LPGA Tour Championship – Epilogue

Maria Hjorth's last victory came at the 2007 Navistar Classic.  She returned from maternity leave in late spring 2009 and played well enough late in the year to reach my Top 30.  It hasn't been the greatest season this year (she came in ranked just inside my Top 50) but she finished tied for third in Malaysia so she had been showing signs of recovery.  Hjorth was forced to make a terrific sand save at 18 to avoid a playoff when Amy Yang drained a 20-footer for birdie.  She blasted to eight feet and rolled home the winner.

Yani Tseng didn't have a great week (21^st place) but she certainly had a great season.  Two major championships, three total victories, one runner-up and two third-place finishes.  Rolex says she's Player of the Year and so does the HD system. I'll post the entire Top 70 in the next couple of days.

On the face of it, Na Yeon Choi had a great week in taking down the money title and the Vare Trophy.  She still had a chance at Player of the Year until she three-putted for bogey at 15 Sunday and couldn't get up-and-down from a bunker at 17.  NYC must be rueing her performance at 13 this week - she played the tough par-4 in +5.  Those five shots saved would have been enough to win the event and POY.

Cristie Kerr never got going on Sunday but she gave it her all down the stretch.  She had ten feet for birdie at 15 but missed and made a terrific approach into the wind from a tough spot at 16 but couldn't can the long birdie.  Her long last-gasp birdie at 18 came to rest about a foot away.  Winning this week could have added three Hall of Fame points to Cristie's record, but she came away empty.

The average score at Grand Cypress was 75.34, the highest of any event this year not played at Oakmont and the highest for a non-major since the weather-shortened 2007 Hana Bank KOLON tournament.  Only six players finished under par and Hjorth was the only player who didn't record a single round above par.  The treacherous greens were mostly responsible but the occasional gusts of wind didn't make things any easier.  The tournament had a distinct U.S. Open feel that I frankly could have done without.

Got to give Amy Yang credit - not many players could have rebounded from the early quadruple-bogey to make up five shots in four holes like she did Sunday.  The front nine gave her fits all week as she played it in +8, compared to -12 on the back.  You may not know too much about this player but one thing you should remember - she's one of the 15 best players on Tour and she was that even before they teed it up this past Thursday.  Her first LPGA win is going to come in 2011.

The final Big Surprise of 2010 goes to Laura Diaz, whose T5 finish was her best since the 2008 Grand China Air.  The Big Disappointment is shared by Jiyai Shin and Ai Miyazato, who couldn't overcome their poor Thursday rounds and missed the final-round cut.