Player Profiles - Part 9

This is the final segment of my player profile series.  If there are any other players you would like to see profiled, let me know in the comments.

#45  Kristy McPherson

Kristy's six Top 10 finishes were offset by seven missed cuts.  She played her best in July when she rattled off three straight Top 10s at Arkansas, Farr and State Farm.  There's not just one area of her game that McPherson can "fix" to gain improvement.  She ranks in the 40s in driving, GIR and putting average while her PPGIR is T57.  In all of these categories, you can consider her to be in the "good" range.  To get better results, Kristy will have to improve one of these areas greatly or two of them significantly.  I can't prove it but logically that seems to be a more daunting task than for say, expecting better results from Teresa Lu by improving her 68^th-place ranking in GIR or Meena Lee by improving her poor putting stats.

#46  Leta Lindley

Won the Corning Classic in May, her first career victory which came in her 295^th start.  The win was among only two Top 10s for Leta this year (and 33 for her career), earning her the 2008 Fluke Victory of the Year Award.  Lindley edges Louise Friberg for this "honor" because of her marginal (and lengthy) prior record and the fact that Louise collected one extra Top 10.  Leta became the first player in three years to win an event immediately after missing a cut, and she also missed the cut the week after her victory.

Please don't get the impression from those comments that I think Leta Lindley is a bad player.  Far from it - I ranked her #46, didn't I?  "Surprise Victory of the Year" would be nicer terminology, but you shouldn't expect me to be PC all of the time.  The main reason I talk about Fluke Victories is to showcase the unpredictability of the LPGA.  On any given week, given the right set of circumstances, anybody in the field can win - and there's nothing bad about that.

#54  Louise Friberg

Lollo opened her rookie season by missing the cut at SBS but she finished T7 at Fields and then came from ten shots behind to win at MasterCard.  In her next 16 events, she finished no better than T22 and missed the cut seven times.  She closed out 2008 on the positive side, with a T6 at Navistar and no MCs in her final eight events.

I've mentioned Louise's blog before but in case you've missed it, go check it out sometime.  Two or three times a week, she posts her thoughts on Tour life.  I wish more players would let us know what being an LPGA touring professional is like.  Lately she's been complaining about her putting.  I don't know if she ever reads my blog but if she does - yes Louise, keep working on the flat stick.  You drive the ball pretty well and reach the green with a good average.  Get those putting numbers in line and you'll be just fine.

#56  Natalie Gulbis

Problems with her back prevented Natalie from starting any events after August.  Even before that forced layoff, she wasn't herself.  In 20 starts, Gulbis collected only one Top 10 (T9 at the British) and wasn't even in the money list Top 50.  She returned to action at the Lexus Cup and played in the Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge (which aired last weekend).  This was the second time in 18 months that Natalie had missed significant time because of her back.  Like another favorite of mine, Grace Park, Natalie may find herself losing so much practice time because of her physical ailments that she can't possibly be competitive.

#63  Se Ri Pak

I ranked Pak #9 in the preseason (she finished 2007 at #13), which turned out to be one of the worst of those predictions.  I suppose Brittany Lincicome was the worst.  Se Ri only made 17 starts with three Top 10s (second at the Canadian Open) but seven missed cuts.  Pak used to go four years playing a full schedule without missing seven cuts.

What happened?  There is no mention of any injury in Se Ri's profile at Seoulsisters.com.  Her driving stats were down (due to a 6.5 yard drop in distance) along with her GIR (32 down to 72).  Her putting stats took the biggest fall - she ranked in the Top 20 of both in '07, down to the middle of the pack in '08.  The occasional good showings lead me to believe that the talent is still there, but is the desire?