The LPGA Plays the Marathon Classic After All

We weren't sure this event would even be played as little as a month ago, and the virus has left its fingerprints all over the Marathon Classic.

We'll start with the obvious: There will be no spectators at this event. That nearly killed the event, as sponsors draw most of the charity dollars from the pro-ams and such that can't be played this year.

Defending champion Sei Young Kim will not defend. She's still in Korea due to travel concerns.

An interesting fact: US players have more wins at this event than any other country (13), but no American has won since 2008 (Paula Creamer). That could change this year, given that many of the international players have -- like Kim -- chosen not to risk the travel. But that doesn't mean the entire field will be US players. A quick glance at the field list shows a large number of international players will be in action.

The field will be headlined by World #2 Danielle Kang and #3 Nelly Korda. Also notable is Ana Belac, a player from Slovenia via Duke University who is making her first Tour appearance on a sponsor's invite. (Is she the first Slovenian player to play at an LPGA event? I'm guessing she is.)

Finally, this note from the LPGA website.

The Marathon LPGA Classic presented by Dana is the final opportunity for LPGA players to earn a full exemption into the 2020 AIG Women’s Open; after 72 holes, the top 10 LPGA Members not already exempt will earn a spot into the major championship

GC will carry three hours of live coverage starting Thursday at 1pm ET. For those of us who missed women's golf, it's nice to know the LPGA is getting some live coverage amidst all the other tours.