Mi Jung Hur went low today at the Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic, opening with a bogey-free 64 to take a 2-shot lead on Cydney Clanton and a 3-shot lead on Beatriz Recari, Christina Kim, Ilhee Lee, and Kris Tamulis. Hur has been playing great golf pretty much since I followed her at the Wegmans LPGA Championship. She's had 5 rounds in the 60s out of her last 9 and 7 under-par rounds in her last 12. Should I start talking about a Mostly Harmless bump instead of a Mostly Harmless jinx? We'll have to see how she backs up this 8-birdie, 25-putt extravaganza over the next 54 holes, but it's really amazing how she's found something so suddenly.
And how about Mika Miyazato making 6 birdies and taking only 26 putts on her way to a 68, her best round since June 1st at the ShopRite?!
I think as golf writers we can make too much of trends and slumps and stats and forget that all these players are capable of doing great things at any time. Pros have to be so opportunistic about their good shots, good runs, good rounds, and good weeks. Strike while the iron is hot ought to be the motto of the tournament this week!
By the same token, golf remains a really cruel game, and even someone like Angela Stanford, who's had great success at this tournament, can go +5 in a 7-hole stretch and need a walkoff birdie to salvage a 76, as she did today. Let's see if she can go on a tear tomorrow.
But before then let's see who's going to shine on Golf Channel today. I may even get to watch this thing live if I can get a lot of work-related writing done in the next hour and a half. I'll be back!
[Update 1 (9/19/14, 7:02 am): Ah, I got caught up in writing and researching other things. Hoping to find the time to catch Stacy Lewis's bogey-free 66, which was sparked by 5 birdies in her last 6 holes! It'll be interesting to see how Paula Reto (65, #105 on LPGA money list), Karin Sjodin (66, #119), Cydney Clanton (66, #145), Joanna Klatten (69, #100), and Maria McBride (69, #154) follow up their great opening rounds today, too.]
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