Sybase Match Play Championship - Epilogue

Sun Young Yoo hasn't been one of the higher-profile Korean players but she has been on the verge of breaking through for quite a while.  She has been ranked in my Top 30 since April of last year and went as high as #19 in September, thanks to a career-best T2 at Arkansas and a T3 at the CVS.  Yoo will surpass that previous mark when my updated rankings come out in the next couple of days.  Sadly, the "doesn't speak English" bugaboo struck again as SYY told Golf Channel she wasn't comfortable enough with the language to conduct a post-victory interview.  Maybe Jiyai Shin could have translated for us?

Angela Stanford wasn't playing great Sunday afternoon but made two great iron shots at 11 and 12 to take a 1-up lead.  The free-drop-comebacker-chip fiasco at 13 seemed to derail her as she only managed one really good shot the rest of the way.  That was the pin-striking tee ball at 16 which (as luck would have it) bounced too far away to make birdie.

Amy Yang had a bit of a coming-out party this weekend as well with her fourth-place finish.  It wasn't her best career performance though, as she finished T3 at last September's CVS - tied with none other than Sun Young Yoo.  Cue the Twilight Zone theme.  Yang could be in the Top 25 later this week.

Shin solidified her hold on the Rolex #1 spot with her third-place finish as Ai Miyazato only lasted two rounds and Suzann Pettersen crashed out in Round One.  It's going to be real close between Shin and Miyazato for the #1 HD position.

My bracket was decimated by the end of Round Three with the final tally being 29 correct and 35 not-so-correct.  And again I was shut out of the PakPicker Top 10, missing by three points.  2008 wasn't a very good prognosticating year for me, either.  Looks like I need to skip those even-numbered seasons.

The Big Surprise is Haeji Kang, who reached the quarter-finals and was All Square through 17 when Yang birdied 18 to beat her.  Pretty good week for the #61 seed with wins over In-Kyung Kim, Sandra Gal and Jee Young Lee.  As the highest seed to fall out in the first round, Suzann Pettersen gets the Big Disappointment.  Suzann's record in match-play singles is surprisingly poor when you consider her high ranking over the last four seasons and her outstanding team match-play record (9-4-3 over five Solheim Cups).  She is 0-3-2 in Solheim singles and now 2-3 in three LPGA match play events.

I didn't get to see much of the action this weekend, only the final eight holes on Sunday.  Golf Channel tried a new wrinkle, using Brittany Lincicome and Azahara Munoz as on-course (and in Brittany's case, in-booth) commentators.  Twice, Munoz recreated shots around the green just moments after Stanford had attempted them - a neat idea there.  Also, kudos for putting Michelle McGann in the booth.  From what I heard, Michelle has a chance to get really good at that job.  And while I'm on the subject...I think almost everybody knows that GC's coverage of the LPGA isn't their highest priority.  The PGA, Nationwide and Senior Tours get more emphasis in accord with their higher individual ratings.  We don't get their greatest commentators or best technical directors or the finest on-course reporters.  What we do get however, is coverage.  GC committed to 10 years of LPGA broadcasts and while they may do or say things we don't like, they made the commitment and I am very thankful for that.  There's certainly nothing wrong with getting irritated with a bad camera shot here or a foolish statement there - I've pointed those out myself from time to time and will continue to do so.  But if you find your blood pressure constantly being elevated by hideous coverage or the incessant pumping-up of Michelle Wie or the harping about the lack of American success or a plethora of stupid comments, you would be best served by not watching at all.  Have a great day, everybody.