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Portland Classic & European Masters
LPGA stars head to Pacific Northwest, European tour visits Switzerland, PGA Tour has a break after the Tour Championship
Jack Middlebrook
August 30, 2023
Top 100 preview
The Women’s Top 100 has a significant amount of players active this week, with 56 in Portland for the LPGA event. There are ten more at the Korea LPGA KG Ladies Open, nine at the Japan LPGA event, and a lone top 100 player at the Women’s Irish Open.
The Men’s side is quiet this week after the PGA Tour Championship last week. There are 12 top 100 players in Switzerland for the European Masters.
Purses
European Masters
Portland Classic
Fujisankei Classic
KG Ladies Open
Golf 5 Ladies
Women's Irish Open
LPGA - Portland Classic
The LPGA moves on to the Pacific Northwest for the Portland Classic hosted at Columbia Edgewater Country Club. The event holds a unique mantle as the oldest continuous tournament on the LPGA Tour.
Andrea Lee is the reigning champion, whose title defense will inevitably capture attention. Lee is winless on the year but is coming off a string of good finishes with a T13 at the Canadian Open and a T9 at the Women’s Open and Scottish Open.
World Number one, Lilia Vu, headlines the field and makes her second start after her Open Championship win.
Recent form suggests Ruoning Yin will be in the mix this week; she has two top-three finishes in her last three starts.
DP World Tour - European Masters
The European Masters returns to the Crans-sur-Sierre Golf Club in Crans-Montana, Switzerland for a pivotal event on the DP World Tour. This tournament carries extra weight as the last opportunity for European players to earn Ryder Cup points.
Key names to watch that are on the bubble for Ryder Cup selections include Bob MacIntyre, Yannik Paul, Adrian Meronk, Victor Perez, Adrian Otaegui, and Rasmus Hojgaard. Their performance here could make or break their bid for the Ryder Cup in Rome.
Thriston Lawrence, last year's champion, returns to defend his title following a playoff win against Matt Wallace. His win last year helped earn him rookie of the year, and he has continued his success this season with a win in June at the BMW International.
Top-ranked Matt Fitzpatrick enters the field coming off a T9 at the Tour Championship and as a two-time champion of the European Masters (2017, 2018).
Japan Golf Tour - Fujisankei Classic
The Fujisankei Classic unfolds this week at the Fujizakura Country Club in Yamanashi, Japan. Keita Nakajima, recently triumphant at the Yokohama Minato Championship, leads the field. Takumi Kanaya and Taiga Semikawa, both finishing T2 at the Japan PGA Championship, are other top names in the field.
Korea LPGA - KG Ladies Open
The KG Ladies Open is at the Sunning Point Country Club in Yongin, South Korea, and features a strong field on the Korea LPGA Tour. Notably, Su Ji Kim enters on a high note, having secured a win last week at the Hanwha Classic. Ji Young Park is another one to watch, given her recent win at the Evercollagen Queens Crown where she finished at an impressive -18. Min Ji Park, ranked 27th in the Rolex Rankings, although not a recent winner, brings consistent performances and is the highest-ranked player in the field.
Japan LPGA - Golf 5 Ladies
The Golf 5 Ladies tournament of the Japan LPGA Tour commences this week at the Golf5 Club - Bibai Course in Ueda Shi, Nagano. The field features Jiyai Shin, the South Korean golfer ranked 19th in the world, whose recent form includes a playoff loss at the Nitori Ladies and finishing third in the Women's Open. Akie Iwai and Miyuu Yamashita, both of Japan and also top finishers in recent tournaments, round out a robust local contingent.
Ladies European Tour - Women's Irish Open
The Women's Irish Open is visiting Dromoland Castle Golf Club this week. Leona Maguire stands out in the field as the top Irish player and has a world ranking of 17; although her recent performances have been somewhat inconsistent, her best recent finish was fourth in the Aramco Team Series London.