Safeway Classic Preview & Pairings

Just arrived home after spending nine days in Toledo, Ohio. First let me congratulate So Yeon Ryu for her spectacular performance at the Jamie Farr Toledo Classic. Her six consecutive birdies on Sunday left the rest of the field fighting for second place. She is very quickly becoming one of the elite golfers on the LPGA tour.

This week the tour moves to North Plains, Oregon, for the playing of the Safeway Classic Presented by Coca-Cola. My friend and writer for CSNNW.COM, Greg Crawford, points out that the Safeway Classic is the longest running non-major event on the LPGA schedule. It started way back in 1972, as the Portland Classic. Here are some of the details of this event:

Course:  Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club, Ghost Creek Golf Course
Location:  North Plains, Oregon
Defending Champion:  Suzann Pettersen
Winning Score:  69-74-64 = 207 (-6)

Final Field: 144 players
Par: 37/35 = 72
Yardage: 6,611 yards
Purse: $1,500,000

This will be one of the strongest fields of the year. My strength of field rating is 67%. The only non-major with a stronger field was the Evian Masters. Every healthy top player on the LPGA priority list will be in attendance.

Here are the pairings for the first 2 days.

Here are the television times:

Aug 17 - GC 6:30 PM-8:30 PM EST

Aug 18 - GC 6:30 PM-9:30 PM EST

Aug 19 - GC 7:00 PM-9:30 PM EST

Other Tidbits:

After missing her first 9 cuts of the year, Jane Rah finally made the cut. She finished dead last.

Meredith Duncan ended her consecutive missed cut streak at 12; she finished 59th.

Rookies Jacqui Concolino, Sydnee Michaels, and Kathleen Ekey all had their best finishes of the year at the Jamie Farr Toledo Classic.

Tour rookie and current driving distance leader, Maude-Aimee Leblanc, will miss the rest of the season. I am told that she has a "stress fracture in her spine." She is certainly one of the most interesting rookies this year. Hopefully we will get to see those 300 yard drives early next year.

Hard to Believe Fact of the Week:

Inbee Park did not have a top-ten finish in her first 9 starts of the year; she now has six in a row.

Rolex Mover of the Week:

So Yeon Ryu moved from #22 to #12.

Titleholders Update:

Jennie Lee, Jacqui Concolino, and Lindsey Wright are the latest to qualify. Catriona Matthew remains the highest-ranked player on the LPGA priority list not yet in.

I will be flying to Vancouver in a few days for the CN Canadian Open. Will have further updates when I return.

Update: Yani Tseng has fired her caddie again! After firing longtime caddie Jason Hamilton just a few short weeks ago, she has now fired new caddie Basil Van Rooyan. Her newest caddie will be Patrick Turley.

Na Yeon Choi has hired Jason Hamilton.

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