We are just a week or so away from the first LPGA tournament of the year.
Here are my top 30 picks for player of the year:
1- Inbee Park - If she putts like the second half of last season, it could be a runaway win.
2- Seo Yeon Ryu - How did she get this high on my list in just one year?
3- Stacy Lewis - Last year's winner will be in the mix again this year.
4- Yani Tseng - Don't count her out just yet, especially if she plays well early.
5- Jiyai Shin - If she stays healthy watch out.
6- Na Yeon Choi - Needs to have better final rounds to compete for this title.
7- Suzann Pettersen - Needs to show us much more consistency.
8- Ai Miyazato - Needs to win her first major to get enough points to threaten.
9- Shanshan Feng - Has streaks where she is one of the best in the game, but not enough of them.
10- Paula Creamer - I see another major victory in 2013. Don't count her out.
11- Azahara Munoz - Time for her to step up to the next level.
12- Mika Miyazato - I think she has hit her ceiling.
13- Lexi Thompson - Won't be an elite player yet, but getting closer.
14- Amy Yang - Is this the year she finally wins?
15- Karrie Webb - Showing no signs of slowing down.
16- Cristie Kerr - On the decline.
17- Chella Choi - Moved up a level last year. I expect a similar season.
18- Angela Stanford - Usually finds a way to win one every year.
19- Brittany Lincicome - A sleeping giant, with the emphasis on sleeping.
20- Sun Young Yoo - Has the potential to finish much higher than this.
21- I.K. Kim - Still hasn't recovered from the Kraft disaster. Could finish anywhere from 8-40.
22- Sandra Gal - I think she will stay at her current level for many years. Her game is solid but limited.
23- Anna Nordqvist - Was better two years ago than she is today.
24- Chie Arimura - She will probably win Rookie of the Year, but she is playing in the big leagues now.
25- Hee Kyung Seo - Has to prove to me she can play well under pressure before I rate her higher.
26- Brittany Lang - I needed another American!
27- Carlota Ciganda - If she plays this tour, she could be dangerous.
28- Se Ri Pak - Still plays real well when she is healthy.
29- Danielle Kang - Will be playing full time this year. Her potential is unlimited.
30- Sydnee Michaels - After a real good second half in 2012, look for her to continue to improve.
All right it is only 1:30AM my time, how about some bonus material? Here are my top picks for Rookie of the Year:
1- Chie Arimura - Wouldn't you expect someone already ranked number 20 in the world to win?
2- Caroline Masson - Ranked number 48 in the world, she will be there if Ms. Arimura fails.
3- Ayaka Uhehara - Like Chie Arimura above, she is a JLPGA star. Could contend for this title.
4- Moira Jutanugarn - Could be a pretty good player, she just isn't anywhere near as good as her younger sister who will win this award on the L.E.T.
5- Esther Choe - The Symetra Tour Player of the Year is the best of the rest.
6- Brooke Pancake - Straight out of college, she lacks the experience of the above players. A future top player, but she will have to fight hard to finish in the top 80 on the Money List this year.
7- Victoria Elizabeth - Had a breakthrough year on the Symetra tour in 2012. As a category nine player, she will get plenty of opportunities. She is only 20 years old.
8- Felicity Johnson - Has two wins on the L.E.T.
9- Austin Ernst - This LSU standout could be a sleeper.
10- Lisa McClosky - A four time All-American at USC and Pepperdine, she has all the tools.
Other Tidbits:
The Ladies European Tour kicked off their 2013 schedule this past weekend with the playing of the Volvic RACV Ladies Masters. Congratulations goes out to the winner Karrie Webb.
The L.E.T will move to New Zealand this coming weekend. Some of the LPGA players teeing it up in preparation for the LPGA opener the following week include: Sydnee Michaels, Belen Mozo, Angela Stanford, Ryann O'Toole , and Beatriz Recari.
Rolex Movers of the week:
Karrie Webb, coming off her L.E.T. victory moves up from #17 to #12.
Jessica Korda, who finished 5th in the same tournament, moves from # 78 to #72.
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4 comments:
I suspect So Yeon Ryu will bounce a little bit...somewhat disappointing in 2013. She may win but I doubt she'll be as consistent.
Great player but it's simply a theory I use in other sports and it typically holds up. If an NFL team, for example, wins or loses considerably more games than expected, the following year the public often pegs them to continue along the same path but more often than not it bounces the other way.
Ryu didn't win as often as she should have, based on all the top 5s and 10s. That's one reason I think she'll bounce. It tends to wear on a player when she's always threatening the winner's circle but seldom prevails. I'm not sure how tenacious she is. Classy, there's no doubt about that.
These are great predictions for this year. I have Chie Arimura picked as rookie of the year too. Thanks for sharing!
-Gasper
This is the best post. I like this post. Thanks
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