Tuesday, April 21, 2009

What's Wrong with This Picture?

The Corning Classic will be no more after this year (cf. Hound Dog, Ryan Ballengee, Brent Kelley, Golf Girl, and Rosie Jones's reaction for more). So why is Golf Channel doing a better job promoting the Futures Tour than the LPGA? At first I was thinking, "Tom Abbott is a really good golf reporter," but then I realized his story was basically a promo for the new Big Break. It's all about the ratings, baby!

On the bright side, guess who's committed to play in the last Corning Classic? Paula Creamer, Cristie Kerr, Christina Kim, Brittany Lincicome, Natalie Gulbis, defending champion Leta Lindley, Jee Young Lee, Eun-Hee Ji, Momoko Ueda, Amy Yang...and Jeong Jang! Yup, looks like she's starting her comeback from wrist surgery in New York state. Here's hoping the rest of the LPGA's best decide to send off the Corning in style.

[Update 1 (4/22/09, 1:00 am): IceCat at Seoul Sisters.com pointed me toward the Michelob Ultra field list, and lo and behold Jang's comeback starts in VA! Crushing another speculation of mine, Ji-Yai Shin, Momoko Ueda, and Shiho Oyama are also listed in this field--no Salonpas Cup for them. But Ai Miyazato's name is not listed in either field right now....]

[Update 2 (1:11 am): Strangely, Ueda's not playing this week on the JLPGA (Shin and Oyama are), but she is on next week's Crystal Geyser Ladies field list. I wonder if she's keeping her options open and trying to qualify for the Salonpas Cup somehow?]

[Update 3 (2:42 am): Ron Sirak has a good story on the state of Creamer's health as she continues to globetrot this spring.]

3 comments:

Mr Business Golf said...

I guess we can what history in the making with this being the last Corning Classic. What a shame.

The Constructivist said...

I'm wondering if they'll be back, though. It seems a matter of time before orders for LCD screens will pick up--with the economy what it is and the digital transition being pushed back several months, I'm sure my family isn't the only one waiting to buy a flat-screen TV....

The Florida Masochist said...

Reminds me of a Groucho Marx line.

"I asked for a boat with a flat bottom but the girl at the boat house didn't have one."

The BC Open, another upstate NY event, was my favorite PGA Tour stop. I never made it to the Corning Classic. At least this comment of mine is on topic now.