Wegmans LPGA Preview

For the 33^rd consecutive year, the ladies will tee it up at Locust Hill Country Club just outside Rochester, New York in the Wegmans LPGA.  Eun-Hee Ji came from three shots behind over the last six holes to defeat Suzann Pettersen in last year's event.

Locust Hill is one of the shorter courses on Tour and features a mismatched set of nines - par is 35 on the front nine and 37 on the back (three par-3s on the front with only one on the back).  The area has received a ton of rain recently so I expect the greens to hold well and the scoring to be good like last year's.

If ESPN2's coverage isn't enough to whet your LPGA appetite, the Wegmans will once again produce a webcast from the site featuring player interviews and other tournament-related activities.  Be sure to check out their offerings beginning Thursday morning.

It's nice that the event organizers honor Lorena Ochoa on the homepage of their website as a past champion but her image there might mislead folks to believe that she is playing this week.  Also MIA are Angela Stanford and Suzann Pettersen.  Otherwise, it's a pretty strong field just short of last year's Field Score of 89.  The two sponsor's exemptions are noteworthy - Amanda Blumenherst makes her first professional LPGA start along with 18-year-old amateur Cheyenne Woods.  You're probably familiar with Cheyenne's uncle - he was just down the road earlier this week, maybe he'll be in the gallery since he's not playing in the PGA Travelers event.  UPDATE:  I forgot to mention Jeong Jang makes her return this week, playing her first event since last November's ADT Championship.

In my current rankings Jiyai Shin and Paula Creamer are virtually tied for the #2 spot, within shouting distance of Ochoa but only a few points ahead of the surging Cristie Kerr and Yani Tseng.  If Shin or Creamer wants to stay ahead of the pack and close the gap on Number One, they need to at least contend for the win this week.  I think they both have a great chance to do just that.