The LPGA make its annual stop in The Colony, Texas, this week for the 10th edition of the Ascendant LPGA benefiting Volunteers of America, where Thailand’s 19-year-old rookie Atthaya Thitikul comes in hot off her second career win and second playoff victory this season at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship.
Leading the 132-player field at Old American Golf Club, located at Golf Clubs at The Tribute, are Texas residents and past champions Cheyenne Knight and Angela Stanford. They’ll compete for the $1.7 million prize purse alongside major champions Nelly Korda, Lydia Ko and Brooke Henderson. Last year’s Ascendant LPGA champion, world No. 1 Jin Young Ko, will not be defending her title after announcing earlier this month she would be missing several weeks due to a nagging wrist injury.
This past weekend in Arkansas, Thitikul took the lead with a 10-under 61 in the second round and shot 68 in the final round to finish regulation tied with Danielle Kang at 17-under 196. Thitikul, who won the JTBC Classic in March in a two-hole playoff vs. Nanna Koerstz Madsen, drained an 8-foot birdie putt on the second playoff hole to secure the win over Kang.
How to watch the 2022 Ascendant LPGA
Coverage of the 2022 Ascendant LPGA from Old American Golf Club in The Colony, Texas, can be found on Golf Channel, with streaming options available any time on any mobile device and online through NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app.
- Thursday, Sept. 29: 12:30-3:30 p.m. ET, Golf Channel
- Friday, Sept. 30: 12:30-3:30 p.m. ET, Golf Channel
- Saturday, Oct. 1: 1-4 p.m. ET, Golf Channel
- Sunday, Oct. 2: 1-4 p.m. ET, Golf Channel
Who’s playing in the 2022 Ascendant LPGA
Six of the top 10 players in the Rolex World Rankings are among the field in Texas, including:
- No. 2 Nelly Korda
- No. 4 Lydia Ko
- No. 5 Atthaya Thitikul
- No. 6 Brooke Henderson
- No. 7 Lexi Thompson
- No. 10 Nasa Hataoka
A number of local Texans also are in the tournament, headlined by past champions, Angela Stanford (2020) and Cheyenne Knight (2019), and two junior champions of the Volunteers of America Classic Girls Championship, who are playing on a sponsor exemption: Yunxuan (Michelle) Zhang (2022), a freshman at SMU, and Avery Zweig (2021), a high school sophomore from McKinney, Texas.
Past five champions of The Ascendant LPGA
| YEAR | WINNER | SCORE | MARGIN | RUNNERUP |
| 2021 | Jin Young Ko (South Korea) | 16-under 268 | 1 stroke | Matilda Castren |
| 2020 | Angela Stanford (USA) | 7-under 277 | 2 strokes | So Yeon Ryu, Inbee Park, Yealimi Noh |
| 2019 | Cheyenne Knight (USA) | 18-under 266 | 2 strokes | Brittany Altomare, Jaye Marie Green |
| 2018 | Sung Hyun Park (South Korea) | 11-under 131 | 1 stroke | Lindy Duncan |
| 2017 | Haru Nomura (Japan) | 3-under 281 | Playoff | Christie Kerr |
Last time at The Ascendant LPGA
South Korea’s Jin Young Ko carded a final-round 69 to maintain her 54-hole lead at Old American Golf Club and held on for a one stroke win at the 2021 Volunteers of America Classic, her eighth career LPGA tour title. Ko finished regulation at 16-under 268, edging Finland’s Matilda Castren by one stroke.
It kicked off a five-win season for Ko, who had just lost her No. 1 ranking to Nelly Korda the week prior after holding the top spot for 100 straight weeks. She regained the No. 1 ranking back in October 2021, after earning her fourth win in seven starts at the BMW Ladies Championship.
More about Old American Golf Club
Opened in 2010, the Old American Golf Club is one of two clubs at The Tribute, a lakefront resort community on Lewisville Lake in The Colony, Texas. Designed by Tripp Davis and 12-time PGA Tour winner Justin Leonard, Old American plays as a Par 71 and stretches to 6,475 yards on the tournament scorecard.
