Stacy Lewis will head into this week’s Manulife Financial LPGA Classic as the No. 1 player in the world recovering the crown from Inbee Park who held the position for 59 straight weeks.

The six-shot win at the ShopRite LPGA Classic this past weekend was her second of the season, but Lewis continues to look ahead and says she has her sights set on back-to-back wins.

“I’m going to play at Manulife next week and I’m going to tee it up on Thursday going there to win,” said Lewis. “It doesn’t matter if I’m No. 1 or 100 in the world.”

And a win may very well be in the cards.

Lewis has ten top-10s in twelve starts this season including a win at the North Texas LPGA Shootout in addition to last week’s ShopRite Classic. She is currently No. 1 in the Race to CME Globe and Rolex World Rankings and her last two appearances at the Manulife saw her finish T5 and T6.

In only its third year, the tournament has garnered plenty of love from the players and Lewis will have a strong field to contend with. A quick glance at the field this week and you will see eight of the top-10 in the Rolex World Rankings with the likes of Michelle Wie, Inbee Park, Suzann Pettersen and Anna Nordqvist set to put a kink in Lewis’ plans. Defending champions Brittany Lang and Hee Young Park are also in the field.

If Lewis plans on picking up her second win in as many weeks, she’ll have to come out firing on all cylinders as last year’s event saw 26-under-par good for a two-way sudden death playoff. The Grey Silo Golf Club has given up its fair share of birdies over the last two years and this year should prove much the same.

THE COURSE

Grey Silo Golf Club is a city-owned golf course designed by Steve Young which opened for play in 2001. It will play to 6,330 yards and a par of 71 for the ladies this week. The golf course features plenty of water and, though scoring reached 26-under-par last year, scores should hover around the mid-to-high teens as long as the weather stays as forecasted.

WHO STACY NEEDS TO LOOK OUT FOR

Give it back: Inbee Park

• A player like Inbee Park is always dangerous and, despite losing her No. 1 ranking at the ShopRite, her game is starting to show signs of improvement. Park feels her putting has been holding her back, but the greens at Manulife are fairly tame.     

Horses for courses: Karine Icher

• Karen Icher finished solo 5th here last year and T12th in 2012. She has two top-10s in 11 starts this season, but she comes in to the Manulife wielding a steady putter ranking 16th in Putts Per GIR and 10th in Putting Average. On this golf course, a good putter can do some damage, and with Lizette Salas breaking through for her first win at Kingsmill a couple weeks back, maybe Icher can do the same.

The long hitter: Gerina Piller

• Gerina Piller had a strong start to the season and then tailed off a bit. Despite her long-hitting reputation, she’s currently 5th in GIR. I also can’t help noticing her T6 finish here in 2013 as well as two back-to-back 67’s on her way to a T3 at the ShopRite this past weekend. Though she ranks 108th in Putting, as mentioned, the greens at Grey Silo aren’t too crazy. 

It’s been a chalky year so here’s another chalky pick: Anna Nordqvist

• Rounding out my foursome is Anna Nordqvist. Off a strong weekend at the ShopRite, she’s a two-time winner already this season, and if it weren’t for a closing round 73 here last year, she’d have two top-10s in two years.

Dark Horse: Dori Carter

• Dori Carter has had two top-10s this year and her GIR, Putts Per GIR and Scoring Average are strong, which should prove well this week. At the KIA Classic she fired a 64 in the second round so she’s got plenty of birdies in her system.