciganda, Sophia Popov, Charley Hull and Mel Reid are advancing through the Rolex Ranking. Among those who could be among the Captain's picks are Georgia Hall, Anna Nordqvist, Caroline Masson, Céline Boutier, Madelene Sagstrom, Bronte Law, Azahara Munoz and Jodi Ewart Shadoff.

For the Americans, the top seven in points are: Danielle Kang, Nelly Korda, Lexi Thompson, Austin Ernst, Ally Ewing, Jessica Korda and Megan Khang. They are closely followed by Stacy Lewis, Angela Stanford, Amy Olson, Brittany Altomare, Marina Alex, Jennifer Kupcho, Cheyenne Knight and Jennifer Song.

The two who qualify from the Rolex Rankings are Kupcho (# 12) and Olson (# 26). They are followed by Lewis (No.33), Salas (No.42), Alex (No.45) and Altomare (No.50), giving Hurst plenty of options for his three picks.

The LOTTE Championship, which fell victim to COVID-19 in 2020, will not have spectators on-site, but all four rounds will be broadcast on the Golf Channel from 19 p.m. to 23 p.m. ET, Wednesday through Saturday. Brooke Henderson is the two-time defending champion - she won in 2018 and 2019 - but couldn't defend her cup last year. But now, golf is back in Hawaii.

"We are delighted to return to Hawaii and play the LOTTE Championship 2021 at the magnificent Kapolei Golf Club", said Sean Pyun, LPGA Asia Commercial Director. “This event has been circled on the calendar for many people after it was canceled in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. We want to thank our partner LOTTE and the Kapolei Golf Club for hosting us, as we look forward to showcasing the best of the LPGA Tour on their magnificent golf course. "

The LPGA Tour returns to Hawaii, from where players can see Toledo and Tokyo. A year after the world started to shut down, golf enthusiasts are yearning for the Solheim Cup and the Olympics. The next step towards these events is taken this week at the LOTTE Championship.

To read our last article on the same subject :

LPGA: 34 stages in 2021