Futures Tour Finale
by hound dog on Sep 2, 2010 6:19 AM PDT
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There's no LPGA action this holiday weekend but the Duramed Futures Tour holds its final event of the season, the Price Chopper Tour Championship in Albany, New York. The DFT website will be streaming live video from the 1st tee and the 18th green all three days of the tournament and will provide real-time scoring updates.
At the conclusion of play Sunday, the top five players on the DFT money list will receive Category-9 status for the 2011 season (approx. Positions #95-100) while players 6-10 will receive Category-17 status (approx. Positions #235-240). Cindy LaCrosse and Christine Song are locks for the Top 5 and by my reckoning Gerina Mendoza is in great shape. Three players would have to pass her and I see only a few scenarios where that could happen given the expected prize money for first, second and third. For one, Jennifer Song and Jenny Shin would have to finish well enough to pass her and one of the other half-dozen players directly behind Mendoza would have to win for Gerina to be knocked out. Jennifer and Jenny have a little more to worry about, but each has a several thousand dollar lead on sixth-place Angela Oh.
Assuming at least a $16,000 payout for the winner, everyone down to #22 Jenny Gleason still has a shot at finishing Top 10 and everyone down to #11 Esther Choe has a chance to make the Top 5. Good luck this weekend, ladies!
Moneygolf
by hound dog on Sep 1, 2010 6:44 AM PDT
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If you haven't read Michael Agger's Moneygolf series at Slate.com, why haven't you? Here is the whole series in one easy-to-read .pdf:
His focus is on the PGA Tour and ShotLink but the concepts are applicable to all of golf. He shares the view I and many others have that Driving Accuracy and GIR raise nearly as many questions as they answer. The concepts like "Fractional Par" and "Shot Value" are just the kind of things I wish were available to us for LPGA analysis. The discovery that differences in putting ability between pros is not nearly as large as previously thought could be a historic one. Even if you have read Moneygolf, read it again - my plan is to memorize it.
Canadian Open - Epilogue
by hound dog on Aug 30, 2010 6:20 AM PDT
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Michelle Wie's victory is expected to move her up to #7 in the Rolex Rankings. I haven't updated my numbers yet but it appears Michelle will make it into the Top 10. Like it or not, Michelle Wie is one of the ten best players in the world and chances are good that we'll be further narrowing down that definition in the coming months.
You could call it a Blast From The Past or even Resurrection Week in Winnipeg, what with all the old names jumping to the forefront. I'll start with local hero Lorie Kane, who made the cut on the number, shot 68-67 over the weekend and finished T11 - her best finish since a Top 10 at the 2007 Longs Drugs. Then there's Becky Morgan, who also finished T11 to just miss her first Top 10 since Arkansas last September. There's also Kyeong Bae, whose incredible run of eight birdies in 11 holes sputtered out at the end but joined Kane and Morgan at T11 for her best finish since the 2009 U.S. Open. And lastly there's Rachel Hetherington. After I paid my respects on Friday night to her retirement, Rachel fired a 66 on Saturday and wound up T24, her best since the 2008 Safeway Classic. Tough to choose a single Big Surprise from that group so I'm going to split it between Kane and Hetherington.
Yani Tseng missed the cut by one shot, earning the Big Disappointment along with her first MC of the year. FYI - the players yet to miss a cut in 2010 with at least 10 starts are Cristie Kerr, Jiyai Shin, Suzann Pettersen, Song-Hee Kim, Karrie Webb, Inbee Park and Amy Yang.
I've been front-paging Bill Jempty's Fan Posts on the Ahn-Chung controversy to prove I'm not ignoring it but now it's time for me to weigh in. Whether you care for Larry Smich or not, you must agree that this is a serious matter. By all accounts, Shi Hyun Ahn and Ilmi Chung definitely played each other's ball in the 18th fairway Thursday, definitely holed out with the wrong ball, and definitely walked off the green without rectifying the situation. Here is Brent Kelley's explanation of Rule 15, which covers this situation. Ahn and Chung could have avoided disqualification had they gone back to the point where the mistake was made, each taken a two-stroke penalty and played on from there. Once they walked off the 18th green they had two choices, one legal and one not - accept a DQ or try to cover up the mistake. Accounts vary about what exactly transpired but what is agreed is that the two players at some point admitted the mistake and were disqualified.
Perhaps Ahn and Chung did try to cover up their mistake for a while. Bob Weeks' source says they waited two hours to come clean. If so, I believe a suspension is warranted. Not a lifetime ban, no way - the two players DID admit the infraction (admittedly this confession likely came after being threatened with exposure by one of the three caddies in the group) - but a ban of several weeks would not be out of line. The Tour doesn't need the stigma of players loosely following the rules and only acknowledging a violation under threat of being squealed on. The punishment has to deter other players who break the rules from even considering this path in the future. Commissioner Whan must be firm on that point.
CN Canadian Women's Open - Final Round
by hound dog on Aug 29, 2010 3:00 PM PDT
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Michelle Wie took the solo lead with a 15-footer for birdie at the 8th hole and put it away with three straight birdies to win the CN Canadian Women's Open by three strokes. It is the second career victory for Wie and her first of 2010. Jiyai Shin, Suzann Pettersen, Jee Young Lee and Kristy McPherson tied for second place at -9 while In-Kyung Kim finished alone in sixth at -8.
Wie and Shin began the round tied with a three-shot cushion on the field but they gave a whole lot of players hope when they each took bogey early. Jiyai was unable to save par from 25 feet at 3 while Michelle missed a 12-footer for par at 4. Climbing to within a shot at -8 were Pettersen, Na Yeon Choi (both with birdies at 3 & 4), Lee (-2 through 6 despite two bogeys) and Kyeong Bae, who had just completed a blistering run of eight birdies in 11 holes. In fact, 15 players were within four shots of the lead at that point. At the par-5 5th, the two leaders tapped in short birdie putts to go up by two. Both were within seven feet for birdie at 7 but neither could cash in. 8 brought a two-shot swing - Shin's chip from the left rough went seven feet past and she missed the comebacker for par, while Wie rolled home the birdie to suddenly go two up by herself.
LPGA to conduct cheating inquiry
by Bill Jempty on Aug 29, 2010 1:33 PM PDT
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Steve Elling at CBS Sports has more on the incident at the CN Canadian Open which I wrote about yesterday.
Initially, the LPGA seemed satisfied with the player actions and sanctions.
“No one with the LPGA was privy to any discussions between the players and caddies in advance of the players’ efforts to seek out a rules official to explain the situation,” a spokesman said Saturday. “We know only that the players came forward, admitted their issue and received the appropriate result based on the rules of golf.”
However, that stance has clearly changed.
LPGA communications chief David Higdon confirmed Sunday morning to CBSSports.com that the tour intends to interview all the parties involved and then mull a possible course of action.
“We have treated this situation very seriously, and have or will speak to all principles involved,” Higdon said in an email Sunday morning. “Yes, we are looking very closely at it.”
The LPGA has had issues in the past with South Korean natives, who have been accused by other players of bending rules by conversing with friends or parents and receiving advice in their native tongue, among other perceived violations. The LPGA at one point put players on notice that such conversations and interaction would not be tolerated. One longtime LPGA caddie with his own blog site claimed this weekend that Korean players have been getting away with rules violations for years, causing some to accuse him of racism.
The LPGA has to investigate what happened, and if Ahn and Chung’s actions were deliberate, they should be suspended from the tour. Ryan at Waggle Room now writes
On Saturday evening, Waggle Room learned that it was Ahn’s caddie who told the story direct to Smich but may not be willing to share details publicly for fear of being shunned in the golf community.
Ahn’s caddy could be in position of causing great harm to a pro golfer’s career and reputation. It is very understandable why he wouldn’t want to talk publicly.
One last comment about Smich. He has a long history of making derogatory comments about the South Korean players. People who have read his blog for any length of time, would have a basis to say he is a racist. I think his anger at being fired by Mi Hyun Kim 11 years ago has made him very bitter and his lack of success as a caddie of late,(He hasn’t been close to a winning bag in all the time he’s blogged, and if I checked, the top 20 finishes of his players in that time can be counted on one hand easily) caused his feelings to turn to hate or racism. His outspokenness has undoubtedly caused these players also not to want to hire him.
Interestingly enough I checked Smich’s archives, he worked for Ahn once at the Wegmans. So he has caddied for both Ahn and Chung in the past.
Update- Golf writer and blogger Bob Weeks has more
A source told me on Sunday that the two players allegedly knew about the mix up by the time they reaced the scorer’s tent and discussed it in Korean, agreeing not to bring it up. The source then alleged that Ahn’s caddie also knew about the situation and threatened to turn them in.
Reportedly, the players waited two hours after their final round before contacting the LPGA Tour to report the incident, calling from their hotel.
Weeks is a much more credible source than Larry Smich. Chung and Ahn are in for big trouble.
Hat tip- Geoff Shackelford
Did LPGA Golfers Shi Hyun Ahn and Il Mi Chung cheat at the CN Canadian Open?
by Bill Jempty on Aug 28, 2010 3:15 PM PDT
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LPGA Blogger and Caddy Larry Smich wrote the following-
Finally, caught in the act! All this time, I’ve been detailing cheating by the Koreans and been called a racist and more for my observations. Even been taken to the woodshed by the head honcho. Well yesterday, it all became evident that I was spot on. Did you notice that Shi Hyun Ahn and Ilmi Chung were disqualified? The reason is that they both played the wrong ball on their final hole and not correcting the infraction before signing their cards, to put it mildly.
Here is what I’ve heard of the alleged incident. Both balls were in the fairway. Ahn missed the green and Ilmi hit hers on. Ahn chipped it close and tapped in for par. This is where it all begins. Apparently, Ahn noticed that this was not her ball and conversed in Korean with Ilmi. In the mean time, at least one caddie in the group noticed it also but did not say anything. They finished the hole, went to the scoring tent, checked the scores and signed their cards. Somewhere, either before or after going to the tent, Ahn told her caddie (a Nationwide looper and only working for her this week) “You did not see anything”. As of right now, I do not know who owned up and went to the officials. The third player in the group was oblivious to the situation and was not involved. BTW, Ahn shot 72 and Chung a 76.
Before I go any further I’ll give some background on Smich and the golfers he is accusing. He has been an LPGA caddy for over 30 years. In that time, he has had three winning bags. The last of which was with Mi Hyun Kim in 1999. Shortly after that win, Kim fired Smich.
Smich has worked for other South Korean players, but the last was over two years ago. He did work for Chung at some point in the middle of the last decade.
Anyone who reads Smich’s blog knows he doesn’t like the Korean players. Ryan at Waggle Room uses the word vendetta towards how Smich writes about players from South Korea. In 2007, Smich also accused LPGA player Young Kim of cheating. Most of the time Smich doesn’t name players when he makes cheating allegations.
Ahn is a one-time winner on the LPGA Tour and was the 2004 Rookie of the Year. She is a looker, and is nicknamed Cinderella. I get lots of hits at my home blog from people looking either for Ahn photos or are looking to find out what golfer is nicknamed Cinderella.
At the 2009 LPGA Championship, a golf ball of Ahn’s struck and killed a bird.
Chung has never won on the LPGA Tour and since the retirement of Pearl Sinn, I believe she is the oldest South Korean born player on the LPGA Tour.
Ryan at Waggle Room apparently got someone to corroborate part of what Smich says(Remember he didn’t see it happen)
We have learned of a second account of the situation. The second account is all the same until the green.
When Ahn and Chung realized what had happened, Chung’s caddy approached Downey’s caddy and said, “We have a bit of a problem, but I’m not saying anything.” Downey’s caddy went into the scoring tent. Ahn and Chung signed for their scores. Downey’s caddy was prepared to turn in Ahn and Chung, which then prompted their seeking of LPGA officials for a ruling and their certain disqualification.
The LPGA’s Mike Scanlan also made the following comment to Ryan-
“The players sought out a rules official after their round to explain the situation and were subsequently disqualified.
“No one with the LPGA was privy to any discussions between the players and caddies in advance of the players’ efforts to seek out a rules official to explain the situation. We know only that the players came forward, admitted their issue and received the appropriate result based on the Rules of Golf.”
Bob Weeks, who is also blogging on the incident, went looking for Larry Smich at the tournament. Interestingly enough, Smich couldn’t be found. The golfer who he was caddying for, Stephanie Loudon, had her husband carrying her bag for the third round.
At the moment, the golf tournament is on television, and so far as I know, no mention has been made of the Ahn and Chung incident.
Deliberate cheating in professional golf is very serious and not unheard of. A Latin American player was suspended by the PGA Tour around 40 years ago. Jane Blalock was suspended for a year by the LPGA in1972. That was till she filed a antitrust lawsuit. The accusations against Blalock was probably the sport’s biggest cheating scandal of the last 50 years. She was one of the tour’s stars at the time. What we have today involves two fairly obscure players. I don’t know if we’ll ever learn what did happen. The golf media rather write repetitive article after repetitive article on Tiger Woods
than give the LPGA even five minutes of their time.
On a side note, Michelle Wie is leading the Canadian Open. Should she hold on to win, the LPGA attention deficit might decrease at least for one week.
Canadian Open - 2nd Round
by hound dog on Aug 27, 2010 6:54 PM PDT
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Michelle Wie maintained her three-stroke lead Friday at the CN Canadian Women's Open. Jiyai Shin moved into second place at -7 while Morgan Pressel and Suzann Pettersen are tied for third at -6. Na Yeon Choi and Jee Young Lee are tied for fifth at -5.
It wasn't another 65 but 69 was good enough to keep Wie from losing ground to her pursuit. Starting on the back nine, an early bogey at 11 was her only one of the day as her lead dwindled to one. Birdies at 13, 15, 5 and 6 put Michelle into double-digits which, compared to most of the field, seems like twice that. Only 16 players are under par through 36 holes and only the six listed above are better than -3. Friday's best rounds definitely came early as Pressel and Sarah Jane Smith put up 66, Morgan with 31 on the back nine and Sarah Jane with 30 on the front. Shin also played in the morning and finished her round with five birdies on the front nine to move into second place. Pettersen posted her second straight 69 (not nearly as steady as Thursday's as she bogeyed three times) to keep her title defense alive. NYC and Jelly both played in the morning too and both carded 67 to move into the Top 5.
Early on, Karin Sjodin was sniffing the lead as she played the first eight holes without a single par. Three birdies, a double at 4, an eagle to offset that at 5, two more birdies and a bogey at 8 started one of the wildest rollercoaster rounds you'll ever see. For the day, Karin parred only six holes, birdied six and bogeyed four to post 70 and stand T7 -3.
The cut ended up at +4, dooming Yani Tseng, Angela Stanford, Anna Nordqvist (79!), Sun Young Yoo, Hee Young Park, Stacy Lewis, Lexi Thompson and Momoko Ueda. Azahara Munoz shot 68 today but it wasn't enough to offset yesterday's 82 so she goes home. On the flipside, Sarah Kemp was in second place starting the day but shot 80 (in the afternoon winds, of course) and made the cut on the number.
Another player who made it on the number is competing in her final LPGA event this weekend. According to Larry Smich, Rachel Hetherington is hanging up her spikes after this one. Rachel won eight times in her career, all between 1998 and 2003, and was frequently a Top 15 player during that time. Her best season by my reckoning was 2003, when she won twice, finished second twice, collected 11 Top 10 finishes and ranked as the #6 player on Tour in my system. Hetherington suffered a broken ankle on Christmas Day last year while skateboarding - a present from her husband to help her practice for her new hobby, surfing - which undoubtedly hastened her retirement as she was only able to start five events in 2010, although she made the cut in four of them. Congratulations on a fine career Rachel, and good luck in your future endeavors.
Canadian Open - 1st Round
by hound dog on Aug 27, 2010 2:09 AM PDT
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Michelle Wie fired a 65, aided by a hole-in-one, to lead at the CN Canadian Women's Open. Sarah Kemp is in second place three shots back, defending champion Suzann Pettersen is in third with a 69 while eight players are tied for fourth after rounds of 70.
Wie birdied six times with one bogey and aced the par-3 11th hole with a 5-iron. This has to be classified as a great round, given the windy conditions and the day's other results - nobody else better than 68, only two other rounds in the 60s and just 23 total rounds under par. Michelle somehow did this despite hitting four fairways (she reached GIR 13 times and used 25 putts). The other scores of note:
|
70 Jiyai Shin, Kristy McPherson, Karen Stupples, Jane Park 70 Amy Hung, Meredith Duncan, Il Hee Lee, Pernilla Lindberg 71 Paula Creamer, In-Kyung Kim, Anna Nordqvist, Sun Young Yoo, Moira Dunn 71 Lexi Thompson, Teresa Lu, Karin Sjodin, Pat Hurst, Katie Kempter 72 Na Yeon Choi, Karrie Webb, Morgan Pressel, Angela Stanford, Amy Yang 72 Brittany Lincicome, Jee Young Lee, Catriona Matthew, Aree Song 73 Yani Tseng, Song-Hee Kim, Laura Davies, Juli Inkster, Anna Rawson 74 Ai Miyazato, Inbee Park, Stacy Lewis, M.J. Hur, Na On Min, Brandie Burton 75 Cristie Kerr, Brittany Lang, Katherine Hull, Hee Young Park, Sophie Gustafson 77 Momoko Ueda, Maria Hjorth, Samantha Richdale, Amanda Blumenherst |
The Top 10 is filled with names not seen there recently, namely Kemp (who broke 70 for only the third time in 25 rounds this year), Hung, Duncan, Lindberg, IH Lee and two names you know but haven't seen this far up the board in a while - McPherson and Jane Park. With a little luck, Thompson's 71 could have been much better - her tee shot at 16 went into a tree and didn't come down, resulting in a double-bogey. I didn't list her score above (since very few others matched it) but ROY leader Azahara Munoz posted an 82 - her one birdie was obliterated by two double-bogeys and seven bogeys. A total of 35 putts tells me that the wind-blown greens ruined her day.
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