Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Navistar Classic Preview/Predictions

The LPGA's Southern Swing--and its late summer vacation--comes to an end this week at the Navistar Classic, which Hound Dog usefully previews. Even though there are 9 events in a row starting this week, only 3 of them are full-field tournaments, so he's also started a Card Watch, 2008 Edition series that will be worth following.

The Senator course is the first one that the LPGA has played in quite some time that I believe favors the longer hitters on tour. There are a good number of long par 3s and par 4s, along with longer-than-usual-for-the-LPGA par 5s. It's more of a links course than Sunningdale, the site of this year's Women's British Open, so I'm stacking my picks for this week's Pakpicker with players who can drive the ball well and who have been playing well of late (or whom I believe are simply due).

1. Ochoa
2. Tseng
3. Feng
4. Park Angela
5. Park Hee Young
6. Stanford
7. Lee Jee Young
8. Lee Seon Hwa
9. Blomqvist
10. Hull
11. Prammanasudh
12. Lewis

Alts: Webb, Kerr, Stupples

Having come this close to getting shut out in the last Alabama event, I'm crossing my fingers this week. I've dropped to 6th place in the season standings, so it's time to get back in gear.

Same goes for the world #1 (who must feel the top players on tour and in the world breathing down her neck), the leader in the Rookie of the Year race (who's looking to extend her lead on Na Yeon Choi), China's only LPGA player (who's looking to earn her way into the Asian Swing), NYers Moira Dunn and Danielle Downey (who are on the top 80 bubble), and Stacy Lewis (who wishes she was)....

3 comments:

The Florida Masochist said...

TC,

Interlakken was a long course, five par 5's, and the conventional wisdom was the long hitters would have the advantage. Remember what the results were.......

Cheers,

Bill

Anonymous said...

WHAT ?? You're not going to put Big Break bomber (and bombshell) Kim Welch on your list ? :-)

She has the length that a lot of the other Big Breakers haven't had for a course like this. Should be interesting to see how she does. She won't be dealing with winds like Hawaii.

The Constructivist said...

Ah, Bill, but Interlachen was set up by the USGA's Mike Davis, so it had short pars 4s and lots of strategic choices--didn't actually play as long as it looked anyway, b/c it was a par 73.

CG: Nor Becky Lucidi!

I have some shorter hitters on my list, too. It's just that I have a hunch about some long rookies who I think will outplay Hee-Won Han, Jeong Jang, and Mi Hyun Kim this week....