LPGA in Los Angeles — A check in on the International Crown
The IX: Golf Thursday with Marin Dremock, April 17, 2025
The LPGA is in Los Angeles, Calif. this week for the JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro.
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Welcome back to Golf Thursday!
This week, the LPGA heads to the City of Angels for the JM Eagle LA Championship. Hannah Green looks to defend this trophy not for the first time but the second. Green will seek to win an event for the third consecutive season, a feat no other player has accomplished.
Last year, Green won by three strokes over Maja Stark, shooting a 66 (-5) in the final round. She finished out the tournament in dominating fashion. In 2023, however, Green had to outlast Aditi Ashok and Xiyu Lin in a playoff to win the title.
Four of five past champions of the JM Eagle LA Championship are in the field this week. Of course, Green is chasing history. But Nasa Hataoka, Brooke Henderson and Minjee Lee will all want to establish themselves as veterans of this event with wins of their own.
I’d definitely watch out for Lee this week. Her brother, Min Woo, just won for the first time on the PGA Tour at the Texas Children’s Houston Open a few weeks ago. The family luck could be running strong going into the JM Eagle.
But seriously, Minjee has got some solid finishes on tour this season and is playing good golf. She just hasn’t really kicked it into gear to pick up a win just yet. Lee plays with two 2025 season winners in the first round pairing: Ford Championship victor Hyo Joo Kim and Founders Cup winner Yealimi Noh. This might be the competitive jump she needs to get ahead of the field early and hopefully hold her own on the weekend.
Madelene Sagstrom will tee it up again this week as one of the five 2025 LPGA winners competing. She comes fresh off a victory at the 2025 T-Mobile Match Play and will look to improve on her T-8 finish from last year. Sagstrom will play alongside Green and World No. 1 Nelly Korda in what’s bound to be a featured group in the first round.
Someone to watch out for is sponsor exemption Asterisk Talley, the 16-year-old who finished runner-up at the 2025 Augusta National Women’s Amateur. Talley will have a look at her first professional test of the year, and it comes at a course that couldn’t be better for her. El Cab was the site of the 2024 U.S. Girls Junior Championship, where Talley finished as runner-up.
Green and the other pros in the field will have to shift their focus to a new course this year. Previously, the JM Eagle was held at Wiltshire Country Club, but the club is undergoing a restoration. This year, El Caballero Country Club will host the LPGA Tour for the first time in over 20 years.
El Caballero is a familiar course, maybe not for the track itself but definitely for the designer. It’s a Robert Trent Jones Sr. course, which many of these players saw at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club last year for the Solheim Cup. El Cab has that RTJ flair: tempting, narrow fairways and plenty of doglegs. It was redesigned in 2017 by Rees Jones, RTJ’s son, with modernity and sustainability in mind.
You can catch the JM Eagle LA Championship from April 17–20 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. live on Golf Channel.
This week in women’s golf
LPGA News
The Chevron Championship extends invites to eight elite amateur athletes
Players to watch: 2025 JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro
On this date: Inbee Park becomes Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings No. 1
On this date: Mickey Wright wins last tour title at 1973 Colgate-Dinah Shore Winner’s Circle
Field breakdown: 2025 JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro
Five things to know about the 2025 JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro
Olympic golf mixed-team event approved by International Olympic Committee Executive Board
Kristy McPherson named assistant captain for 2026 U.S. Solheim Cup Team
Two-time winner Hannah Green donating to fire relief at JM Eagle LA Championship
How to watch the JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro
LPGA also has a history in Augusta, Georgia
Check out items from the USGA’s Mickey Wright collection
Order “Rare Gems” and save 30%
Howard Megdal, founder and editor of The Next and The IX, has written a new book! This deeply reported story follows four connected generations of women’s basketball pioneers, from Elvera “Peps” Neuman to Cheryl Reeve and from Lindsay Whalen to Sylvia Fowles and Paige Bueckers.
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LET News
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Five at The IX: A check in on the top five country teams in the Hanwha LIFEPLUS International Crown standings
Several tournaments have passed and several winners have been crowned since we last looked at the International Crown standings. For Team USA, Yealimi Noh is the biggest change, moving into the alternate spot to replace Rose Zhang. Angel Yin moved up the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings to No. 8 after her semifinal appearance in the T-Mobile Match Play. Lauren Coughlin’s runner-up finish moved her up to No. 12. Here’s the top five country teams and their top players and alternates (in italics) as of April 14.
5. Australia (122 points)
Hannah Green (5)
Minjee Lee (19)
Steph Kyriacou (46)
Gabriela Ruffels (52)
Grace Kim (86)
4. Thailand (118 points)
Jeeno Thitikul (2)
Patty Tavatanakit (24)
Ariya Jutanugarn (39)
Chanettee Wannasaen (53)
Pajaree Anannarukarn (61)
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3. Japan (61 points)
Ayaka Furue (7)
Miyu Yamashita (15)
Rio Takeda (17)
Yuka Saso (22)
Akie Iwai (26)
2. Republic of Korea (50 points)
Haeran Ryu (9)
Hyo Joo Kim (12)
Jin Young Ko (13)
Amy Yang (16)
Ina Yoon (23)
1. USA (24 points)
Nelly Korda (1)
Lilia Vu (4)
Angel Yin (8)
Lauren Coughlin (11)
Yealimi Noh (18)
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