Se Ri Pak continued her bounce-back from her lone blemish yesterday in the Bell Micro LPGA Classic--a double bogey on the par-3 14th--by following up her 3 consecutive closing birdies from the 1st round with 5 more in her 1st 7 holes today. Her 2nd-straight 35 on the back gave her a 66, which made her the leader in the clubhouse at -9 at the end of morning play today. [Correction: Pak started on the back! Perils of writing quickly....] The Hall of Famer is a former champion of the Tournament of Champions, also held at Magnolia Grove, so with both her driver (she averaged 293 yards yesterday!) and putter (only 54 putts in her 1st 36 holes) working is a serious threat to contend deep into the weekend.
Others making nice moves from the morning pairings today include Alena Sharp, who birdied 6 of her last 13 holes for a 67 that guaranteed she'll make the cut, Kris Tamulis, who bounced back from a walkoff quad yesterday with her 2nd-straight eagle on the par-5 16th that helped her to a 69 and a made cut, Karrie Webb, who got to -4 with a 69, despite doubling the same hole today her fellow Hall of Famer had the day before, and Haeji Kang, who made 4 birdies in her last 6 holes, but had to settle for her 2nd-straight 69 when she bogeyed the par-4 18th. Kang only has hit half her greens in regulation, but with only 48 putts so far, I'd say she's scrambling pretty well. Still, she's going to have to improve her ball-striking if she wants to stay in contention. Same goes for Mika Miyazato, who had a bogey-free round going until she doubled the 18th, but still shot her 2nd-straight 70 despite hitting only 23 greens thus far.
No worries on that score for Sun Young Yoo (70, -6, 29 GIR), Angela Stanford (70 despite a triple on 14, -4, 28 GIR), and Song-Hee Kim (70, -4, 26 GIR). They moved up the leaderboard while Cristie Kerr (74, -3, T19), Katherine Hull (74, -4, T10), and Jee Young Lee (73, -5, T6) moved down it. The saddest downfall, though, comes down to either former ROY Angela Park, who withdrew after shooting an 80 yesterday, or former top Canadian on tour Lorie Kane, who followed up yesterday's 69 with a 77 today. At +2, Kane may still make the cut if people in the afternoon pairings help her out. But Park's struggles continue. And if the cut line moves in the other direction (+1 is T65 right now), Michelle Wie will have missed it.
Jet lag already got the best of Eun-Hee Ji, but Inbee Park, Morgan Pressel, and Sophie Gustafson converged at -2 overall (T30 thus far). Now if Ya Ni Tseng can turn it on in her last 9 today and Momoko Ueda can keep it going from the afternoon pairings, all but one of the JLPGA jet setters will have made the cut. Not bad!
Showing posts with label multi-mini-blogging. Show all posts
Showing posts with label multi-mini-blogging. Show all posts
Friday, May 14, 2010
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Bell Micro LPGA Classic Thursday Afternoon: Blasts from the (Recent) Past
It wasn't so long ago that Katherine Hull was one of the hottest golfers in the world, that Meena Lee, Shi Hyun Ahn, and Jee Young Lee were playing like next-generation South Korean stars, or that Se Ri Pak and Lorie Kane were threats to win any given week. Well, these players and more took advantage of The Crossings at Magnolia Grove from the afternoon pairings in the Bell Micro LPGA Classic and put some pressure on 1st-round leader Azahara Munoz, who had posted a bogey-free 65 in the morning. Hull and J.Y. Lee each shot fantastic 66s, Hull with 7 birdies and Lee with 4 birdies and an eagle on the par-5 16th (seeing Ahn's eagle on the par-4 11th from the morning and beating her by 3). M. Lee fired a 7-birdie 67, while Pak recovered from a double bogey on the par-3 14th to finish with 3 straight birdies for a 69 and Kane matched her with a 4-birdie performance.
But perhaps the biggest name near the top of the leaderboard right now is Cristie Kerr, who used a bogey-free 67 to pull within 2 of the lead. The #5-ranked player in the world of women's golf may have the most to prove on a Lorena-less tour, having suffered a series of near-misses and late struggles last season when she had a chance to become the 1st American to top the LPGA money list since Betsy King in 1993. Among LPGA regulars, only Hall of Famers Juli Inkster, Karrie Webb, and Se Ri Pak, along with Hall-of-Famer-to-be Laura Davies, have more career LPGA victories than she does. Let's see if she can keep her good play going for longer than she did here in 2008.
All in all, 21 players broke 70, 54 went under par, and 67 shot par or better, so everyone over par will have their work cut out for tomorrow. That includes Ya Ni Tseng, Brittany Lang, Krisy McPherson, and Christina Kim at 73, Mi Hyun Kim, Momoko Ueda, Vicky Hurst, and Mina Harigae at 74, Grace Park and Pat Hurst at 75, In-Kyung Kim and Eun-Hee Ji at 76, Maria Hjorth and Jane Park at 77, and Angela Park at 80.
Lots more to say but a thunderstorm is rolling in and it's time to put the girls to bed!
But perhaps the biggest name near the top of the leaderboard right now is Cristie Kerr, who used a bogey-free 67 to pull within 2 of the lead. The #5-ranked player in the world of women's golf may have the most to prove on a Lorena-less tour, having suffered a series of near-misses and late struggles last season when she had a chance to become the 1st American to top the LPGA money list since Betsy King in 1993. Among LPGA regulars, only Hall of Famers Juli Inkster, Karrie Webb, and Se Ri Pak, along with Hall-of-Famer-to-be Laura Davies, have more career LPGA victories than she does. Let's see if she can keep her good play going for longer than she did here in 2008.
All in all, 21 players broke 70, 54 went under par, and 67 shot par or better, so everyone over par will have their work cut out for tomorrow. That includes Ya Ni Tseng, Brittany Lang, Krisy McPherson, and Christina Kim at 73, Mi Hyun Kim, Momoko Ueda, Vicky Hurst, and Mina Harigae at 74, Grace Park and Pat Hurst at 75, In-Kyung Kim and Eun-Hee Ji at 76, Maria Hjorth and Jane Park at 77, and Angela Park at 80.
Lots more to say but a thunderstorm is rolling in and it's time to put the girls to bed!
Bell Micro LPGA Classic Thursday Morning: On Erica, Irene, and Azahara
No time for more than a quick heads-up on the status of the morning groups in the 1st round of the Bell Micro LPGA Classic.
Well, for one other thing. Do yourself a favor and read the tributes to Erica Blasberg by Lisa Mickey and to Irene Cho from Shane Bacon. Really powerful, moving stuff.
So in the morning pairings, rookie Azahara Munoz's 65 sticks out--and not just because she was playing with Cho, Blasberg's best friend on tour who fired a gutty 69, or because she ended up 3 shots better than #4-ranked Suzann Pettersen, 4 shots ahead of #9-ranked Na Yeon Choi, and 5 free of jet-lagged and #1/#2 players in the world of women's golf, Ji-Yai Shin and Ai Miyazato. Nope, it's because Munoz has the talent and is gaining the confidence to make this year's Rookie of the Year race exciting. With the leader in that race Amanda Blumenherst -3 through her 1st 6 holes already in the afternoon, it's looking like it's going to be heating up this week down South!
[Update 1 (3:51 pm): For more, follow the Bell Micro Classic twitter feed!]
[Update 2 (5/14/10, 7:20 am): Here's Stephanie Wei with more on Cho.]
Well, for one other thing. Do yourself a favor and read the tributes to Erica Blasberg by Lisa Mickey and to Irene Cho from Shane Bacon. Really powerful, moving stuff.
So in the morning pairings, rookie Azahara Munoz's 65 sticks out--and not just because she was playing with Cho, Blasberg's best friend on tour who fired a gutty 69, or because she ended up 3 shots better than #4-ranked Suzann Pettersen, 4 shots ahead of #9-ranked Na Yeon Choi, and 5 free of jet-lagged and #1/#2 players in the world of women's golf, Ji-Yai Shin and Ai Miyazato. Nope, it's because Munoz has the talent and is gaining the confidence to make this year's Rookie of the Year race exciting. With the leader in that race Amanda Blumenherst -3 through her 1st 6 holes already in the afternoon, it's looking like it's going to be heating up this week down South!
[Update 1 (3:51 pm): For more, follow the Bell Micro Classic twitter feed!]
[Update 2 (5/14/10, 7:20 am): Here's Stephanie Wei with more on Cho.]
Friday, April 2, 2010
Kraft Nabisco Championship Friday Afternoon: Can Anyone Pass Ochoa and Stupples?
Amazing! I literally bored imoto to sleep during the last few updates to my rundown of the results from the morning pairings at the Kraft Nabisco Championship. So I have a little time before onechan comes home from day care to give a quick overview of the front 9s from the afternoon pairings.
Suzann Pettersen's bogey-free streak came to an end on her 24th hole of the tournament when she double bogeyed the par-4 6th. She's now tied with Song-Hee Kim, who's got a 12-hole bogey-free streak of her own going. 1 shot behind them are Stacy Lewis, who bounced back from yesterday's closing 38 on the back with an opening 34, Sakura Yokomine, who's just birdied the 2nd, and Karrie Webb, who just bogeyed the 6th. If Cristie Kerr and Morgan Pressel can birdie the par-5 9th, they'll join them.
On the other end of the dial, Ai Miyazato doubled the 1st, bogeyed the 3rd, and has gone 26 holes without a birdie. But if she can just hang on, she may find herself on the right side of the cut line. She's T75 right now and +6 is T81. Let's see what kind of fight she's got in her today. Angela Stanford has plenty; after bogeying the 10th, her opening hole, to balloon to +7 for the tournament, she birdied 3 of her last 6 holes on the back to post a 34 and get back to +4.
[Update 1 (5:06 pm): Kerr birdied the 9th; Pressel didn't. Kristy McPherson birdied the 13th and 14th to catch the latter at -2. The former is tied with Webb, Yokomine, Becky Brewerton, and Na On Min at -3.]
[Update 2 (5:08 pm): Song-Hee Kim birdied the 15th to get to -5 overall, alone in 3rd right now.]
[Update 3 (5:11 pm): Don't look now, but another LPGA mom, Hee-Won Han, just joined Pressel and McPherson at -2 with a birdie on the par-3 5th.]
[Update 4 (5:14 pm): Is it a typo that amateur Alexis Thompson is averaging over 297 yards off the tee right now? She's birdied 2 of her 1st 4 to join Inbee Park, who's also opened with 2 early birdies, at E overall.]
[Update 5 (5:15 pm): Angela Stanford is making a serious move! She just birdied her 3rd hole in a row to fight back to +3 overall.]
[Update 6 (5:18 pm): So is Cristie Kerr! Her birdie on the 10th is her 2nd in a row and 3rd of a bogey-free day. Her only blemish so far is that double back on the 17th yesterday. No wonder she's tied with Pettersen, whose only blemish is also that double earlier today!]
[Update 7 (5:20 pm): Na Yeon Choi went 34-40 yesterday. After a 35 on the back, I'm wondering if she'll improve on her front-side total by 5 today, as well!]
[Update 8 (5:24 pm): Never count a Hall of Famer out--Se Ri Pak matched playing partner Choi's 35 and has fought back to +6 overall. She still has a chance to make the cut. +6 is still T81.]
[Update 9 (5:28 pm): Be sure to check out Sean Martin's posts on Michelle Wie and Jennifer Song from the morning pairings. And Randall Mell on Wie and Lincicome.]
[Update 10 (9:09 pm): Well, onechan came home, and I followed her while she rode her bike to the dollar store to buy some nail polish (it was her allowance day), then played some baseball with her in the yard, and ate some dinner. So I missed most of the rest of the action: Kerr's 67 to join Ochoa and Stupples at -6, Kim's 68 to take a 1-shot lead on then, Lewis's 68 and Webb's 70 to pass Tseng, Yokomine's 71 to be alone at -3, and Yuko Mitsuka's 3 straight closing birdies that gave her a 70 and pulled her to E (T19) overall. Stanford went 78-68 to get back to +2 (T32), tied with Alexis Thompson and Anna Nordqvist, among many others. If Jennifer Rosales and Sarah Lee hang on, then 79 golfers will have made the cut at +6. Ai Miyazato, though, was one of the 32 players to miss it. Even without making a single birdie in 36 holes, she only missed the cut by a shot. (I guess that's looking on the bright side, eh? But she was the only JLPGA-affiliated player not to make the cut....) Other victims of Mission Hills include Juli Inkster, Natalie Gulbis, Sun Young Yoo, Christina Kim, Laura Diaz, Tania Elosegui, Wendy Ward, and Angela Park.]
[Update 11 (4/4/10, 12:01 am): Here are Hound Dog, Jamie, and Mike on round 2 of the KNC!]
Suzann Pettersen's bogey-free streak came to an end on her 24th hole of the tournament when she double bogeyed the par-4 6th. She's now tied with Song-Hee Kim, who's got a 12-hole bogey-free streak of her own going. 1 shot behind them are Stacy Lewis, who bounced back from yesterday's closing 38 on the back with an opening 34, Sakura Yokomine, who's just birdied the 2nd, and Karrie Webb, who just bogeyed the 6th. If Cristie Kerr and Morgan Pressel can birdie the par-5 9th, they'll join them.
On the other end of the dial, Ai Miyazato doubled the 1st, bogeyed the 3rd, and has gone 26 holes without a birdie. But if she can just hang on, she may find herself on the right side of the cut line. She's T75 right now and +6 is T81. Let's see what kind of fight she's got in her today. Angela Stanford has plenty; after bogeying the 10th, her opening hole, to balloon to +7 for the tournament, she birdied 3 of her last 6 holes on the back to post a 34 and get back to +4.
[Update 1 (5:06 pm): Kerr birdied the 9th; Pressel didn't. Kristy McPherson birdied the 13th and 14th to catch the latter at -2. The former is tied with Webb, Yokomine, Becky Brewerton, and Na On Min at -3.]
[Update 2 (5:08 pm): Song-Hee Kim birdied the 15th to get to -5 overall, alone in 3rd right now.]
[Update 3 (5:11 pm): Don't look now, but another LPGA mom, Hee-Won Han, just joined Pressel and McPherson at -2 with a birdie on the par-3 5th.]
[Update 4 (5:14 pm): Is it a typo that amateur Alexis Thompson is averaging over 297 yards off the tee right now? She's birdied 2 of her 1st 4 to join Inbee Park, who's also opened with 2 early birdies, at E overall.]
[Update 5 (5:15 pm): Angela Stanford is making a serious move! She just birdied her 3rd hole in a row to fight back to +3 overall.]
[Update 6 (5:18 pm): So is Cristie Kerr! Her birdie on the 10th is her 2nd in a row and 3rd of a bogey-free day. Her only blemish so far is that double back on the 17th yesterday. No wonder she's tied with Pettersen, whose only blemish is also that double earlier today!]
[Update 7 (5:20 pm): Na Yeon Choi went 34-40 yesterday. After a 35 on the back, I'm wondering if she'll improve on her front-side total by 5 today, as well!]
[Update 8 (5:24 pm): Never count a Hall of Famer out--Se Ri Pak matched playing partner Choi's 35 and has fought back to +6 overall. She still has a chance to make the cut. +6 is still T81.]
[Update 9 (5:28 pm): Be sure to check out Sean Martin's posts on Michelle Wie and Jennifer Song from the morning pairings. And Randall Mell on Wie and Lincicome.]
[Update 10 (9:09 pm): Well, onechan came home, and I followed her while she rode her bike to the dollar store to buy some nail polish (it was her allowance day), then played some baseball with her in the yard, and ate some dinner. So I missed most of the rest of the action: Kerr's 67 to join Ochoa and Stupples at -6, Kim's 68 to take a 1-shot lead on then, Lewis's 68 and Webb's 70 to pass Tseng, Yokomine's 71 to be alone at -3, and Yuko Mitsuka's 3 straight closing birdies that gave her a 70 and pulled her to E (T19) overall. Stanford went 78-68 to get back to +2 (T32), tied with Alexis Thompson and Anna Nordqvist, among many others. If Jennifer Rosales and Sarah Lee hang on, then 79 golfers will have made the cut at +6. Ai Miyazato, though, was one of the 32 players to miss it. Even without making a single birdie in 36 holes, she only missed the cut by a shot. (I guess that's looking on the bright side, eh? But she was the only JLPGA-affiliated player not to make the cut....) Other victims of Mission Hills include Juli Inkster, Natalie Gulbis, Sun Young Yoo, Christina Kim, Laura Diaz, Tania Elosegui, Wendy Ward, and Angela Park.]
[Update 11 (4/4/10, 12:01 am): Here are Hound Dog, Jamie, and Mike on round 2 of the KNC!]
Kraft Nabisco Championship Friday Morning: Stupples Makes a Move, Ochoa Keeps Pace
Imoto woke up in the middle of the night afraid of alligators coming down from the ceiling to eat us, so I took her temperature and lo and behold she had a high fever. After a couple of hours with me of scaring away the alligators with a magic light only they could see, her fever broke and she settled down to sleep for the rest of the night. As the Full Metal Archivist had a pretty crucial day at work, I fell on my sword and volunteered to stay home with imoto to make sure her fever didn't come back. So after an hour walk, a couple hours watching Iron Giant, and half an hour of yard work, I'm pretty sure she's ok and I know we're ready for nap time. But before I turn in, let me mention that Kraft Nabisco Championship leader in the clubhouse Karen Stupples no doubt knows whereof I speak. As one of the many moms on tour, I'm sure she's been in similar situations as me. But it's all business for her on the course, as a pair of consecutive birdies to start her day on the back and over 2 of her last 5 holes on the front helped her to her 2nd straight 69.
But Stupples may not have the lead for long. Lorena Ochoa, who's fighting to keep her #1 standing in the Rolex Rankings by staying ahead of Ji-Yai Shin, Ai Miyazato, and Suzann Pettersen (who all could pass her with a win), has responded to a so-so back side with 3 birdies in her 1st 5 holes on the front to join Stupples at -6 for the tournament. Meanwhile, Sophie Gustafson has birdied 2 of her last 4 holes to get to -4 overall and amateur Jennifer Song got to -3 overall twice in today's round, but had to settle for her 2nd straight 71. Not bad for someone who's only averaged 9 fairways and 8 greens in regulation per round--obviously, at 25 putts per round, the flat stick is saving her.
More after I get imoto to sleep!
[Update 1 (3:54 pm): Blogger was down so I actually tried to post the above at 3:00. Well, I fell asleep, but imoto didn't. So I'll try again at 4:00. Here are a few more observations of morning play. If Michelle Wie's putter was working, she'd be leading this thing. As it is, she matched Song's 71 to join her at -2. Nice 70s by Sandra Gal (-2), Becky Morgan (+1), Gwladys Nocera (+1), and Katie Futcher (+2), as well. Looks like it's going to be hard for the afternoon groups to break 70!]
[Update 2 (4:20 pm): Looks like there's no way imoto's going down. And it looks like Brittany Lang may finally be getting her season going. Even after hitting very few fairways over the 1st 36 holes by her standards, this 5th-year straight-shooting Duke grad has managed to go 72-71 to slip into the top 20 (at least for now). She had a chance for a 69, but suffered a walkoff bogey on the par-5 9th. Speaking of closing par 5s, Ya Ni Tseng has a chance to shoot a 71 that would take her to -4 overall if she can birdie the 18th. Gustafson, unfortunately, is back to E on her day and -2 overall with the par-5 18th left to play, as well. Meanwhile, I'm hoping the cut line drifts down to +6 at the end of the day, so that my faves In-Kyung Kim, Jane Park, Mi Hyun Kim, and Jeong Jang will be playing on the weekend.]
[Update 3 (4:21 pm): Ouch! Gustafson bogeyed her 3rd straight hole to close out her round and slip from -4 to -1 overall.]
[Update 4 (4:24 pm): Ji-Yai Shin remains stuck in neutral at E after her 2nd straight 2-birdie, 2-bogey 72. But if she can straighten out her driver, watch out for her on the weekend!]
[Update 5 (4:28 pm): Tseng did it! Walkoff birdie gives her a 71 and puts her only 2 behind Stupples and Ochoa!]
But Stupples may not have the lead for long. Lorena Ochoa, who's fighting to keep her #1 standing in the Rolex Rankings by staying ahead of Ji-Yai Shin, Ai Miyazato, and Suzann Pettersen (who all could pass her with a win), has responded to a so-so back side with 3 birdies in her 1st 5 holes on the front to join Stupples at -6 for the tournament. Meanwhile, Sophie Gustafson has birdied 2 of her last 4 holes to get to -4 overall and amateur Jennifer Song got to -3 overall twice in today's round, but had to settle for her 2nd straight 71. Not bad for someone who's only averaged 9 fairways and 8 greens in regulation per round--obviously, at 25 putts per round, the flat stick is saving her.
More after I get imoto to sleep!
[Update 1 (3:54 pm): Blogger was down so I actually tried to post the above at 3:00. Well, I fell asleep, but imoto didn't. So I'll try again at 4:00. Here are a few more observations of morning play. If Michelle Wie's putter was working, she'd be leading this thing. As it is, she matched Song's 71 to join her at -2. Nice 70s by Sandra Gal (-2), Becky Morgan (+1), Gwladys Nocera (+1), and Katie Futcher (+2), as well. Looks like it's going to be hard for the afternoon groups to break 70!]
[Update 2 (4:20 pm): Looks like there's no way imoto's going down. And it looks like Brittany Lang may finally be getting her season going. Even after hitting very few fairways over the 1st 36 holes by her standards, this 5th-year straight-shooting Duke grad has managed to go 72-71 to slip into the top 20 (at least for now). She had a chance for a 69, but suffered a walkoff bogey on the par-5 9th. Speaking of closing par 5s, Ya Ni Tseng has a chance to shoot a 71 that would take her to -4 overall if she can birdie the 18th. Gustafson, unfortunately, is back to E on her day and -2 overall with the par-5 18th left to play, as well. Meanwhile, I'm hoping the cut line drifts down to +6 at the end of the day, so that my faves In-Kyung Kim, Jane Park, Mi Hyun Kim, and Jeong Jang will be playing on the weekend.]
[Update 3 (4:21 pm): Ouch! Gustafson bogeyed her 3rd straight hole to close out her round and slip from -4 to -1 overall.]
[Update 4 (4:24 pm): Ji-Yai Shin remains stuck in neutral at E after her 2nd straight 2-birdie, 2-bogey 72. But if she can straighten out her driver, watch out for her on the weekend!]
[Update 5 (4:28 pm): Tseng did it! Walkoff birdie gives her a 71 and puts her only 2 behind Stupples and Ochoa!]
Thursday, November 26, 2009
What I Wish I Could Be Thankful For: American Himarts
For those who are wondering why there are so many great Korean women golfers, Yoon Chul from the Korea Times has one answer: corporate support of player development. Electronics retailer Himart's team--which was lead by Ji-Yai Shin and now includes So Yeon Ryu, Sun Ju Ahn, and Bo Mi Lee among its 17 members--has won almost half the tournaments on the KLPGA over the past 3 years. Himart president Jong-Koo Sun's strategy, implemented since 2002, is simple:
Sun, meanwhile, gives a lot of credit to the Korean work ethic and parental involvement. But Chul stresses that Himart has created a family atmosphere where effort is underwritten and achievement is rewarded. LPGA Rookie of the Year and 1st-ever Korean money-list leader Ji-Yai Shin certainly benefitted from her time on the Himart team:
While Shin didn't fit Sun's search for big hitters who putt aggressively, he was willing to go out on a limb for the precision player when nobody else was.
Although Seoul Sisters.com's Happy Fan was too nice to mention it when he linked to Chul's article, one key question arises from it: where are the American counterparts to Sun and Himart? Seeing American corporations offer comparable levels of support to a wide range of American women is something I hope to be thankful for in the coming years.
My idea was based on helping and finding young potential so low income golfers can play without worrying about money.... Our goal is to develop kids, not to advertise our company or use them for marketing, so personality is more important than their abilities.... Our aim is definitely to find new golfers and help them improve into excellent players. Even if they move on to the LPGA, we support them until they can support themselves.
Sun, meanwhile, gives a lot of credit to the Korean work ethic and parental involvement. But Chul stresses that Himart has created a family atmosphere where effort is underwritten and achievement is rewarded. LPGA Rookie of the Year and 1st-ever Korean money-list leader Ji-Yai Shin certainly benefitted from her time on the Himart team:
"When Shin became a professional, she could not find a sponsor. But we had liked her for a long time because of her personality. Shin smiled a lot and earned the nickname 'Smile Angel,' even though she came from a tough family environment."
"Young golfers who have strong abilities but who also smile and have a good personality: that is the type of person we are looking for," the 62-year-old president said.
The Himart boss recalled one particular story about Shin that showed just how hard she works.
"Once while I was playing in a pro-am with Lorena Ochoa I heard that she trained for eight hours every day. Shin astonished me when she replied that she trains for over 10 hours every day," Sun said.
While Shin didn't fit Sun's search for big hitters who putt aggressively, he was willing to go out on a limb for the precision player when nobody else was.
Although Seoul Sisters.com's Happy Fan was too nice to mention it when he linked to Chul's article, one key question arises from it: where are the American counterparts to Sun and Himart? Seeing American corporations offer comparable levels of support to a wide range of American women is something I hope to be thankful for in the coming years.
Something Else to Be Thankful For: Golf Channel's Spotlight on Ai Miyazato
On the road to Syracuse for Thanksgiving this morning, but couldn't resist passing along this attempt by Golf Channel to educate its viewers about Ai Miyazato during the 1st round of the Lorena Ochoa Invitational:
If GC had a different spotlight player every round of every tournament in 2010, just think what a difference it could make to public perceptions of the LPGA!
Of course, GC has a ways to go to catch up to Japanese tv. Check out this clip of a par-5 relay race and 50-foot putt to win a car featuring Momoko Ueda, Sakura Yokomine, Miho Koga, and Chie Arimura of the JLPGA:
Now that's entertainment!
If GC had a different spotlight player every round of every tournament in 2010, just think what a difference it could make to public perceptions of the LPGA!
Of course, GC has a ways to go to catch up to Japanese tv. Check out this clip of a par-5 relay race and 50-foot putt to win a car featuring Momoko Ueda, Sakura Yokomine, Miho Koga, and Chie Arimura of the JLPGA:
Now that's entertainment!
Happy Thanksgiving; or, the Helen Oh Story
Just in time for Thanksgiving, Lisa Mickey has a great profile of Helen Oh up over at the Futures Tour site. Oh's a 21-year-old cancer survivor who's on the comeback trail from chemotherapy, radiation treatments, and surgery, looking to return to the form that made her one of Australia's top junior golfers just a few short years ago. During this year's FT Q-School, she just missed getting bounced from the tournament when she salvaged an 86 in her 2nd round, then came back to birdie her final hole and break 80 for the 1st time in the 4th. Of course she missed the 72-hole cut and has very limited status on tour for 2010, but don't count Oh out.
Monday, November 23, 2009
LPGA Tour Championship Monday: Lorena Ochoa Will Not Be Denied--or Will She?
Talk about clutch! Lorena Ochoa got off to a fast start in the final round of the LPGA Tour Championship, making birdies on her 1st 3 holes to climb to -9. But after becoming the 1st player in the field to break the -10 barrier with a birdie on the 7th, the world #1 bogeyed 8 and 9, right around the time that Na Yeon Choi, Hee Young Park, and Ai Miyazato were making Sunday charges. But Ochoa responded with birdies on the par-4 11th, par-5 12th, and par-3 15th to catch Anna Nordqvist at -11. But Nordqvist, who bogeyed the par-4 13th to break a 5-hole birdie barrage, bounced right back with a birdie on the par-4 14th to get to -12. With Player of the Year rival Ji-Yai Shin back to E on the day and -7 for the tournament after her lone birdie of the day on the par-4 11th, it's looking like Ochoa has her 4th straight Vare Trophy sewn up. But if Nordqvist can hold her off for the 2nd victory of her rookie season, Shin could still end La Reina's 3-year reign over the POY with a strong finish. This is enough to make me wish I had Golf Channel!
[Update 1 (4:46 pm): Man, when Nordqvist won her 1st LPGA event as a partial-status member and made it a major, I thought all those Annika comparisons were a trifle, shall we say, premature. But she's now birdied 7 of her last 8 holes to take a 2-shot lead on La Reina heading into the last 3 holes of 2009. If she can pull this one out, that'll be 7 wins for the Class of 2009--and Stacy Lewis, Vicky Hurst, and Shiho Oyama haven't even gotten it going yet in their LPGA careers!]
[Update 2 (4:49 pm): It's not looking good for Lorena, as she failed to birdie the par-5 16th.]
[Update 3 (5:02 pm): Nordqvist also failed to birdie 16. Ochoa's hopes are still alive.]
[Update 4 (5:58 pm): Went to pick up the girls at day care, and lo and behold, Nordqvist did deny Ochoa, after all. But with Shin's bogey on the 17th, Ochoa may just have pulled out the POY race as well as the scoring average race.... Looking for confirmation now!]
[Update 5 (6:00 pm): Yup, according to LPGA.com, Ochoa beat Shin by 1 point in the POY race!!]
[Update 6 (6:49 pm): Here's Brent Kelley with the details of how Ochoa got her POY back!]
[Update 7 (9:01 pm): And here are Hound Dog and Jamie RS on the final round.]
[Update 8 (11/24/09, 5:46 am): Here's Ryan Ballengee.]
[Update 9 (5:59 am): Wow, even Golf Channel did a good job with highlights and analysis from Charlie Rymer. If I could pay for live online streaming video from them of LPGA events in 2010, I'd do it in a second!]
[Update 10 (9:59 am): Randall Mell looks back on the last couple of weeks on the LPGA and ahead to 2010. Karen Crouse focuses on Lorena, Ji-Yai, and Anna.]
[Update 11 (10:04 am): And here's Sal Johnson, looking back and looking ahead, as well.]
[Update 12 (10:06 am): Ditto for Larry Bohannan.]
[Update 13 (11/25/09, 2:42 am): And here's Stephanie Wei.]
[Update 14 (12:56 pm): Ron Sirak shows what he's capable of when he puts his mind to it. His quotes from and descriptions of Shin's ROY acceptance speech will bring a tear to your eye.]
[Update 1 (4:46 pm): Man, when Nordqvist won her 1st LPGA event as a partial-status member and made it a major, I thought all those Annika comparisons were a trifle, shall we say, premature. But she's now birdied 7 of her last 8 holes to take a 2-shot lead on La Reina heading into the last 3 holes of 2009. If she can pull this one out, that'll be 7 wins for the Class of 2009--and Stacy Lewis, Vicky Hurst, and Shiho Oyama haven't even gotten it going yet in their LPGA careers!]
[Update 2 (4:49 pm): It's not looking good for Lorena, as she failed to birdie the par-5 16th.]
[Update 3 (5:02 pm): Nordqvist also failed to birdie 16. Ochoa's hopes are still alive.]
[Update 4 (5:58 pm): Went to pick up the girls at day care, and lo and behold, Nordqvist did deny Ochoa, after all. But with Shin's bogey on the 17th, Ochoa may just have pulled out the POY race as well as the scoring average race.... Looking for confirmation now!]
[Update 5 (6:00 pm): Yup, according to LPGA.com, Ochoa beat Shin by 1 point in the POY race!!]
[Update 6 (6:49 pm): Here's Brent Kelley with the details of how Ochoa got her POY back!]
[Update 7 (9:01 pm): And here are Hound Dog and Jamie RS on the final round.]
[Update 8 (11/24/09, 5:46 am): Here's Ryan Ballengee.]
[Update 9 (5:59 am): Wow, even Golf Channel did a good job with highlights and analysis from Charlie Rymer. If I could pay for live online streaming video from them of LPGA events in 2010, I'd do it in a second!]
[Update 10 (9:59 am): Randall Mell looks back on the last couple of weeks on the LPGA and ahead to 2010. Karen Crouse focuses on Lorena, Ji-Yai, and Anna.]
[Update 11 (10:04 am): And here's Sal Johnson, looking back and looking ahead, as well.]
[Update 12 (10:06 am): Ditto for Larry Bohannan.]
[Update 13 (11/25/09, 2:42 am): And here's Stephanie Wei.]
[Update 14 (12:56 pm): Ron Sirak shows what he's capable of when he puts his mind to it. His quotes from and descriptions of Shin's ROY acceptance speech will bring a tear to your eye.]
LPGA Tour Championship Monday: Gambatte, Ai-sama!
Even with a bogey on the 9th hole today that cost her 3 shots to Na Yeon Choi, Ai Miyazato has hauled down Hee Young Park and now trails Choi by only 2 shots in the LPGA Tour Championship. Imoto, onechan, the Full Metal Archivist, and I saw Daisuke Takahashi get robbed by the judges in Kitchener, Ontario, at Skate Canada (no big deal, as the winner Jeremy Abbott will be able to return to defend his title at the ISU's Grand Prix finals as a result--and Dai-chan will get a chance for redemption there in a couple of weeks). The great thing about golf is: no judges. With Anna Nordqvist looking for her 2nd win of the season and making birdies on her last 3 holes to become the 1st player in the field to get to double digits under par, though, Ai-sama has her work cut out for her. Gambatte!
[Update 1 (4:27 pm): It's not looking good for Ai-sama, as she failed to birdie the par-5 16th for the 3rd-straight time. At -8, she's 1 behind McPherson, 2 behind Choi and Ochoa, and 3 behind Nordqvist (who's now -5 on the day herself).]
[Update 2 (4:42 pm): Oh, man! Ai-sama added insult to injury when she bogeyed the par-3 17th. But it's been good to see her playing well enough to win again. I'd love to see her birdie the 18th and take some momentum to the JLPGA's winners-only major, the Ricoh Cup, next week!]
[Update 3 (5:00 pm): Well, par-bogey-bogey will not get it done on any tour. At least Ai-sama extended her sub-70 streak to 2 rounds, right? Right?]
[Update 1 (4:27 pm): It's not looking good for Ai-sama, as she failed to birdie the par-5 16th for the 3rd-straight time. At -8, she's 1 behind McPherson, 2 behind Choi and Ochoa, and 3 behind Nordqvist (who's now -5 on the day herself).]
[Update 2 (4:42 pm): Oh, man! Ai-sama added insult to injury when she bogeyed the par-3 17th. But it's been good to see her playing well enough to win again. I'd love to see her birdie the 18th and take some momentum to the JLPGA's winners-only major, the Ricoh Cup, next week!]
[Update 3 (5:00 pm): Well, par-bogey-bogey will not get it done on any tour. At least Ai-sama extended her sub-70 streak to 2 rounds, right? Right?]
LPGA Tour Championship Monday: Hee Young Park Making a Late Move
With Na Yeon Choi going -7 over her 1st 11 holes today at the LPGA Tour Championship and Lorena Ochoa, Cristie Kerr, and Ai Miyazato making Sunday charges, as well, it's easy to overlook Choi's fellow Super Soph Hee Young Park, who's -5 with 3 holes to play and only 2 shots off the lead. Like Kristy McPherson, who's tied for the lead at -9 with Choi and Anna Nordqvist right now, Park's looking for her 1st LPGA victory. Well, she's only 1 shot behind Ochoa and 1 ahead of the big group at -6, which includes Ji-Yai Shin, who needs to get it going if she wants to become the 1st Korean Player of the Year on the LPGA.
[Update 1 (4:20 pm): Well, Park could only manage a 67 after parring out over her last 5 holes. But you sure get the feeling that 1st win isn't far away for the Rocket, don't you?]
[Update 1 (4:20 pm): Well, Park could only manage a 67 after parring out over her last 5 holes. But you sure get the feeling that 1st win isn't far away for the Rocket, don't you?]
LPGA Tour Championship Monday: Na Yeon Choi Makes an Early Move
For all the complaining I've been hearing about "no-name winners" on the LPGA this season, there have been very few I'd consider truly surprising. Sure, I didn't expect M.J. Hur to win so soon and found Eunjung Yi's win even more surprising. But every other winner on tour is a big-time player. Case in point: Na Yeon Choi birdied her 1st 4 holes in a row today to climb to -6 and pull within 2 shots of the lead in the LPGA Tour Championship. If she were to win this week, Choi would join Ji-Yai Shin and Lorena Ochoa as the LPGA's only 3-time winners in 2009. She's already made a million dollars each of her 2 LPGA seasons and has never missed a cut in her 53 LPGA starts. She's already improved her ballstriking from her rookie season; if she ever got her putter going, she'd be a real threat for Player of the Year. Watch for her today and in 2010!
[Update 1 (2:20 pm): Wow! After parring 4 holes in a row, Choi made the turn with an eagle at 9 and a birdie at 10 to catch Lorena Ochoa at -9! Game on! And don't look now, but Ai Miyazato has caught Ji-Yai Shin at -6. Let's see if either of them can move into serious contention on the back.]
[Update 2 (4:24 pm): Well, except for a bogey on the par-4 13th, Choi did what she had to do--she birdied both par 5s coming in for a 64 that brought her to -10 for the week. Now she just has to wait and see if Anna Nordqvist, Lorena Ochoa, Kristy McPherson, or Ai Miyazato can stay ahead of her or pass her.]
[Update 3 (4:42 pm): Jamie RS gives more background on NYC's LPGA career.]
[Update 1 (2:20 pm): Wow! After parring 4 holes in a row, Choi made the turn with an eagle at 9 and a birdie at 10 to catch Lorena Ochoa at -9! Game on! And don't look now, but Ai Miyazato has caught Ji-Yai Shin at -6. Let's see if either of them can move into serious contention on the back.]
[Update 2 (4:24 pm): Well, except for a bogey on the par-4 13th, Choi did what she had to do--she birdied both par 5s coming in for a 64 that brought her to -10 for the week. Now she just has to wait and see if Anna Nordqvist, Lorena Ochoa, Kristy McPherson, or Ai Miyazato can stay ahead of her or pass her.]
[Update 3 (4:42 pm): Jamie RS gives more background on NYC's LPGA career.]
Friday, October 2, 2009
Navistar Classic Friday: How About That Ya Ni Tseng?
Although Ya Ni Tseng hasn't really been playing up to her standards since early July (her scoring average was 69.89 after the Farr but entering this week stood at 70.66), she's shown signs of breaking through lately (with more rounds in the 60s than during the U.S. Women's Open and European swing). Well, she just shot a bogey-free 63--which included 2 trios of consecutive birdies over her last 8 holes--to put herself in a tie for the lead at -10 in the Navistar Classic with Laura Davies (65), Guilia Sergas (65), Lorena Ochoa (68), and Alexis Thompson (69).
Thompson, by the way, must have been bombing it today: her driving distance went up from 246 yards yesterday to almost 261 yards through 36 holes. She's still 20 yards behind Sophie Gustafson (65, -9) and among those in the top 10 is outdriving only Hye Jung Choi, but it seems my prediction that this will be the LPGA's bombers' week was a pretty good one, at least so far.
With scores like this on Friday, I wonder what moving day will be like tomorrow!
[Update 1 (11:00 pm): Turns out Ya Ni's round tied a tournament record!]
[Update 2 (11:55 pm): It's Alexis Thompson day at Golf Channel. Great for her, great for the tour, but can anybody on a TV highlight show mention that Tseng tied a tournament record?]
Thompson, by the way, must have been bombing it today: her driving distance went up from 246 yards yesterday to almost 261 yards through 36 holes. She's still 20 yards behind Sophie Gustafson (65, -9) and among those in the top 10 is outdriving only Hye Jung Choi, but it seems my prediction that this will be the LPGA's bombers' week was a pretty good one, at least so far.
With scores like this on Friday, I wonder what moving day will be like tomorrow!
[Update 1 (11:00 pm): Turns out Ya Ni's round tied a tournament record!]
[Update 2 (11:55 pm): It's Alexis Thompson day at Golf Channel. Great for her, great for the tour, but can anybody on a TV highlight show mention that Tseng tied a tournament record?]
Navistar Classic Friday: Cruel, Cruel Cut Line
If anyone didn't believe me when I argued earlier this week that it's tough to stay at the top of the LPGA (and much tougher to be near the bottom), just take a quick look at who's in imminent danger of missing the cut at the Navistar Classic today. You may well have to be under par to be playing on the weekend; if that's the case, say goodbye to leading candidates for money list and Player of the Year titles Cristie Kerr (E) and In-Kyung Kim (+2 with 4 to play). The top player in the Class of 2006, Seon Hwa Lee, needs 2 more players to join her and Kerr at E right now, while her classmate and rival Jee Young Lee needs a late rally (she's +4 with 7 to go). One of the top golfers in the Class of 2007, Song-Hee Kim, is +1 with 6 holes to play. And Hall of Famer Se Ri Pak is definitely done at +2. Going down the leaderboard from there, consider that Suzann Pettersen couldn't play this week, while 2007 Rookie of the Year Angela Park withdrew after shooting her 1st sub-70 round in ages.
I'll talk about the top of the leaderboard later this evening, but I just wanted to underscore how cruel a game golf can be when you're trying to make a living at it. Just ask my childhood golfing buddy Moira Dunn, who's fighting to end up on the right side of the cut line.
[Update 1 (7:36 pm): Moira made it to E, which right now is T68. As courtgolf pointed out in comments, this will mean a big field on the weekend (unless we see eagles from Tschetter and Richdale and a birdie from Downey on 18).]
[Update 2 (7:43 pm): More notable victims: Jelly ended up WDing, Kyeong Bae had been showing signs of life lately but did terribly this week, Louise Friberg's tailspin continues, M.J. Hur and Hee Young Park won't be playing on the weekend, and Jeehae Lee missed by 1 little shot. BTW, Downey did birdie 18 for a fantastic 67, but there was no eagle from Richdale (she missed the cut by 1, too), so E will end up being T69 or T70 (if Tschetter eagles 18) and 83 golfers will make the cut (unless Tschetter eagles or birdies 18).]
[Update 3 (10:50 pm): Whoops, turns out Downey shot a 68, so she made it on the dot. Song-Hee Kim was not so fortunate--only her 2nd MC of the season. Tschetter finished bogey-triple to miss the cut by 4 shots.]
[Update 4 (11:37 pm): Check out how Meredith Duncan made the cut, in her own words!]
[Update 5 (11:54 pm): Oh man, it's a stress fracture for Suzann Pettersen. Snake bit.]
I'll talk about the top of the leaderboard later this evening, but I just wanted to underscore how cruel a game golf can be when you're trying to make a living at it. Just ask my childhood golfing buddy Moira Dunn, who's fighting to end up on the right side of the cut line.
[Update 1 (7:36 pm): Moira made it to E, which right now is T68. As courtgolf pointed out in comments, this will mean a big field on the weekend (unless we see eagles from Tschetter and Richdale and a birdie from Downey on 18).]
[Update 2 (7:43 pm): More notable victims: Jelly ended up WDing, Kyeong Bae had been showing signs of life lately but did terribly this week, Louise Friberg's tailspin continues, M.J. Hur and Hee Young Park won't be playing on the weekend, and Jeehae Lee missed by 1 little shot. BTW, Downey did birdie 18 for a fantastic 67, but there was no eagle from Richdale (she missed the cut by 1, too), so E will end up being T69 or T70 (if Tschetter eagles 18) and 83 golfers will make the cut (unless Tschetter eagles or birdies 18).]
[Update 3 (10:50 pm): Whoops, turns out Downey shot a 68, so she made it on the dot. Song-Hee Kim was not so fortunate--only her 2nd MC of the season. Tschetter finished bogey-triple to miss the cut by 4 shots.]
[Update 4 (11:37 pm): Check out how Meredith Duncan made the cut, in her own words!]
[Update 5 (11:54 pm): Oh man, it's a stress fracture for Suzann Pettersen. Snake bit.]
Friday, September 25, 2009
CVS LPGA Challenge Friday: Hot Finishes
While Sun Young Yoo must be left pondering how low she could have gone today, lots of players in the CVS LPGA Classic must be basking in the glow of their hot finishes.
Take Maria Hjorth, who finished on the front with a birdie-birdie-par-birdie-eagle run that brought her to -6 on her day and -9 for the tournament. By contrast, Lorena Ochoa, who like Hjorth is 1 shot behind Sophie Gustafson, could "only" manage a birdie-par-birdie finish on the front. Vicky Hurst, who's bombing it off the tee (averaging in the low 280s this week, a few yards past Hjorth and several yards behind Ochoa), also took advantage of the closing holes on the front, going birdie-birdie-par-birdie to secure her 67 and bring her to -6 through 36. Shanshan Feng, though, was -6 over her last 13 holes today, bringing her to -9 overall. Although she's been driving it plenty long this week (over 265 yards so far), it's been her putter that's been carrying her: she has 49 putts over 36 holes--14 fewer than Gustafson. Joo Mi Kim matched Feng's feats today--49 putts overall, -6 over her last 13 holes--although she did it by finishing on the back and joins Yoo 2 shots further behind Gustafson. Also 3 off the lead is Suzann Pettersen, who made like Yoo with a 31 on the back and is driving it almost as far off the tee as Ochoa (near 290). And Angela Stanford was -4 over her last 10 holes to join the big group at -7 overall.
But those weren't the only strong finishes today at Blackhawk Country Club. Paula Creamer was stuck at E overall through her 1st 22 holes, but went -6 over her last 14 to get back in the hunt--and surprisingly, to become the only precision player in the top 10. After an even-par 37 on the front, Amy Yang pulled within 1 of Creamer with a sizzling 30 on the back. Natalie Gulbis would be doing 1 shot better than Creamer if she hadn't bogeyed her 1st and last holes (the 10th and the 9th, respectively)--she scattered 8 birdies among her other 16 holes today. Were it not for a late double on the front, Eunjung Yi's 30 on the back would have brought her into a tie with Yang and Gulbis at -5; as it is, she's tied with Minea Blomqvist, who went -4 over her last 11 holes.
Others did well just to make the cut. Take Seon Hwa Lee, who was +4 over her 1st 19 holes but -3 over her next 17, or In-Kyung Kim, who birdied 2 of her last 4 holes--on the front, of course--to move from the wrong side of the cut line to a tie for 60th with Lee. Unfortunately, neither Ji-Yai Shin nor Jane Park had a chance for a strong finish; both withdrew, the former due no doubt to illness and the latter most likely to injury (I hope it's not a flare-up of her recurring back problems this season).
So it's looking like those who want to make a big move on moving day must take advantage of the stretch from 5 to 9 and then go for broke on the back. It'll be interesting to see if the bombers can continue to take advantage of Blackhawk Country Club, or if the precision players I picked will chase them down. I would have been better off in the PakPicker at Seoul Sisters.com if Shin had decided not to start this event--my first alternate was Gustafson, but I can't bring her off the bench from a WD. So I'm depending on the Stone Buddha and Inky to really get it going on the weekend, Creamer, Pressel, Lang, and Tseng to keep climbing the leaderboard, Ochoa, Pettersen, and Stanford to keep it going, and Webb to play more like she did on Thursday than most of the day today. I need a strong finish in the PakPicker, myself!
[Update 1 (1:40 am): Here's Jamie RS with some good details on Shin's WD and much much more.]
[Update 2 (1:54 am): People who rely only on Golf Central for their LPGA updates will never know about Sun Young Yoo's 64. Sad.]
[Update 3 (2:44 am): By contrast, LPGA.com's notes and interviews are the first place to go for a quick recap, now that Hound Dog's hung up his spurs for the time being at least.]
[Update 4 (2:51 am): Jamie follows up with a good critique of the GC coverage.]
[Update 5 (3:09 am): Seoul Sisters.com's Say_You_Se_Ri follows Pak and rips Blackhawk.]
Take Maria Hjorth, who finished on the front with a birdie-birdie-par-birdie-eagle run that brought her to -6 on her day and -9 for the tournament. By contrast, Lorena Ochoa, who like Hjorth is 1 shot behind Sophie Gustafson, could "only" manage a birdie-par-birdie finish on the front. Vicky Hurst, who's bombing it off the tee (averaging in the low 280s this week, a few yards past Hjorth and several yards behind Ochoa), also took advantage of the closing holes on the front, going birdie-birdie-par-birdie to secure her 67 and bring her to -6 through 36. Shanshan Feng, though, was -6 over her last 13 holes today, bringing her to -9 overall. Although she's been driving it plenty long this week (over 265 yards so far), it's been her putter that's been carrying her: she has 49 putts over 36 holes--14 fewer than Gustafson. Joo Mi Kim matched Feng's feats today--49 putts overall, -6 over her last 13 holes--although she did it by finishing on the back and joins Yoo 2 shots further behind Gustafson. Also 3 off the lead is Suzann Pettersen, who made like Yoo with a 31 on the back and is driving it almost as far off the tee as Ochoa (near 290). And Angela Stanford was -4 over her last 10 holes to join the big group at -7 overall.
But those weren't the only strong finishes today at Blackhawk Country Club. Paula Creamer was stuck at E overall through her 1st 22 holes, but went -6 over her last 14 to get back in the hunt--and surprisingly, to become the only precision player in the top 10. After an even-par 37 on the front, Amy Yang pulled within 1 of Creamer with a sizzling 30 on the back. Natalie Gulbis would be doing 1 shot better than Creamer if she hadn't bogeyed her 1st and last holes (the 10th and the 9th, respectively)--she scattered 8 birdies among her other 16 holes today. Were it not for a late double on the front, Eunjung Yi's 30 on the back would have brought her into a tie with Yang and Gulbis at -5; as it is, she's tied with Minea Blomqvist, who went -4 over her last 11 holes.
Others did well just to make the cut. Take Seon Hwa Lee, who was +4 over her 1st 19 holes but -3 over her next 17, or In-Kyung Kim, who birdied 2 of her last 4 holes--on the front, of course--to move from the wrong side of the cut line to a tie for 60th with Lee. Unfortunately, neither Ji-Yai Shin nor Jane Park had a chance for a strong finish; both withdrew, the former due no doubt to illness and the latter most likely to injury (I hope it's not a flare-up of her recurring back problems this season).
So it's looking like those who want to make a big move on moving day must take advantage of the stretch from 5 to 9 and then go for broke on the back. It'll be interesting to see if the bombers can continue to take advantage of Blackhawk Country Club, or if the precision players I picked will chase them down. I would have been better off in the PakPicker at Seoul Sisters.com if Shin had decided not to start this event--my first alternate was Gustafson, but I can't bring her off the bench from a WD. So I'm depending on the Stone Buddha and Inky to really get it going on the weekend, Creamer, Pressel, Lang, and Tseng to keep climbing the leaderboard, Ochoa, Pettersen, and Stanford to keep it going, and Webb to play more like she did on Thursday than most of the day today. I need a strong finish in the PakPicker, myself!
[Update 1 (1:40 am): Here's Jamie RS with some good details on Shin's WD and much much more.]
[Update 2 (1:54 am): People who rely only on Golf Central for their LPGA updates will never know about Sun Young Yoo's 64. Sad.]
[Update 3 (2:44 am): By contrast, LPGA.com's notes and interviews are the first place to go for a quick recap, now that Hound Dog's hung up his spurs for the time being at least.]
[Update 4 (2:51 am): Jamie follows up with a good critique of the GC coverage.]
[Update 5 (3:09 am): Seoul Sisters.com's Say_You_Se_Ri follows Pak and rips Blackhawk.]
CVS LPGA Challenge Friday: Sun Young Yoo Shoots 29 on Back
Sun Young Yoo birdied 4 of her 1st 6 holes today on the back 9 at Blackhawk Country Club, then birdied her last 2 holes on the side to post a 29. Now with 2 holes left to play in the 2nd round of the CVS LPGA Challenge, she's -8 on the day and -7 for the tournament. If it weren't for her bogey on the par-3 4th, she'd be on track for a low-60s round. As it is, let's not forget that #9 is an eagleable par-5. Right now she's 2 off the lead. Let's see how close she can get.
[Update 1 (10:18 pm): Man, Yoo birdied 8 but bogeyed 9, settling for a 64 in the process and ending up 3 shots behind Sophie Gustafson, who was -10 over her 1st 27 holes, but needed a late birdie to get back there. Looks like Gustafson could have gone much lower--she's only missed 3 greens in all, but has 63 putts.]
[Update 1 (10:18 pm): Man, Yoo birdied 8 but bogeyed 9, settling for a 64 in the process and ending up 3 shots behind Sophie Gustafson, who was -10 over her 1st 27 holes, but needed a late birdie to get back there. Looks like Gustafson could have gone much lower--she's only missed 3 greens in all, but has 63 putts.]
Friday, September 4, 2009
Canadian Women's Open Friday: The Time Is Now for Lorena Ochoa to Make a Statement
After making her 4th birdie in her 1st 10 holes, Lorena Ochoa is tied for the lead with Song-Hee Kim and Suzann Pettersen at -9 in the Canadian Women's Open. She bogeyed the 1st hole on Thursday and hasn't looked back, making 10 birdies in a 27-hole-and-counting bogey-free run. This is the chance the world #1 has been looking for to make a statement to her closest challengers. Let's see if she can take advantage on the back.
[Update 1 (11:36 pm): Um, Lorena, the statement was not supposed to be, "Under construction"! That double right after getting to double digits under par? Not what the doctor ordered. Those 2 bogeys in your last 3 holes after erasing the double with back-to-back birdies? Even harder to swallow. Yeah, shooting a pair of 68s is great and all, but when you hit 32 of 36 greens and make 13 birdies, -8 and 1 shot back is not where you ought to be.]
[Update 2 (11:46 pm): So with Ochoa and Pettersen both settling for 68s, the door was open to join the hunt and, man, did the field respond. Catriona Matthew extended her bogey-free streak to 32 holes and counting, making 5 birdies in her last 12 to catch Ochoa. 2 off the lead are Angela Stanford (65), Sun Young Yoo (66), and M.J. Hur (67). Joining Janice Moodie 3 off the pace is Ya Ni Tseng (who's taken 63 putts around the Priddis Greens greens). And joining Ji-Yai Shin (65) and Sophie Gustafson (68) at -5 are In-Kyung Kim (68) and Karrie Webb (68). With Anna Rawson's 73 dropping her into a tie with Ai Miyazato (69) and Kristy McPherson (67) 5 back, the person who gets into the mid-60s or better twice this week is most likely to win. Moving day should be even more interesting than usual!]
[Update 3 (9/5/09, 12:00 am): Great notes and interviews from LPGA.com but the Japanese player who I recall made 6 birdies in a row on the European swing was Momoko Ueda at the Women's British Open, not Ai Miyazato at Evian.]
[Update 4 (11:14 am): Here's Hound Dog's 2nd-round overview.]
[Update 1 (11:36 pm): Um, Lorena, the statement was not supposed to be, "Under construction"! That double right after getting to double digits under par? Not what the doctor ordered. Those 2 bogeys in your last 3 holes after erasing the double with back-to-back birdies? Even harder to swallow. Yeah, shooting a pair of 68s is great and all, but when you hit 32 of 36 greens and make 13 birdies, -8 and 1 shot back is not where you ought to be.]
[Update 2 (11:46 pm): So with Ochoa and Pettersen both settling for 68s, the door was open to join the hunt and, man, did the field respond. Catriona Matthew extended her bogey-free streak to 32 holes and counting, making 5 birdies in her last 12 to catch Ochoa. 2 off the lead are Angela Stanford (65), Sun Young Yoo (66), and M.J. Hur (67). Joining Janice Moodie 3 off the pace is Ya Ni Tseng (who's taken 63 putts around the Priddis Greens greens). And joining Ji-Yai Shin (65) and Sophie Gustafson (68) at -5 are In-Kyung Kim (68) and Karrie Webb (68). With Anna Rawson's 73 dropping her into a tie with Ai Miyazato (69) and Kristy McPherson (67) 5 back, the person who gets into the mid-60s or better twice this week is most likely to win. Moving day should be even more interesting than usual!]
[Update 3 (9/5/09, 12:00 am): Great notes and interviews from LPGA.com but the Japanese player who I recall made 6 birdies in a row on the European swing was Momoko Ueda at the Women's British Open, not Ai Miyazato at Evian.]
[Update 4 (11:14 am): Here's Hound Dog's 2nd-round overview.]
Canadian Women's Open Friday: How Tough Is Na Yeon Choi?
Take a look at Na Yeon Choi's scorecard when you get a chance. Just as she has several times in the last few events, this Super Soph got off on the wrong foot at the Canadian Women's Open, putting her 45-event made-cut streak in jeopardy right from the get-go with a bogey-bogey-double-par-bogey start. Even though she battled back to finish at +3 yesterday, she bogeyed her 1st 2 holes on the front today to fall back to +5, far below the projected cut line. Well, what has she done since then but start a bogey-free streak of 11 holes and counting, rattling off 3 birdies over her last 5 holes on the front and eagling the par-5 12th? So she's back to E with 5 holes to play, T53 right now. She doesn't have much margin for error, as +1 is T71 and +2 is T87 at the moment. But how cool would it be for her to come back from the brink yet again?
I'll be using this post to keep track of cut-line doings today at Priddis Greens. Stay tuned!
[Update 1 (3:11 pm): Lots of people are making big runs at the cut line today, but Michelle Wie will need to make more birdies as she closes out her round on the front to join them (she's +3 overall with 4 left to play). She could take a lesson from her pal Christina Kim, whose bogey-free run is 19 holes and counting and has fought back to -1 for the tournament (T33 right now) after going +4 through her 1st 13 holes yesterday. She's tied right now with Karine Icher, who birdied 4 of her last 6 holes on the front to post a bounceback 67. Shi Hyun Ahn's own 67 today was an 8-shot improvement on Thursday's results and puts her inside the cut line at T51. There are others whose fates are still in their hands. More on them later.]
[Update 2 (3:24 pm): Christina Kim's 6th birdie of the day on the par-5 5th brings her to -2 overall and T21 right now! Let's see if she can keep the pedal to the metal. There have been a lot of birdies to close out the front this week.]
[Update 3 (3:59 pm): Kim's 20-hole bogey-free streak came to a screeching halt with her 2nd-straight bogey on the par-4 7th. She's tied with Choi at -1 now.]
[Update 4 (4:03 pm): On the wrong side of the cut line, 69s by Eun-Hee Ji and Michelle Wie will most likely be too little, too late, after their 75 and 76 opening rounds, respectively--unless the winds really come up and everyone on the course a little ahead of them blows up horribly. Ji bogeyed 2 of her last 4 holes--that's gotta hurt.]
[Update 5 (11:56 pm): Contrast Ji's fortunes with Danielle Downey's--the latter went -3 over her last 7 holes to get to -1, right where Ji was before her unfortunate collapse. Maybe there is a U.S. Women's Open curse? If 5 players had done 1 shot worse among those at +1, Ji would have made the cut. Moira Dunn was one of those players who made the cut on the number, thanks to only bogeying the 17th down the stretch....]
I'll be using this post to keep track of cut-line doings today at Priddis Greens. Stay tuned!
[Update 1 (3:11 pm): Lots of people are making big runs at the cut line today, but Michelle Wie will need to make more birdies as she closes out her round on the front to join them (she's +3 overall with 4 left to play). She could take a lesson from her pal Christina Kim, whose bogey-free run is 19 holes and counting and has fought back to -1 for the tournament (T33 right now) after going +4 through her 1st 13 holes yesterday. She's tied right now with Karine Icher, who birdied 4 of her last 6 holes on the front to post a bounceback 67. Shi Hyun Ahn's own 67 today was an 8-shot improvement on Thursday's results and puts her inside the cut line at T51. There are others whose fates are still in their hands. More on them later.]
[Update 2 (3:24 pm): Christina Kim's 6th birdie of the day on the par-5 5th brings her to -2 overall and T21 right now! Let's see if she can keep the pedal to the metal. There have been a lot of birdies to close out the front this week.]
[Update 3 (3:59 pm): Kim's 20-hole bogey-free streak came to a screeching halt with her 2nd-straight bogey on the par-4 7th. She's tied with Choi at -1 now.]
[Update 4 (4:03 pm): On the wrong side of the cut line, 69s by Eun-Hee Ji and Michelle Wie will most likely be too little, too late, after their 75 and 76 opening rounds, respectively--unless the winds really come up and everyone on the course a little ahead of them blows up horribly. Ji bogeyed 2 of her last 4 holes--that's gotta hurt.]
[Update 5 (11:56 pm): Contrast Ji's fortunes with Danielle Downey's--the latter went -3 over her last 7 holes to get to -1, right where Ji was before her unfortunate collapse. Maybe there is a U.S. Women's Open curse? If 5 players had done 1 shot worse among those at +1, Ji would have made the cut. Moira Dunn was one of those players who made the cut on the number, thanks to only bogeying the 17th down the stretch....]
Canadian Women's Open Friday: Song-Hee Kim Rocks the Front with a 28
You read that right. Song-Hee Kim birdied her 1st 6 holes on the front and added a birdie on the 9th for a 28 that brought her to -7 overall in the Canadian Women's Open. Let's see how she follows it up. She bogeyed the 10th to break a 12-hole bogey-free streak but birdied the par-5 12th to pull back within 3 shots of Suzann Pettersen, whose own bogey-free run of -9 through her 1st 21 holes got interrupted but is now back on track with 2 birdies in her last 6 bogey-free holes, bringing her to -10 overall. We'll see if either of them can surpass Janice Moodie's 65 today, which included her 2nd-straight eagle on the 12th. Stay tuned!
[Update 1 (2:22 pm): Don't look now, but Ji-Yai Shin has a 15-hole bogey-free streak going since the end of yesterday's round and has made 5 birdies in her 1st 10 holes today.]
[Update 2 (3:19 pm): Looks like Pettersen may find herself locked in a duel with another Futures Tour standout this week. Kim is on track to break Anna Rawson's course record after her birdie on the 16th got her to -8 on her day and for the tournament. For the 3rd time today, Pettersen made a bogey that interrupted a birdie barrage; she had gotten to -11 but just fell back to -10. M.J. Hur, by the way, is -5 overall and quietly moving up the leaderboard.]
[Update 3 (3:21 pm): Whoops! Make that 2 bogeys in a row for Pettersen, who's now no longer double digits under par for the 1st time since the 4th, her 13th hole today. Let's see if she can come back with a birdie on the par-5 9th!]
[Update 4 (3:38 pm): With Kim's birdie on the 17th, she's not only tied for the lead at -9 but also would shoot a 59 with an eagle on 18!]
[Update 5 (3:56 pm): Oh, well, she "only" parred the 18th. Coupled with Pettersen's par on the 9th, both end the day at -9, ripe for getting passed by anyone who gets hot in the afternoon pairings.]
[Update 6 (11:48 pm): Shin's walkoff birdie gives her a 65 and ties her with Sophie Gustafson (68) at -5. Don't count out the rookie who's tied with Lorena Ochoa for most LPGA wins this season.]
[Update 7 (11:50 pm): Kim got The Armchair Golfer's attention, but he gave her an extra birdie on the front. Still less of a mistake than my "59 call" up there in update 4 (it would have been a 60!).]
[Update 1 (2:22 pm): Don't look now, but Ji-Yai Shin has a 15-hole bogey-free streak going since the end of yesterday's round and has made 5 birdies in her 1st 10 holes today.]
[Update 2 (3:19 pm): Looks like Pettersen may find herself locked in a duel with another Futures Tour standout this week. Kim is on track to break Anna Rawson's course record after her birdie on the 16th got her to -8 on her day and for the tournament. For the 3rd time today, Pettersen made a bogey that interrupted a birdie barrage; she had gotten to -11 but just fell back to -10. M.J. Hur, by the way, is -5 overall and quietly moving up the leaderboard.]
[Update 3 (3:21 pm): Whoops! Make that 2 bogeys in a row for Pettersen, who's now no longer double digits under par for the 1st time since the 4th, her 13th hole today. Let's see if she can come back with a birdie on the par-5 9th!]
[Update 4 (3:38 pm): With Kim's birdie on the 17th, she's not only tied for the lead at -9 but also would shoot a 59 with an eagle on 18!]
[Update 5 (3:56 pm): Oh, well, she "only" parred the 18th. Coupled with Pettersen's par on the 9th, both end the day at -9, ripe for getting passed by anyone who gets hot in the afternoon pairings.]
[Update 6 (11:48 pm): Shin's walkoff birdie gives her a 65 and ties her with Sophie Gustafson (68) at -5. Don't count out the rookie who's tied with Lorena Ochoa for most LPGA wins this season.]
[Update 7 (11:50 pm): Kim got The Armchair Golfer's attention, but he gave her an extra birdie on the front. Still less of a mistake than my "59 call" up there in update 4 (it would have been a 60!).]
Canadian Women's Open Thursday: How Not to Go Low
Despite giving up 8 scores of 67 or below, Priddis Greens held up pretty well for a par-71 in the 1st round of the Canadian Women's Open. Sure, 35 players broke 70, 48 went under par, and 66 shot par or better, but that still means there were more rounds over par than anything else. Putting aside those who simply didn't have it today (including, shockingly, Michelle Wie, Hee-Won Han, Christina Kim, Eun-Hee Ji, and Na Yeon Choi), the true test of how tough a golf course is are the mistakes it can cause among those playing well. By that criterion, I'd expect Priddis Greens to show its teeth over the course of the next 54 holes.
Take the hottest golfer in the world right now, Ai Miyazato. She made 6 birdies between the 6th and 15th holes, but a double on the par-3 11th coupled with a bogey on the par-3 2nd and the par-5 18th forced her to accept a 69. She wasn't alone in letting a potentially great round slip away, either. Rookie Anna Nordqvist was -6 over her 1st 10 holes, but played her last 8 on the front in +3. Senior Standout Katie Futcher was -4 with 6 holes left to play on the back, but only a walkoff bogey secured her 68. Hall of Famer Karrie Webb got it to -4 with 4 holes left to play on the front, but played them in +2. Paula Creamer was -3 at the same point, but needed a walkoff birdie to partially offset her double on the par-4 7th and match Webb's 69. Despite making 3 birdies in a row late in her round on the front, Ya Ni Tseng joined them when she bogeyed the par-3 8th and failed to birdie the par-5 9th. Brittany Lincicome made 5 birdies in her round, but a pair of doubles on the back (her 1st 9) and a late bogey dropped her to 71. Meena Lee can top that, though: even after making 7 birdies Thursday, she walked off the course with a 70. Brittany Lang also made 7 birdies but only shot a 69. So it should come as no surprise that Sophie Gustafson birdied 2 of her 1st 3 holes and 4 of her last 5 but shot--wait for it--a 69.
The fact that Angela Stanford ended up with a 70 despite making 4 birdies in 8 holes as she made the turn from the back to the front is starting to make sense now. Jane Park made 3 birdies between the 4th and 9th, but had to settle for (you guessed it) a 70, as well. Meanwhile, Kyeong Bae compressed her Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde performances over the last several weeks into contrasting 9s: a bogey-free opening 33 on the back followed by a birdieless closing 37 on the back. Kristy McPherson made 3 birdies in a 6-hole stretch on the back, but finished +2 over her last 10 holes for her 71. For Candie Kung, her 71 was the result of 2 bogeys in her last 3 holes that erased her 3-birdie bogey-free run between the 9th and 15th.
That's not to say some players didn't finish strong. Last week's winner M.J. Hur needed a walkoff eagle on the 9th and a birdie on the 5th, her next-to-last par 5, to shoot a 68, despite making 4 birdies earlier on the back in a 6-hole stretch (it was interrupted by a double and a bogey). Stacy Prammanasudh birdied her last 3 holes to finish her round on the front and post her own 8-birdie 68 (check her scorecard--she only made 1 par that side and 5 on the day!). Catriona Matthew closed with a bogey-free 32 on the front for her 68. Paige Mackenzie's matching 32 wasn't bogey-free, but she did birdie 4 of her last 5 holes on the front for her 68. Hee Young Park bounced back from a costly double on the 9th with 4 straight birdies early on the back on her way to a 32 there that also earned her a tough 68. Carin Koch bogeyed the 2nd but didn't make another mistake the rest of the way as 4 birdies between the 6th and 15th vaulted her into Club 68. Seon Hwa Lee made 3 birdies in her closing 8-hole run of bogey-free golf to post her 69. And rookie Stacy Lewis had a little bit of everything happen after an opening 35 on the front: 1st she birdied 3 in a row, then parred 2 in a row, then bogeyed 2 in a row, then birdied her last 2 for a 33 on the back that was almost something much better. But when roughly twice as many golfers let a great round get away as upgrade theirs down the stretch, you know there's something about the course they're playing that's causing that.
We'll see who if any of these golfers can go low and who else squanders opportunities tomorrow at Priddis Greens!
[Update 1 (1:11 am): LPGA.com's notes and interviews page makes it very clear that the afternoon winds had a lot to do with players' struggles out there--which makes Pettersen's and Blumenherst's mid-60s rounds all the more impressive!]
[Update 2 (1:18 am): You know what, though? A lot of the players who let low rounds slip through their fingers played in the relatively calm conditions of the morning and early afternoon. Yeah, lots of players blew up in the wind, but relatively few really squandered their scoring opportunities.]
[Update 3 (4:05 pm): Here's Hound Dog's 1st-round overview.]
Take the hottest golfer in the world right now, Ai Miyazato. She made 6 birdies between the 6th and 15th holes, but a double on the par-3 11th coupled with a bogey on the par-3 2nd and the par-5 18th forced her to accept a 69. She wasn't alone in letting a potentially great round slip away, either. Rookie Anna Nordqvist was -6 over her 1st 10 holes, but played her last 8 on the front in +3. Senior Standout Katie Futcher was -4 with 6 holes left to play on the back, but only a walkoff bogey secured her 68. Hall of Famer Karrie Webb got it to -4 with 4 holes left to play on the front, but played them in +2. Paula Creamer was -3 at the same point, but needed a walkoff birdie to partially offset her double on the par-4 7th and match Webb's 69. Despite making 3 birdies in a row late in her round on the front, Ya Ni Tseng joined them when she bogeyed the par-3 8th and failed to birdie the par-5 9th. Brittany Lincicome made 5 birdies in her round, but a pair of doubles on the back (her 1st 9) and a late bogey dropped her to 71. Meena Lee can top that, though: even after making 7 birdies Thursday, she walked off the course with a 70. Brittany Lang also made 7 birdies but only shot a 69. So it should come as no surprise that Sophie Gustafson birdied 2 of her 1st 3 holes and 4 of her last 5 but shot--wait for it--a 69.
The fact that Angela Stanford ended up with a 70 despite making 4 birdies in 8 holes as she made the turn from the back to the front is starting to make sense now. Jane Park made 3 birdies between the 4th and 9th, but had to settle for (you guessed it) a 70, as well. Meanwhile, Kyeong Bae compressed her Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde performances over the last several weeks into contrasting 9s: a bogey-free opening 33 on the back followed by a birdieless closing 37 on the back. Kristy McPherson made 3 birdies in a 6-hole stretch on the back, but finished +2 over her last 10 holes for her 71. For Candie Kung, her 71 was the result of 2 bogeys in her last 3 holes that erased her 3-birdie bogey-free run between the 9th and 15th.
That's not to say some players didn't finish strong. Last week's winner M.J. Hur needed a walkoff eagle on the 9th and a birdie on the 5th, her next-to-last par 5, to shoot a 68, despite making 4 birdies earlier on the back in a 6-hole stretch (it was interrupted by a double and a bogey). Stacy Prammanasudh birdied her last 3 holes to finish her round on the front and post her own 8-birdie 68 (check her scorecard--she only made 1 par that side and 5 on the day!). Catriona Matthew closed with a bogey-free 32 on the front for her 68. Paige Mackenzie's matching 32 wasn't bogey-free, but she did birdie 4 of her last 5 holes on the front for her 68. Hee Young Park bounced back from a costly double on the 9th with 4 straight birdies early on the back on her way to a 32 there that also earned her a tough 68. Carin Koch bogeyed the 2nd but didn't make another mistake the rest of the way as 4 birdies between the 6th and 15th vaulted her into Club 68. Seon Hwa Lee made 3 birdies in her closing 8-hole run of bogey-free golf to post her 69. And rookie Stacy Lewis had a little bit of everything happen after an opening 35 on the front: 1st she birdied 3 in a row, then parred 2 in a row, then bogeyed 2 in a row, then birdied her last 2 for a 33 on the back that was almost something much better. But when roughly twice as many golfers let a great round get away as upgrade theirs down the stretch, you know there's something about the course they're playing that's causing that.
We'll see who if any of these golfers can go low and who else squanders opportunities tomorrow at Priddis Greens!
[Update 1 (1:11 am): LPGA.com's notes and interviews page makes it very clear that the afternoon winds had a lot to do with players' struggles out there--which makes Pettersen's and Blumenherst's mid-60s rounds all the more impressive!]
[Update 2 (1:18 am): You know what, though? A lot of the players who let low rounds slip through their fingers played in the relatively calm conditions of the morning and early afternoon. Yeah, lots of players blew up in the wind, but relatively few really squandered their scoring opportunities.]
[Update 3 (4:05 pm): Here's Hound Dog's 1st-round overview.]
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