Five Under-the-Radar Players to Watch at the Chevron Championship

The switch from Mission Hills to Carlton Woods complicates picking favorites for this year’s Chevron Championship. As players strive to familiarize themselves with the new venue before Thursday’s first round, the biggest names in the game may not enjoy a significant advantage over the rest of the field. Here are five players with potential to leap (or decline to leap?) into the history books at the LPGA’s first major of the year.

Natthakritta Vongtaveelap – This 20-year-old Thai rookie has only two LPGA starts, but her second-place finish as a sponsor invite at her home event in February and a T-6 finish at last week’s Lotte Championship in Hawaii have contributed to her nearly 700-point rise in the Rolex Rankings this year. Nicknamed “Sim 300” for her length and accuracy with the driver, Vongtaveelap has the skills to leave a mark this week, but the Chevron will be her first major. We’ll see if inexperience affects her performance on the biggest stage of her young career.

Céline Boutier – If a top-10 player can be “under the radar,” Boutier fits the bill. Her unassuming demeanor masks an impressive game that succeeds despite a lack of elite distance off the tee. Boutier’s victory in Arizona last month made her the winningest Frenchwoman ever, providing substantial momentum heading into this week.

Xiyu Lin – In her tenth year on the LPGA Tour, Xiyu (also known as Janet) has yet to break through for her first victory. Three solo second-place finishes last year and a solid start in her first few events this year have propelled her back into the top 20 in the Rolex Rankings. Bagging her first win and major at the same time would be a remarkable way to end her drought.

Charley Hull – A blistering final-round 64 at the Ascendant LPGA in October put Hull one shot ahead of Janet Lin and ended her own winless streak of nearly six years. She has maintained her strong form since then, earning five top 20s in eight starts. A winner with personality, which Hull possesses in spades, would be ideal for Chevron’s rebranding efforts this year. It would also fulfill the promise she showed when she burst onto the scene as a 17-year-old at the 2013 Solheim Cup.

Ashleigh Buhai – The most recent major winner has not garnered much attention this week, with back-to-back missed cuts in her last two starts. However, she began the 2023 season with T-9, T-10, and seventh-place finishes. Recent performance may not be crucial for Buhai, who missed the cut at the Scottish Open the week before her historic victory at Muirfield.