Inbee Park, Danielle Kang among favorites for Shadow Creek event

The LPGA Tour is back in Las Vegas, and so is former Bishop Gorman High standout Inbee Park and fellow local resident Danielle Kang.

Park and Kang are among six of the world’s top seven ranked players in the field for the inaugural Bank of Hope LPGA Match Play tournament, scheduled Wednesday to Sunday at Shadow Creek golf club.

Park, ranked second in the world, is the 10-1 co-favorite with Sei Young Kim at the Westgate sportsbook to win the tournament.

World No. 1 Jin Young Ko is the 12-1 second choice. Kang, Brooke Henderson and So Yeon Ryu are each 16-1.

Kang is the ticket leader at the Westgate, and Park, who has won the career Grand Slam and an Olympic gold medal, is second.

“I would say Kang has a leg up on the rest of the field, as far as course knowledge goes,” Westgate risk manager Neil Fitzroy said. “We expected to take money on her. She’s a Las Vegas local, and I understand she plays a lot of rounds at Shadow Creek.

”And she has a decent amount of experience in this format, playing in two Solheim Cups.”

Patty Tavatanakit is third in tickets. She’s 18-1 after opening at 20-1.

The Westgate offers weekly odds on the LPGA Tour, and Fitzroy said betting on it has increased during the coronavirus pandemic.

“The LPGA Tour is a market that has growth potential. People are more interested in it than they have been in the past,” he said. “There have been so many new golf bettors and fans during the pandemic.

“It doesn’t approach the PGA Tour, but there’s weeks when we have a solid four-figure write on the LPGA Tour.”

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on Twitter.