The LPGA Tour returns to Hollywood this week for the first of back-to-back tournaments being played in Southern California.

First up is the 2022 DIO Implant LA Open that will be played Thursday through Sunday at the famed Wilshire Country Club, marking the fourth anniversary of the event. The following week the women will move to Palos Verdes Country Club for the inaugural Palos Verdes Championship presented by Bank of America.

Brooke Henderson, the defending champion of the DIO Implant LA Open and a 10-time winner on the LPGA Tour, heads an impressive list of players competing in this week’s event, a group that includes 18 of the top-25 ranked players in the world.

Among the standouts are World No. 1 ranked player Jin Young Ko, No. 4 Atthaya Thitikul, No. 5 Minjee Lee who won this event in 2019, No. 6 Hyo Joo Kim, No. 7 Danielle Kang who is a former Westlake High and Pepperdine standout, No. 9 Inbee Park and No. 10 Sei Young Kim.

This will be the first time since 2019 that fans will be allowed to take in the action and Henderson said she is looking forward to having the crowds back out to cheer her and the rest of the competitors.

“I am super excited to get back to the LA Open. Last year getting my 10th win on tour there was really special,” Henderson said. “I definitely did miss the fans, the energy and kind of the adrenaline rush that they do bring. I’m really looking forward to having them back for both weeks coming up. I think that will be really cool. I’m excited to get back to a place with so many special memories and hopefully I can play well again this year and repeat what I did last year.”

Wilshire Country Club sits on just 104-acres, and while it’s not long, it’s a course that makes players think on every hole, and that challenge is something that Henderson really likes.

“It’s a course where you can never take a break,” Henderson said. “You have to think your whole way around and you have to play smart. Even when you have a good plan you have to execute the shots. It’s definitely going to challenge all parts of everybody’s game physically and mentally. I think that’s what makes this week fun, is just you know it’s going to be a fight from everybody.”

Wilshire’s unique finishing hole is a downhill par-3. Last year Henderson was able to get up and down from off the green for par to hold off a charge by Jin Young and win the title.

“I just came off a bogey on 17 and I knew 18, it’s a very difficult tee shot, even though it’s just a par-3; you definitely don’t want to be over on the left-hand side where I ended up being,” Henderson recounted. “So just to be able to get that up and down in that situation avoid a playoff and get the win was exciting.”

Jennifer Kupcho, who last month won the first major of the 2022 LPGA season by capturing the Chevron Championship in Palm Desert, is making her second start at the DIO Implant LA Open.

Winning her first LPGA tournament and her first major championship has given Kupcho some added confidence as she heads into this week’s tournament.

“Being able to say that I’ve won and like that I can compete out here — obviously I already knew that I could compete, but I think being able to win is really important,”

Kupcho said. “That’s what I did in college (Wake Forest University). I won a lot, so my confidence was low coming out here and not having won in two or three years. To be able to say I won, I think it’s definitely a confidence booster.”

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With Wilshire’s small greens and tight fairways, Kupcho knows that her ball striking will need to be on point this week if she hopes to contend.

“I really like this golf course. I mean playing it last year I have good memories. I don’t remember what place I took, but I know I played pretty well,” Kupcho said. “LA in general kind of stresses me out with all the traffic and everything, but, yeah, the golf course is great and the environment out here is really great, too.”

Unlike Kupcho, Los Angeles native and former USC standout Lizette Salas feels right at home in the Los Angeles traffic and the hustle and bustle of the city.

Salas said it’s special to not only get the chance to play two consecutive weeks in Los Angeles, but to do so now in front of so many family members and friends.

“Some of my family members haven’t watched me play since 2019, so to finally have them get to experience, like, the full LPGA tournament vibe, it’s great for them, and it’s great for me as well,” Salas said. “To see the fans come out and to actually hear applause rather than wind and crickets. It’s a magnificent feeling. It helps us play better, to get that motivation from fans and now to be in my backyard for these next two weeks and to have everyone finally come out and experience what the LPGA has to offer to the world of golf. We’re beyond excited and pumped for these next two weeks.”

Competing as an amateur in Los Angeles, Salas has spent plenty of time at both Wilshire Country Club and Palos Verdes Country Club. She considers both courses to be hidden gems and is excited that her peers on the LPGA Tour and the fans will get a chance to experience them both.

“I’m just grateful to be part of this area, to have these golf courses part of my journey,” Salas said. “So to bring all these players from, the best players in the world to play in these venues, and to showcase what this city can bring. We see the city bring great championships, like the LA Rams, the Lakers and the Dodgers, and now to focus on women’s golf, I think it’s a great transition. And this city brings champions. So hopefully I can add the name to one of those championships and just kind of put that stamp in LA and to the rest of the world.”

DIO Implant LA Open

When: Thursday through Sunday

Where: Wilshire Country Club

TV/radio Thursday: 3:30 p.m. Golf Channel