Wednesday, December 21, 2011

It's Official: LET Recognizes Ai Miyazato as Their Leading Money-Winner

The LET has formally announced that Caroline Hedwall is their 2011 Rookie of the Year and Ai Miyazato their 2011 money-list title-holder. 

Ai-sama's in great company internationally--here are the other money-list winners from women's professional tours, great and small, that I could find information on so far this year:

Ya Ni Tseng: LPGA, ALPG, LAGT, and TLPGA
Sun-Ju Ahn: JLPGA
Ha Neul Kim: KLPGA
Porani Chutichai: CLPGA
Kathleen Ekey: Futures Tour (LPGA)
Aoi Nagata: Step-Up Tour (JLPGA)
Marieke Nivard: LET Access Series
Jessica Shepley: CN Canadian Women's Tour
Julie Maisongrosse: Generali Ladies Tour
Ginger Howard: SunCoast Series

Anyone know who won the KLPGA's Dream Tour or Phoenix's Cactus Tour?  [Update 4 (1/2/12, 12:09 pm):  Happy Fan over at Seoul Sisters informs me Hae Rim Kim won the Dream Tour money list!]

[Update 1 (9:15 am):  pearshapedhuman pointed out in comments on another post that Ya Ni Tseng won over 400 million euros this year on the LET--but as she wasn't an LET member, she doesn't appear on their official money list.  So call her their unofficial money leader this year and, if she takes LET membership for 2012, not only their frontrunner for Rookie of the Year but also the player with the best chance in the world of women's golf to win both the LPGA and LET money titles!]

[Update 2 (11:14 am):  Ah, the AP is actually paying attention to women's golf!  It's more of an editorial than a news story, but still interesting!]

[Update 3 (8:28 pm):  Jonathan Wall agrees with the AP's Doug Ferguson that the LET needs to require a minimum number of events to remain a member and be eligible for the money-list title.  How high should they set the bar, then, when the higher you go the more top European players you force off your tour?  In 2011, Suzann Pettersen and Azahara Munoz only played 3 times, Anna Nordqvist 4, and Karen Stupples and Sandra Gal 5.]

5 comments:

thejamierbelyea said...

I didn't crunch all the numbers, but I think Dina Ammaccapane won the Cactus Tour she played the most events of any of the top finishers and won over 12/13K I believe.

Tony Jesselli (Tonyj5) said...

That AP article is actually very informative. At least they set the facts straight, as the Golf Channel had it all wrong. Ai, almost seems embarrased that she won. One other thing that the Golf Channel said was that the 5 top money winners on the LET would go to the U.S. Open. We know that to be fact. They also said I would NOT count, because she played in only 2 tournaments. That players 2 through 6 would go. It makes no difference to Ai, who qualifies in so many other areas, but it sure makes a difference for #6. I now wonder if that statement was accurate.

Tony Jesselli (Tonyj5) said...

Sorry, the above should read AI would NOT count. Not I.

Mike said...

I wouldn't bet on the LET requiring a minimum number of events. If they do, it could seriously affect how they choose the Solheim Cup team.

Tony Jesselli (Tonyj5) said...

Good point Mike. Players like Gal, Munoz, Stupples, and Gustafson would not have made it.