GOLF

Next Week’s LPGA Black Desert Championship Field Is Shaping Out

Apr 23, 2025, 3:47 PM | Updated: 3:49 pm

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ST GEORGE, UTAH - OCTOBER 13: A flag is seen on the 13th green during the final round of the Black Desert Championship 2024 at Black Desert Resort on October 13, 2024 in St George, Utah. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

IVINS, Utah- The PGA Tour made its memorable return to Utah back in October for the Black Desert Championship, and now it is the ladies’ turn.

The LPGA edition of the Black Desert Championship presented by Greater Zion will tee off from Ivins in just one week, and much of the field is starting to be filled, including some of the best women golfers in the world.

The Field At The Black Desert Championship

  • 4. Lilia Vu
    • In the last year, Lilia Vu has been ranked as high as No. 2 in the world and hasn’t dipped below No.6. In 2023, Lilia won two Major Championships, the Chevron Championship, and the Aig Women’s Open, after which she enjoyed a stint as the No. 1 ranked golfer in the world. In 2024, her only win was the Meijer LPGA Classic, but she finished in five other top fives. In Vu’s last outing at the Ford Championship, she placed second.
  • 6. Ruoning Yin
    • As recently as January 13 of this year, Yin was ranked No. 2 in the world but has had a bit of a rough start to 2025. In her first outing of the year, she missed the cut at the PIF Saudi Ladies International and has not finished inside the top 20 since, dropping her world ranking to No. 6. In 2024, Ruoning won twice on tour at the Maybank Championship and at Buick LPGA Shanghai.
  • 7. Ayaka Furue
    • After dipping down to No. 11 in the middle of February, Furue has bounced back nicely with two top-five finishes in her last four outings. Ayaka won just one event in 2024, the Amundi Evian Championship. At just 24 years old, Furue is poised for success going forward and could continue to build momentum at Black Desert.
  • 10. Charley Hull
    • Charley Hull has consistently been one of the world’s best golfers and has not fallen outside of the top 15 in the last year. While she hasn’t won on the LPGA Tour since 2022 at The Ascendant, she has been in contention on most weekends and only has one finish outside of the top 20 so far in 2025. Her best finish so far has been a T-4 at the HSBC Women’s World Championship.
  • 13. Hyo Joo Kim
    • Hyojoo Kim is riding a recent hot streak in her last three tournaments, dating back to the end of February at the HSBC Women’s World Championship, where she placed T-7. She then won the Ford Championship, which catapulted her 15 spots in the rankings up to 11. She then finished top 20 at T-Mobile Match Play to solidify herself in the top 15 world rankings.
  • 14. Miyu Yamashita
    • Yamashita has had a great start in 2025 with three top 10 finishes, including a T-4 at the Founders Cup, putting her as high as No. 13.. However, she missed the cut at the Ford Championship in her worst outing of the fresh year.
  • 15. Céline Boutier
    • It has been a bit of a struggle for Céline Boutier since winning the Maybank Championship in 2023. After that win, she ranked No. 3 in the world, but has been on a steady decline since. The story of inconsistency can be seen just in her 2025 starts.
  • 16. Amy Yang
    • Amy Yang won the Women’s PGA Championship in 2024, seemingly out of nowhere, having missed two straight cuts prior to the tournament. The Major Championship shot Yang from No. 25 to No. 5 in the world, but since then, she has slowly fallen down the rankings. In 2025, she has just one finish inside the top 20, and her last two outings have come outside of the top 50.
  • 19. Minjee Lee
    • Minjee Lee has had a great start to 2025 with three top-10 finishes at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, the JM Eagle LA Championship, and a runner-up finish at Blue Bay LPGA. At Black Desert, Minjee will be seeking her first win on Tour since the BMW Ladies Championship in 2023.
  • 23. Megan Khang
    • Since climbing her way up to No. 17 in the world rankings by the middle of February, Megan Khang has slipped six spots after a few rocky starts. The finish that made her ranking jump was finishing third at the Founders Cup, but immediately afterward, she missed the cut at the Ford Championship and then finished T-17 at T-Mobile Match Play.
  • 28. A Lim Kim
    • A Lim Kim has had a dream start to 2025 and has already shot up 27 spots in the world rankings since the end of January and currently sits at No. 28. She started off the year with three consecutive top ten finishes, including a win at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions. In her last outing at T-Mobile Match Play, she finished T-9 and is yet to finish outside of the top 20 this year. Kim will be one to keep an eye on at Black Desert as she has some of the best current form of any golfer coming into the tournament.
  • 35. Allisen Corpuz
    • Allisen finished in the top ten of two of her first four outings of the year. A third-place finish at the Ford Championship had her ranked as high as No. 30, but the last few starts have not been kind to her. She finished T-35 at T-Mobile Match Play, followed by T-57 at the JM Eagle LA Championship, which has made her slide a little bit.

Others In The Field

  • Brittany Lincicome
    • Brittany, who made her LPGA debut in 2005, is a two-time Major champion, having won the Kraft Nabisco Championship in 2009 and the ANA Inspiration in 2015. Her last win on the LPGA Tour was in 2018 at the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic.
  • Cristie Kerr
    • Cristie Kerr was one of the most dominant women’s golfers in the game during the 2000s and early 2010s. She has 20 wins on tour, including two Major championships, the U.S. Women’s Open in 2007 and the LPGA Championship in 2010, which she won by 12 strokes. Her last LPGA win was in 2017 at Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia.
  • Stacy Lewis
    • Stacy was the woman to beat in the field during the early 2010s. She was ranked No. 1 in the world during periods of 2014 and 2015, and her two Major championship wins came in 2011 at the Kraft Nabisco Championship and 2014 at the Women’s British Open. She has 11 other wins on Tour, including her last in 2020 at the Ladies Scottish Open.

  • Christine Wang
    • Christine Wang was a rookie on the Epson Tour, the LPGA qualifying tour, in 2024. She made nine starts and three cuts in her first year as a professional, and now will make her LPGA debut thanks to a sponsor’s exemption that she earned by winning a qualifier hosted by Golf Girl Games.

About The Black Desert Championship

Not only is the Black Desert Championship the only course on tour outside of Hawaii to feature lava rock, but it is also the only event to host both the PGA and the LPGA at the same venue, making it one of the most unique championships in golf.

For the women, the course is 6,629 yards, and the championship features a purse of $3 million. The 2025 Black Desert Championship will be the inaugural event on the LPGA Tour.

The event will tee off on Thursday, May 1, with a champion being crowned on Sunday, May 4, after four days of competition.

 

Tanner Tripp is a sports writer for KSL Sports covering all teams across the state of Utah. Follow him on X @tanner_tripp and Instagram @tanner.tripp here.

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Next Week’s LPGA Black Desert Championship Field Is Shaping Out