ANA Inspiration Recap- Mirim Lee Takes off by Way of the Wedge

Top 10

1) Mirim Lee (-15) (+60000)

T2) Brooke Henderson (-15) (+3500)

T2) Nelly Korda (-15) (+1600)

4) Lexi Thompson (-13) (+2000)

5) Stacy Lewis (-12) (+5500)

6) Lydia Ko (-10) (+2500)

T7) Minjee Lee (-9) (+1100)

T7) Nasa Hataoka (-9) (+3000)

T7) Mel Reid (-9) (+30000)

T7) Katherine Kirk (-9) (+12500)

Picks:

Danielle Kang at 7.5 units (+1100)- T11

Sei Young Kim at 5 units (+1400)- T18

Nelly Korda at 5 units (+1600)- T2

Sung Hyun Park at 5 units (+3500)- MC

Yealimi Noh at 2.5 units (+11000)- T44

Total Units Won: 82.5

Total Units Bet: 150

ROI on season: -45%

Sometimes, the breaks go your way, as they did when Celine Boutier slid and missed a putt to force a playoff at the Drive On Championship. Sometimes, they go where Mirim Lee leads a Sunday charge by way of the wedge, chipping in three times for a combined (-4) on the 6th, 16th, and 18th for a final round 67 to get into a three-way playoff with Brooke Henderson and Nelly Korda.

Korda was almost a wire-to-wire winner and would've been the second successful victor in the blog's nascent history. Alas, it wasn't to be.

Overall, it was quality value identification. One couldn't have predicted Mirim Lee, who is part of the 12% of players who missed the cut in the start before their victory, to find the winner's circle. Yet in sports, we judge on the smallest of sample sizes. I doubt Lee will ever replicate that chipping performance again- that doesn't take away from the fact she did it under the brightest of lights, albeit the smallest of fanfare.

Henderson also returned to play off a missed cut. The Canadian may make me reconsider the missing the cut in the previous event if there's a week off mixed in. Lexi Thompson took advantage of the downtime like Henderson did, rounding out the top 4.

Betting on players playing well remains reliable. Lewis and Korda are both in top form and performed as such.

Next week in Portland, Brooke Henderson would've been the odds-on favorite in my eyes if she finished within the top 25. She's won there twice and has a habit of winning at tournaments on the same course. She's also taken home the hardware twice from the Lotte Championship and twice from the Meijer LPGA Classic. Because of her strong performance, she likely will be the actual odds-on favorite, and that's going to be difficult to determine if that's a worthwhile bet. Most favorites have been too overvalued in the betting odds this season, until this week.

Lee's win got her into the U.S. Women's Open and a five-year exemption on tour. The 29-year old kept the ANA trophy in the hands of South Korea, who've had country women win the trophy in three of the last four years.