Stuart Franklin - Getty Images

about 1 month ago: EVIAN FRANCE - JULY 25: Jiyai Shin of South Korea walks through the flowers during the final round of the 2010 Evian Masters on July 25 2010 in Evian France. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

View full size photo »

Jiyai Shin was beginning to slip a little in the Rolex and HD rankings recently, as Ai Miyazato and Cristie Kerr had won multiple times in 2010.  No more.  Shin's first victory of the year bumped her just in front of those two in my rankings (unposted - will probably update them next week) and is expected to return her to the #1 Rolex position that she held for seven weeks back in the spring.  To stay atop my rankings, Shin will probably need to win again - she's in front mainly because of her performance last year and that influence is quickly fading.  Jiyai now has eight Hall of Fame points, nearly a third of what she needs to gain automatic induction - not bad for being only 22 years old.

Speaking of young ‘uns, Lexi Thompson came within one shot of making LPGA history yesterday.  At age 15 years, 5 months and 15 days, Lexi would have been the youngest player to win an LPGA event by over two and a half years.  Marlene Hagge still owns that record at 18 years 14 days from when she won the 1952 Sarasota Open.  Care to take any bets against Thompson breaking that record before February 2013?  I'm pretty sure I've never done this before but for the second straight tournament, Lexi wins my Big Surprise Award.

Shin's birdie at the final hole prevented what would have been the fourth consecutive playoff at Evian.  Natalie Gulbis defeated Jeong Jang in 2007, Helen Alfredsson outlasted Angela Park and Na Yeon Choi in 2008 and Ai Miyazato bested Sophie Gustafson a year ago.

I was incorrect in my Preview when I said that Hole 14 at Evian was the par-3 with the power lines across it.  That's actually one of the many quirks of 17, the World's Second-Shortest Professional Golf Hole (thanks WoolsMe).  Add that electrical nuance to its extreme downhill slope, cart path across the front, green sloping to the back-left bunker and players having to use pitching wedge (a knock-down wedge at that, for many), you wind up with one pesky little bastard.

Morgan Pressel had five birdie putts of 12 feet or less over the final eight holes and connected on none of them.  She did save par from seven feet at 12, executed a terrific bunker shot at 14 after having to stop twice to admonish the gallery for snapping pictures and made a bunch of fine approaches to set up those birdie chances.  Morgan's putter was excellent all week - only 113 putts through the four rounds - but somehow that number wasn't quite low enough.

It was great to see Jeong Jang back in contention this weekend.  The GC contingent mentioned something about JJ yesterday that floored me - this is her 11^th season on Tour!  A rookie in 2000 at the age of twenty, the baby-faced Jang turned 30 years old last month.  I feel rather ancient this morning.

I thought Stacy Lewis was going to have a good week - she was playing well coming in and she finished T17 here last year.  Unfortunately she missed the cut so Stacy is this week's Big Disappointment.