2008 Lexus Cup Qualifiers

by sag on Nov 6, 2008 4:28 PM PST

Here's how the teams for the 2008 Lexus Cup look so far:

Team International

Captain: Annika Sörenstam

Rolex Women's World Ranking Qualification

Annika Sörenstam

Suzann Pettersen

Paula Creamer

Cristie Kerr

LPGA Official Money List Qualification

Helen Alfredsson

Katherine Hull

Angela Stanford

Karen Stupples

Team Asia

Captain: Se Ri Pak

Rolex Women's World Ranking Qualification

Yani Tseng

Seon Hwa Lee

Jeong Jang

Eun-Hee Ji

LPGA Official Money List Qualification

Inbee Park

Na Yeon Choi

Song-Hee Kim

Candie Kung

Each side has several absentees who presumably declined:

Team International: Lorena Ochoa, Angela Park, Laura Diaz, Karrie Webb

Team Asia: Ji-Yai Shin, Yuri Fudoh, Momoko Ueda

Who should be the sponsor exemptions? Notice that I didn't say captain's picks. Does anyone really think that Annika wanted to make Nikki Campbell a captain's pick last year? Geographic diversity is the significant factor here.

I'll offer what I consider a no-brainer pick for each side. Team International has to pick Morgan Pressel. She's next in line on the money list, just $544 behind Stupples. She'd only be the fourth American--that's not too many. And for Team Asia, China's best player, Shanshan Feng.

Team International has four spots to fill and Team Asia three. Put on your sponsor's hat and let's see some suggestions! Then feel free to take off your sponsor's hat and give us some real captain's picks and/or some players who you hope don't get picked!

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Comments

Team Asia

Going by past performance, I’d want Jee Young Lee and In-Kyung Kim on my team fer shure if I were Se Ri Pak, but I wouldn’t be sad to see new mom Hee-Won Han get one of those spots. The obligatory Japanese pick, then, would go in the following order (assuming several turn-downs): Yokomine, Koga, Hara, Mitsuka, Oyama, Uehara, Saiki. If none of them say yes, forget Japan and go with a Korean JLPGAer like Ji-Hee Lee, Mi-Jeong Jeon, Bo-Bae Song, Eun-A Lim, Esther Lee, or Ji-Woo Lee. (I assume Hyun-Ju Shin is hurt, otherwise I’d have put her #3 on the list).

by The Constructivist on Nov 6, 2008 10:14 PM PST reply actions

Team International

Poor Nikki Campbell—she’s actually having a good season on the JLPGA and playing well of late, but Hull has the Aussie spot sewn up. I’d invite Juli Inkster, b/c she’s such a tough competitor and respected by so many players. If Maria Hjorth feels up to it (pregnancy and all), I’d ask her next, but assuming she turns me down my next pick is actually Christina Kim (she deserves it and also deserves a chance to play some international team golf finally). If Annika wants a 5th Euro, Sophie Gustafson is her pick, but personally I would pick either Jane Park or Stacy Prammanasudh. They deserve the spot over Nicole Castrale or Brittany Lang, their nearest competitors for the last spot. If for some reason Pressel turns me down, then I go with one of those 2, or Catriona Matthew if they turn me down. Last resort: Aussie Lindsey Wright….

by The Constructivist on Nov 6, 2008 10:22 PM PST reply actions