Opening Day (again) and other Priority Stuff
by hound dog on Mar 8, 2010 3:00 PM PST
5 comments
For most LPGA members, the 2010 season gets underway at the Kia Classic near San Diego on March 25. The events in Thailand and Singapore were limited-field affairs with only the 50-55 highest-priority players in action. For Category-1 players like Jane Park, Karen Stupples and Shiho Oyama, the late start is a disadvantage in that their competition had two extra events to rack up official winnings which set the Priority Status list for 2011.
The good news for those Cat-1 unfortunates - the players behind them didn't get to play in Asia either. Yes, Amanda Blumenherst and Laura Davies did play but their winnings don't count as official money because they were playing on sponsor's exemptions. So everybody below Position #56 tees off at LaCosta on equal footing. Well, not quite everybody...
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Sirak: No Timetable For Creamer's Return
by hound dog on Mar 4, 2010 2:34 PM PST
3 comments
Via Twitter yesterday, Ron Sirak reported:
IMG says Paula Creamer has stretched ligament in left thumb and hyperextension of metacarpal phalangeal joint. No timetable for her return.
This after visiting doctors in Detroit, Cincinnati and Alabama...what? Birmingham? Dr. James Andrews, the Tommy John surgery guy? Calm down, he can't be the only doctor in Alabama...this is how Internet rumors get started...
It sounds like an injury that would heal given enough rest. But if the just-completed off-season wasn't enough rest in the first place, I doubt the four-week break between Thailand and the Kia Classic will be. Something tells me the first half of this season is going to be a complete washout for Paula.
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HSBC Women's Champions - Epilogue
by hound dog on Mar 2, 2010 5:33 AM PST
0 comments
One of my favorite phrases comes from the Ian Fleming book and the movie production of Goldfinger. Auric Goldfinger explains his viewpoint on repeated encounters with 007 by saying "Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence but three times is enemy action". That progression seems to apply to Ai Miyazato in regards to her assault on the title of World's Best Female Golfer. Almost anybody on Tour can win once and even players not among the Top 20 occasionally win twice. Win three times in less than eight months and it's time to start talking about being the best in the game. Take note of the four previous players to win the first two events in an LPGA season - Babe Zaharias, Louise Suggs, Mickey Wright and Marilyn Smith. All four are in the Hall of Fame.
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LPGA Announces tournament in Malaysia with Sime Darby
by Bill Jempty on Mar 1, 2010 11:57 AM PST
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The rumored tournament is now official.
Today the LPGA announced that the inaugural Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia will be played October 22-24, 2010 at the prestigious Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club (KLGCC). The announcement was made in Malaysia by Zayra Calderon, LPGA Executive Vice President, Tournament Development & Worldwide Sales, along with officials from Sime Darby Group and IMG, the tournament organizer.
The new LPGA tournament, to be held at least through 2012 per the three-year agreement, will feature the top 50 LPGA members from the Official Money List, along with 10 sponsor's exemptions. The 54-hole stroke play event with no cut will ensure that fans – many of whom will be viewing an LPGA event live for the first time – can catch all of their favorite stars in action throughout the weekend.
The tournament will be shown on Golf Channel. Another week on 2010 calendar is filled. Coud the LPGA be back to playing 30 plus tournaments a year in 2011? At present the signs are hopeful.
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HSBC Women's Champions - Final Round
by hound dog on Feb 28, 2010 5:23 AM PST
4 comments
Ai Miyazato posted a 69 today to win the HSBC Women's Champions and become the first player in 44 years to win the first two events of the LPGA season. She finished two shots ahead of Cristie Kerr and three ahead of Jiyai Shin, Song-Hee Kim, Suzann Pettersen and Yani Tseng.
Miyazato and Juli Inkster, the overnight co-leaders, both started terribly with bogeys at both 1 and 2. That created a nine-way tie for the lead (I've never seen that before) at -5. The Sunday Free-For-All was on! Miyazato, Kerr, Kim and Pettersen grabbed a couple of front-nine birdies to climb to -7. In-Kyung Kim eagled the par-4 10th to join them. Momoko Ueda reached that barrier with a birdie at 11, then punched through to -8 with another at 13. Inky birdied 11 to go -8. Unfortunately for those two, that success was short-lived as Inky double-bogeyed 13 en route to finishing -6 and Momoko played her final five holes in +4 to wind up -4.
Pettersen and Kerr birdied 9 to reach -8. Miyazato did the same but gave the shot back at 10. Kerr birdied 12 to become the first to go -9. Ai seemed to seize the day with three straight birdies - 11, 12 and 13 - to break into double-digits. Pettersen took a bogey at 14 to fall three back and she couldn't make up any ground from there. Song-Hee Kim couldn't find a birdie at all over the back nine. Shin got to -7 with her own birdie barrage at 11 through 13 but then she too went dry. It all came down to between my pick to win this event and The Constructivist's...so obviously, Kerr was doomed.
Miyazato took her fourth bogey of the day at 14 to drop back to -9 and into a tie for the lead. Playing two groups ahead, Cristie birdied 16 to go out in front alone. At 17 however, she gave it right back. On 16, Ai dropped her seventh Sunday birdie to retake the lead. At 18, Kerr drove badly for the second straight hole and took another bogey to finish -8. Up two with two holes to play, Miyazato parred them both and The Asian Double was hers.
TC semi-live-blogged the final round over at Mostly Harmless - check it out for his perspective on how it all played out. Australian Channel 7's coverage (via Golf Channel) airs today at 1pm EST - that 2.5 hours ought to be fun to watch. For the second consecutive week, Congratulations Ai-sama!
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Jones Named 2011 U.S. Solheim Captain
by hound dog on Feb 24, 2010 9:29 AM PST
0 comments
Rosie Jones, the LPGA Tour veteran who won 13 times during her lengthy career, has been named captain of the United States team for the 2011 Solheim Cup. The 2011 Cup will be contested in Ireland during September of next year.
If enthusiasm and competitive fire are what you look for in a Solheim captain, Rosie is the perfect choice.
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HSBC Women’s Champions Preview
by hound dog on Feb 23, 2010 3:00 PM PST
0 comments
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Defending Champion - Jiyai Shin Tanah Merah Country Club, Garden Course Singapore 72 holes, begins Thursday (Wed night EST) Singapore is 13 hours ahead of EST Par 72, 6547 yards Tournament Odds - from Oddschecker.com Last Player In - Soo-Yun Kang (#57) First Players Out - Janice Moodie (#58), Shi Hyun Ahn, Jane Park Scoring Averages - 72.99 (2009), 73.52 (2008) 2010 Scoring Average to date - 71.54
U.S. TV coverage (all times EDT): Thu 12:30p-3:30p GC (tape-delayed) Fri 12:30p-3:30p GC (tape-delayed) Sat 1p-3:30p GC (tape-delayed) Sun 1p-3:30p GC (tape-delayed)
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Honda PTT LPGA Thailand Epilogue
by hound dog on Feb 21, 2010 4:05 PM PST
2 comments
Since it's already Monday in Thailand...
The Australian TV team invited Brittany Lincicome into the booth during Sunday's final round. Foreshadowing the finish, Brittany praised Ai Miyazato's short game by saying that "between us, we'd make a pretty good golfer" referring to her own length. Ai showed that Brittany knows of what she speaks - she saved par at 16 with a terrific long greenside bunker shot, she chipped nicely to three feet and saved par at 17 and she drained her birdie chip from 20 feet at 18. Now that I think about, Ai Miyazato is a damn good golfer all by herself.
Last August when she let one get away at Safeway, I documented Suzann Pettersen's history of troubles hanging on to Sunday leads. She reversed that trend the very next week, winning the Canadian Open. Thailand was her first opportunity since that win to make it two straight "holds" but she couldn't pull it off. Suzann gave her opponents lots of help in those other losses but this time, not so much. She played the back nine in -1 and Miyazato simply overtook her. You could hardly say she crashed-and-burned, especially when Ai had to post 63 to beat her by one. Pettersen did miss two big putts - both from about six feet - for par at 16 and birdie at 17, which certainly made a difference. If not for her history, I doubt that anybody would be talking about Pettersen choking this one away.
My only complaint about the TV coverage was the gap between their opening highlights package (which covered only the front nine for the final groups) and the "live" play-by-play (which opened with Miyazato playing 16 and Pettersen playing 14). That was purely a by-product of the 1.5 hour GC telecast window and not the Aussies' fault, of course. I would have loved to see Miyazato's eagle at 7 or her lead-tying birdie at 15. All-in-all, a good production by the group I expect we'll see at Singapore for this week's HSBC.
In my recap I neglected to mention that Momoko Ueda was still in the hunt with ten holes to play. Through 8 she was -15 and tied with Miyazato for second but she played those last 10 holes in +3 to wind up T6. On a day where scoring wasn't quite as good as it had been earlier in the week, Karrie Webb was the only player besides Ai who began the day within ten shots of the lead and managed to break 70. Webb's 67 boosted her into a tie for fourth with Cristie Kerr. The only player whose Sunday approached that of the champion's was the unsinkable Laura Davies, who fired a 65 like it was 1999. Laura broke par each of the four rounds to finish tied for sixth, earning this week's Big Surprise Award. I must give a shout-out to Nontaya Srisawang. The Thai native who lost her limited Tour status after last season played under a sponsor's exemption and finished T18.
Several players had disappointing weeks - Vicky Hurst, Lindsey Wright, Helen Alfredsson, Eun-Hee Ji and Kristy McPherson all failed to make the Top 40. The Big Disappointment goes to Sophie Gustafson, who dared to finish 53rd when I picked her fourth.
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