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?

CN Canadian Women's Open Saturday: Caroline Hedwall and Suzann Pettersen Move Up as Inbee Park and Cristie Kerr Fall Back

It was the best of times and it was the worst of times on moving day at the CN Canadian Women's Open.

On the bright side, Solheim Cup MVP Caroline Hedwall (-10) tied the low round of the week with a 7-birdie 64 that vaulted her 1 shot ahead of teammate Suzann Pettersen (6-birdie 65) and wunderkind Lydia Ko (5-birdie 67), 2 shots ahead of In-Kyung Kim (6-birdie 65) and Brittany Lincicome (5-birdie 66), and 3 shots ahead of Gerina Piller (5-birdie 67), Paula Creamer (3-birdie 69), and Karine Icher (2-birdie 70).  Plus, a former world #1 by the name of Ya Ni Tseng fired a bogey-free 66 to move to -4 for the week, even as another former world #1, this one going by Ji-Yai Shin, eased her way to -3 on the strength of a 5-birdie 67.

Meanwhile, 2nd-round co-leaders Inbee Park and Cristie Kerr has horrible days, with Park going +4 in her 1st 13 holes and dropping back to -4 for the week after posting a 74, and Kerr finishing triple bogey-double bogey to suffer a 75 that dropped her all the way back to -3.  Laura Davies struggled through 2 doubles and 5 bogeys on her way to a 77 that took her out of contention for 1 of the 2 non-major wins she needs to earn her way into the LPGA Hall of Fame, while Rookie of the Year race leader Moriya Jutanugarn fell to the bottom of the pack with a 6-bogey 75 and Hee Young Park suddenly rocketed in the wrong direction with a 1-double, 4-bogey 76.

So even as the leaderboard is dominated by Solheim Cuppers (12 of the top 19 golfers through 54 holes), and even as 14 players lurk within 5 shots of the lead, the stage is set for a great showdown between a veteran who is looking for her 12th career LPGA victory, an up-and-coming European star who amazingly has yet to win on the LPGA. and a 16-year-old superstar who is looking to defend her CWO title.  This might be an even better finish than last year, when Ko outplayed Stacy Lewis and Ji-Yai Shin on Sunday to take her 1st career LPGA title.  Will tomorrow make it a pair for her?  Stay tuned!