The first of the five majors on the 2021 LPGA Tour schedule is set to take place this week, as the ANA Inspiration will get underway Thursday at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, Calif. It's the 50th edition of the tournament and the 39th time it's serving as a major.
Last year, the ANA Inspiration was postponed to September due to the coronavirus pandemic. That also led to some top golfers not participating, including Jin Young Ko, who was the defending champion.
While the tournament is back to its regular April dates, fans will once again not be in attendance. Still, it will likely be an exciting weekend of golf with plenty of strong competition in the field.
Here's everything else you need to know about this year's tournament.
2021 ANA Inspiration Information
Dates: Thursday, April 1 through Sunday, April 4
TV: Golf Channel on Thursday (noon-4 p.m. ET, 7-9 p.m. ET), Friday (noon-4 p.m. ET, 7-9 p.m. ET), Saturday (5-9 p.m. ET) and Sunday (5-9 p.m. ET).
Total Purse: $3.1 million
Tee Times: Full pairings are available on the LPGA's official site.
Preview
The ANA Inspiration has been won by a different golfer each of the past 11 years. Ten of those golfers will be in this year's field, including Mirim Lee, who won the tournament last year.
Lee will be looking to become the first golfer to win in back-to-back years since Annika Sorenstam in 2001 and 2002. Lee finished at 15 under par in the 2020 tournament, winning on a one-hole playoff over Brooke Henderson and Nelly Korda.
It was Lee's fourth LPGA Tour victory and her first major title. In her first six appearances at the ANA Inspiration, she had never finished better than 11th and had missed the cut twice, including in 2019.
However, if Lee is going to be victorious at the tournament, she'll have to beat 2019 champion, Ko. Ko, who is currently ranked No. 1 in the world, won her first two career major championships in 2019, as she was also victorious at the Evian Championship.
Prior to her win at the 2019 ANA Inspiration, Ko had never finished better than 64th in her three previous appearances at the tournament.
"I hated missing the 2020 tournament and not having the chance to defend my title, so I think I feel even more excited to return," Ko said in a statement, per Larry Bohannan of the Palm Springs Desert Sun. "I will be doing everything possible to prepare to give myself the best chance to win the ANA Inspiration this year."
In her first three LPGA tournaments of the year, Ko owns a pair of fourth-place finishes, including at last weekend's Kia Classic. The 25-year-old finished under par in each of her four rounds in that tournament, ending up at eight under.
Lee doesn't have as much momentum heading into the ANA Inspiration. The 30-year-old played her first LPGA event of the year last week, finishing tied for 56th at two over par in the Kia Classic.
Among the other former ANA Inspiration champions in this year's field is Brittany Lincicome. The 35-year-old is the only golfer returning who has won the tournament twice having won in 2009 and 2015.
Lincicome hasn't won a major tournament since 2015, and she's finished 36th or worse in her past five ANA Inspiration appearances, including missing the cut twice.
Inbee Park could be another former ANA Inspiration champion to watch this weekend. She's won seven career major championships, including this tournament in 2013, but she hasn't won one since 2015. The 32-year-old is currently ranked No. 2 in the world and is coming off a victory at last weekend's Kia Classic, in which she finished 14 under par.
