LPGA players happy to be back on course at Superstition Mountain

The field of 144 golfers who descended on Superstition Mountain Golf & Country Club this week features six of the top 10 players in the Rolex Rankings.

That includes third-ranked Jin Young Ko, the winner of the last LPGA event held in Arizona at the 2019 Bank of Hope Founders Cup.

Ko, already a winner on tour in 2023, has been battling a left wrist injury, which put a damper on her 2022 season. The former World No. 1 says the wrist "has gotten better; my swing isn't 100 percent."

Her win at the Wildfire course at Desert Ridge four years ago was her third LPGA win and first in the U.S. She's won 11 more times, including two majors since then.

“It's great to be back here. I thought I couldn't win in the U.S. ... but in 2019, I won the first time," she said in her pre-tournament news conference Wednesday ahead of the first full-field event, and fourth overall, for the LPGA in 2023. "First time to win in States, it was in Arizona, so it's a great spot for me. I hope I win once again in Arizona. I love to play in Arizona because ball goes really far than the other spots and it makes me happy."

Superstition Mountain previously hosted the LPGA. A successful five-year run in the far East Valley ended when the Safeway International was moved to Portland, Oregon, after the 2008 event. The tournament attracted more than 150,000 fans that week.

"This is a great event and I think we're very excited that we're back playing in Arizona again," said Anna Nordqvist, who played for Arizona State. A native of Sweden, Nordqvist still considers this a home game.

"This place means a lot to me having gone to school here," she said. "The ASU girls are playing a home tournament this week at Papago, so they'll be busy on their own so I'll be cheering them on from afar. I wish I could go watch, but our schedule obviously doesn't line up.

"I have a lot of my team in Arizona, so it's going to be nice to see them. ... yeah, it's just nice to be home and feel like you have the support."

Moriya Jutanugarn, who has two career wins along with 44 top-10s, is enjoying her first time to Superstition Mountain.

"It's my first time here. Course is in great shape," she said after he first-round 67, which had her a shot off the lead when she walked off the course. "It's looks amazing on TV for sure. Everything is just very nice."

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: LPGA players happy to be back on course at Superstition Mountain