Karine Icher, Joanna Klatten, Céline Boutier and Céline Herbin - Photos: DR

Karine Icher is back in service, after her second maternity and a difficult recovery with her two first cuts missed during the Bank of Hope Founders Cup a month ago, and on the Kia Classic. This is also the case for Joanna Klatten who is still looking to cross her first cut of the season. A goal that Céline Herbin has only achieved once this season during the ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open where she finished T58. It is only Céline Boutier to whom fate seems to smile: 12th in the Race to CME Globe, ISPS Handa Vic Open champion, she starts the season with Olympic form, which she will need badly to do facing a very strong field of world stars, nine of whom are in the top 10.

Jin Young Ko returns to Los Angeles as a premiere at Rolex World's Women's Golf Rankings. Her performance last year bodes well for yet another year of strong podium presence. She took part in Sunday's final with eventual winner Moriya Jutanugarn. Ko arrived at Wilshire Country Club as World 18th last year during his Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year campaign, and is now looking to return to the top 10.

Last year, Jutanugarn experienced strong emotions as he celebrated the first career victory with his sister Moriya. She played very consistently over the four rounds, with two rounds equaling par, one round at (-1) and one round at (+1). She arrives in Los Angeles after her best performance of 2019, arriving in T3 in Hawaii. Her 66 years in the third round matched her best lap of the season, which she also shot in Singapore.

Henderson comes in with exactly the same result in the LOTTE Championship as the year before, building a victory. Her result at the Wilshire Country Club was not desired as she missed the cut. She had her worst round of the 2018 season in her second round to miss the cup.

Jessica Korda, the AON Risk Reward Challenge leader, is in her third competition of the season. It's a very solid series of games for her, with a finish in T2 and T6 to her name. Korda finished tied last year for a T24 result, with a third round (-2) his best result of the tournament.

Defending champion for the first time in her career, Moriya Jutanugarn returns to Wilshire Country Club with the intention of remaining the sole champion of the tournament. His results have steadily improved since the LPGA moved to their domestic portion of the schedule, finishing T19, T12 and T9 in their last three starts at the Kia Classic, ANA Inspiration and the LOTTE Championship. , respectively. Jutanugarn took the lead last year after a buggy 66 in the second round, never losing his place at the top of the overall standings for the remainder of the tournament.

Lexi Thompson rounds out the trio by entering after winning the LOTTE Championship. It was his best performance of the 2019 season at the ANA Inspiration, with a final round of (-5) in his pocket. She finished T12 last year at Wilshire Country Club, finding herself close to the top of the table after a first round of 68.

The young woman from Southern California begins her second Open HUGEL-AIR PREMIA LA with her game by slamming. Kang has placed in the top six in his last three starts, a T2 finish at the Kia Classic, a T6 finish at the first major golf tournament and a T5 finish at the LOTTE championship last week. It's a turnaround from the start of the Los Angeles tournament in 2018, where she finished T55 after missing the cut in her two previous starts.

Yeon Ryu therefore finished in the top 10 for the first time this season, a T9 in the LOTTE championship. She finished 4th last year at the premiere of the HUGEL-AIR PREMIA LA Open, posting the low round of the tournament in the second round. Ryu's 65 featured eight birdies.

Nelly Korda returned to her dominant form of 2019 in Hawaii last week, finishing T8 for her sixth place in the top 10 in seven starts. She enters Wilshire Country Club after missing the cut suddenly last year. Korda's potential to play well here was highlighted, as she averaged three birdies per lap before missing the weekend.