With LPGA.com ably covering the basics from the 2nd round of the LPGA State Farm Classic, which Mindy Kim leads at -13 by 2 shots over Ya Ni Tseng and Shanshan Feng and 3 shots over Ji-Yai Shin, I'm free to do my usual wacky thing over here at Mostly Harmless.
Mork Calling Orson; Come in, Orson. How about this Mindy cat? She's only missed 3 fairways all week so far and has boarded the birdie train for 5 holes Thursday and 4 holes yesterday. And she still looks like it's coming very easy to her. Looks to me like someone is going to havce to go out and get into the low 60s today to start putting some pressure on her. Interesting that she noted in her interviews yesterday what a difference taking the off-season seriously makes. Apparently she didn't do all that much in her previous 2 off-seasons.
Hello, Golf Channel, Are You There? It's Me, Ya Ni. Loved the Golf Channel coverage as much as you can one where they've brought like 3 cameras to a tournament, but I was struck by how the opening montage of morning highlights completely ignored Ya Ni Tseng's 66 that pulled her within 2 shots of Kim. I mean, I can understand how they'd ignore Shanshan Feng's low round of the day--anyone can see there's no story to a bogey-free 65 from China's only member of the LPGA the week after Li Na became the 1st Asian to win a Grand Slam event in women's tennis, right?--but is it really possible that they missed every single one of Tseng's 8 birdies yesterday? Yeah, yeah, I know that they'll both get plenty of airtime in the final 2 pairings today (Feng with Kim and Tseng with Shin)--or at least I hope so, what with the Brittany Lang-Michelle Wie, Morgan Pressel-Juli Inkster, Suzann Pettersen-Cristie Kerr, and Paula Creamer-Brittany Lincicome ones before them--but it strikes me that Golf Channel has a long way to go to put their U.S.- and Eurocentric roots behind them.
Rematch, Anyone? That said, this is a Solheim Cup year, and until the LPGA and LET work with the JLPGA and KLPGA to synchronize it with the Pinx/Kyoraku Cup and develop a world match play championship (if they ever decide to follow my advice, that is!), probably the biggest story in women's golf for U.S. audiences outside the U.S. Women's Open is the Solheim Cup, so I'm actually hoping Golf Channel does a good job with those other pairings I just mentioned. The rematch between Pettersen and Kerr from the Sybase a few weeks ago is definitely the lead, but the Lang-Wie, Pressel-Inkster, and Creamer-Lincicome pairings should get plenty of attention, as well. So many interesting comparisons and contrasts to make there....
The Kids Are Alright. Ya Ni's shoulder is better (although her elbow bothering her a little, she said in interview), Ji-Yai and Shanshan haven't made a bogey all week, and Mindy's sailing along, as well, but it's not really those kids I'm talking about here. I'm talking about relatively less experienced golfers like Amanda Blumenherst (68-67), Jennifer Johnson (69-67), Gerina Piller (69-69), Belen Mozo (70-69), Ryann O'Toole (72-69), Pornanong Phatlum (72-69), Mina Harigae (70-71), Jenna Pearson (68-73), Azahara Munoz (72-70), and Jessica Korda (72-71), who have absolutely nothing to lose this weekend and should just go for broke. Here's hoping some or all of them go low!
Giddyup! It was great to see Karrie Webb, Grace Park, Jennifer Rosales, Christina Kim, and Kristy McPherson make the cut despite not playing their best, not to mention Jane Park and Seon Hwa Lee. Time for these vets to show the kids a thing or 2 about going low, dont'cha think?
Can't wait to see what happens when I get back from my NYS Men's Amateur qualifier in Rochester this evening!
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