The Week the Mighty Fell

Just like the temperature has been yo-yo-ing around in western NY this December, some of the best golfers in the world ran hot and cold this past week.  Stacy Lewis, So Yeon Ryu, and Tiger Woods each seemingly had wins sewn up yesterday before Pornanong Phatlum, Lydia Ko, and Zach Johnson zoomed past them down the home stretch. [Insert cliche about thrill of victory/agony of defeat, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, or another of your choice here.]

Phatlum's Shanshan Feng-like near-hole-out to beat Lewis had Ruthless Mike wondering if Stacy is as snake-bit as Greg Norman.  Not yet.  Ryu can also stake a claim to the title, as she lost to Sei Young Kim in September on the KLPGA when Kim made 2 final-round eagles in her last 10 holes!  But my own personal nominee is Ai Miyazato, who got to watch her brother Yusaku win on the Japan Tour yesterday.  Twice in a row at the LPGA Founders Cup she's run into the buzzsaw of the world #1 being the world #1--Ya Ni Tseng in 2012 and Stacy Lewis in 2013.  Ya Ni actually held Ai-sama off twice in 2012, just a few weeks earlier at the Honda LPGA Thailand.  Too long ago to count?  Well, Ai-sama was making a charge in late September on the JLPGA, looking like she was headed for her 1st win there since 2009, only to fall apart down the stretch and hand the trophy to Na-Ri Lee.

Let's face it.  Golf is cruel.  And that's how/why we love it.  Right?