Reignwood LPGA Classic Sunday: Can Stacy Lewis Do It?

Stacy Lewis has won a lot since breaking through in April 2011 at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, but she's also come in 2nd 13 times on the LPGA alone between then and now.  Last year's inaugural Reignwood LPGA Classic was 1 of them.  Can she shake off all those near-misses, continue her bounceback from yesterday's weak start, and outrun and outgun the likes of Caroline Hedwall, Inbee Park, Suzann Pettersen, and So Yeon Ryu today?  Let's see!

[Update 1 (12:58 am):  Lewis birdied 1 to move to -14 and Hedwall bogeyed it to fall to -12.  Brittany Lang bogeyed 2 but birdied 3 to return to -11.  Mi-Hyang Lee fired a bogey-free 32 on the front to move to -9, but with Park, Pettersen, and Ryu struggling, the player with the most momentum right now is Mirim Lee, who birdied 5 and 6 to move to -13.]

[Update 2 (1:05 am):  I'm about 3 holes behind on the tv coverage, so I'll be backtracking a bit now.  Key thing to keep in mind today is that the winds are up and the greens are drying out.  Stacy looks like she's playing great, with 2 near-misses from close range on the next 2 holes.  Can't wait to see how Mi Jung Hur birdies 5 and 6 to move to -9.]

[Update 3 (1:20 am):  Nice par saves by Hedwall on 3 and 4.  Looks like Lewis bogeyed the par-3 7th to drop back into a 3-way tie for the lead with Hedwall and Mirim Lee.]

[Update 4 (1:25 am):  Park went bogey-birdie-bogey-birdie on 5 through 8 to stay at -10.  Mirim Lee just birdied the par-4 8th to take the lead at -14!]

[Update 5 (1:39 am):  Wow, Hedwall hit the par-5 6th in 2 and Mirim Lee had a 300-yard drive but couldn't take advantage of it, leaving it in a bunker short-right of the pin.]

[Update 6 (1:41 am):  Chella Choi birdied both par 5s on the front to get to -9.]

[Update 7 (1:46 am):  Nice sandie from Mirim Lee and 2-putt from Hedwall on that par-5 6th.  Stacy's putter is just the slightest bit off of late.  Can't say she hasn't been giving herself chances.]

[Update 8 (1:47 am):  Add Haeji Kang to the group at -9; she just birdied 11.]

[Update 9 (1:50 am):  Wow, that bunker Inbee pulled her approach into on #7 was deep!  Not surprised she bogeyed that hole after barely carrying the lip!]

[Update 10 (1:51 am):  The producers and announcers sure love Ilhee Lee and Caroline Masson, but neither is really in this thing.  Still, it's nice to see less tunnel vision than usual on coverage of the LPGA.]

[Update 11 (1:54 am):  Wow, Lewis and Hedwall birdied the par-5 9th to catch Mirim Lee at -14!  Can't wait to see how that happened!]

[Update 12 (2:03 am):  Nice approach from Choi on 9, bouncing it through the fringe with a little wedge to giver herself that birdie opportunity I mentioned a few updates back!]

[Update 13 (2:06 am):  Really impressed with Hedwall's pressure putting.  Another great par save on the par-3 7th.]

[Update 14 (2:13 am):  That was a pretty long birdie putt for Inbee on 8!]

[Update 15 (2:16 am):  Impressive win for Teresa Lu at the Japan Women's Open!  Now that the biggest event in women's golf in Japan has been decided, I can make a concerted effort to catch up with the tv coverage of this one.]

[Update 16 (2:18 am):  Can't wait to catch up to the 10th, as Lewis and Hedwall just gave their birdies back and handed the lead to Mirim Lee once more!]

[Update 17 (2:19 am):  And how about those 3 birdies in a row by Kang to get to -11?!]

[Update 18 (2:22 am):  Wow, Hedwall really blew that long sweeper by the hole on the 8th green.  Crazy-long birdie over the ridge by Mirim Lee right after!  Fantastic composure by Hedwall to make her 3rd big par save in her 1st 8 holes!]

[Update 19 (2:24 am):  Near-chip-in from near the pond on 9 for Pettersen after going for the par 5 in 2.  Can understand why she made a birdie there!]

[Update 20 (2:26 am):  Can see why Inbee couldn't birdie 9 after seeing where she left her 2nd shot, just far enough right to bring a hill/ridge into play on her pitch and increase her degree of difficulty.]

[Update 21 (2:33 am):  Impressive wedges in from Lewis and Hedwall on 9.  Can see why they birdied the hole!]

[Update 22 (2:38 am):  Bogey on the 1st of 3 par 5s on the back drops Park to -9.  Like Ryu, Pettersen, Hur, Chella Choi, and Ilhee Lee, she'll need a miracle to contend now.]

[Update 23 (2:40 am):  Slow play and clicking cameras join the shifting winds as factors that challenge the leaders' focus.]

[Update 24 (2:42 am):  Mi-Hyang Lee keeps her bogey-free round going and makes her 5th birdie of the day on the par-3 17th.  She's now -10.]

[Update 25 (2:45 am):  Pornanong Phatlum has made 5 birdies in her last 13 hole to move to -9!]

[Update 26 (2:48 am):  Too strong a chip and a spun-out 4-footer were what caused Lewis's bogey on 10.  Hedwall actually made a great up-and-down after a terrible chip to save bogey on 10.]

[Update 27 (2:51 am):  Park continues her bounceback day with a birdie on the par-3 13th to return to -10.  She's only 3 back now, as Mirim Lee bogeyed the par-5 12th to fall back to a tie for the lead with Lewis and Hedwall, who could only par it.]

[Update 28 (2:54 am):  What a great week for Mariajo Uribe!  After starting bogey-bogey, she made 5 birdies and no bogeys the rest of the way to end the tournament at -8.  Only 108 putts all week, too!  She's leader in the clubhouse right now.]

[Update 29 (2:57 am):  If you're wondering what Lang's been doing all this time, she's made 10 pars in a row.  Despite missing some make-able birdie putts along the way, she's still only 2 back with 5 holes left to play.]

[Update 30 (2:59 am):  What a long par save for Kang after getting off her 3-hole birdie train!]

[Update 31 (3:03 am):  Phatlum finishes her round with 3 birdies in a row to end her week at -10!  Birdie-birdie finish for Mi-Hyang Lee to pass her and become the new leader in the clubhouse at -11!]

[Update 32 (3:04 am):  Looked like Mirim Lee decelled and still blasted her 5-foot par attempt on the par-5 12th by the hole!]

[Update 33 (3:05 am):  That was not an easy birdie putt for Inbee on 13!  Maybe 20 feet?]

[Update 34 (3:06 am):  Great approach by Hedwall on 13!  Front pin with wind behind is really tough and she made it look easy!]

[Update 35 (3:09 am):  Catching up to reality in my tv fast forwarding.  3 good approaches on 13 but no birdies.]

[Update 36 (3:12 am):  Lee's miss was the worst stroke, but all came close!]

[Update 37 (3:19 am):  Love how Hedwall's using the Texas wedge to try to take down the Texan world #1!  I can't believe that 30-footer didn't drop for her on 14!]

[Update 38 (3:21 am):  Speaking of Texas wedges, how about Lang's on 15?!  Got it within 6 feet from maybe 70 yards away!  Whoa, Stacy missed a very make-able 5-foot par save.]

[Update 39 (3:22 am):  So now Hedwall and Lee lead at -13, Lewis is -12, and Lang has a chance to get there on the 15th.]

[Update 40 (3:25 am):  Such a frustrating miss for Lang!]

[Update 41 (3:26 am):  With 2 par 5s in the last 3 holes, I don't know why the announcers are writing off those at -10.  Yes, Kang failed to birdie 16, but she's still only 2 back.]

[Update 42 (3:29 am):  Wow, only 106 putts from Mi-Hyang Lee this week!  And 107 from Phatlum!]

[Update 43 (3:33 am):  Good strategy, bad execution on the approach from Stacy on the short 15th.]

[Update 44 (3:37 am):  Hedwall had trouble from the left rough making solid enough contact to get the ball to the back tier.  But it's better than being in that deep left trap that Lewis is in.  Lee, meanwhile, rolled her approach all the way to the back fringe.]

[Update 45 (3:38 am):  Big birdie for Yanhong Pan on 18 to guarantee herself a top 10.]

[Update 46 (3:40 am):  Good lag for Hedwall.  Looked like a misread by Lee on her birdie attempt.  Just figured out that it's black clothes/putter vs. white clothes/putter for those 2!]

[Update 47 (3:41 am):  Great sandie by Lewis!!!!]

[Update 48 (3:42 am):  Maybe Lang should have used another Texas wedge after getting so close to the green in 2 on the par-5 16th.]

[Update 49 (3:43 am):  Lang's birdie from 15 feet missed on the high side.]

[Update 50 (3:44 am):  But Park made her 14-footer to join Lang and Mi-Hyang Lee at -11.  But Kang just stuck one on 18 and looks like she'll finish at -12.]

[Update 51 (3:46 am):  Probably too little, too late, but Pettersen's birdied 2 in a row and with 2 to play is -9.]

[Update 52 (3:47 am):  Hedwall went for 16 in 2 but it landed soft in that uphill area 20 yards short of the green and stopped there.]

[Update 53 (3:52 am):  Kang made that birdie putt look easy.  She's now leader in the clubhouse and only 1 back.]

[Update 54 (3:55 am):  Inbee's going to need to make another 20-footer to have a chance to win this thing, as LPGA.com is showing Mirim Lee with a birdie on 16!  In fact, she almost chipped in for eagle!]

[Update 55 (3:56 am):  Hedwall's chip just carried a foot too far and rolled into that range she's been making a lot of testers from.  Stacy's approach from much further back ended up much further away.]

[Update 56 (3:58 am):  Lewis couldn't do it, while it was one of Hedwall's worst strokes of the day, and Park couldn't sink her birdie try, so Lee is -14, Hedwall is -13, and Lewis and Kang are at -12.]

[Update 57 (4:03 am):  Wow, did Lee come around on that short iron on 17--probably in the water or unplayable!  Hedwall stuck it into the back-left corner of the green, maybe 15 feet away from the pin.  Lewis had good tempo, but babied it to the middle of the green, maybe 35 feet short of the pin.]

[Update 58 (4:07 am):  What a great walkoff pitch-in for eagle by Yuting Shi to join countrywoman Pan at -8.  Won't be a top 10 for either, but good weeks for both!]

[Update 59 (4:11 am):  Lee could play it out from the edge of the rocks near the water and got it to the middle of the green.  Lewis will show her the line and made a great run at it.  But she rolled it 4 feet by just on the low side.  Lee canned her putt from 25 feet out!!  Now it's up to Hedwall to tie her.  Hedwall's putt looked great until the last 4 inches.  Now, with Chella Choi birdieing 18 and Mi Jung Hur doubling it, we know 3-shot swings are possible on the final hole.  Let's see if this year's finish can be as amazing as last year's!]

[Update 60 (4:12 am):  Missed comebacker by Lewis means she needs even more of a miracle than Feng did last year.]

[Update 61 (4:18 am):  Shi actually finished at -7.  Pan ended up tied with Uribe and Pettersen (who missed a little putt on 18) at T11, -8.]

[Update 62 (4:20 am):  Lang went for 18 in 2 and ended up in the back rough.  Masson went even further over in 2.  Inbee sucked her wedge back to tap-in range to join Kang at -12.  Shades of what the final group will have to deal with?]

[Update 63 (4:27 am):  Stacy pulled her drive into the rough and had to lay up.  Hedwall and Lee hit it far and straight enough off the tee to go for the green in 2 if they want.]

[Update 64 (4:31 am):  Lang and Park birdie 18 to join Kang at -12.]

[Update 65 (4:33 am):  Hedwall yanked a hybrid left into that waste bunker.  Lee pulled an iron there, too!]

[Update 66 (4:35 am):  Stacy was trying to make it from around 100 yards out, but left it about 25 feet short-right of the pin.  Best she can do is join the trio at -12.]

[Update 67 (4:38 am):  Lee went 1st and got the ball to run out after carrying it onto the green, and it climbed the tier to end up about 7 feet short left of the pin.  Fantastic shot!]

[Update 68 (4:40 am):  Hedwall hit hers higher and softer and barely landed it on the fringe, so she'll need to snake in a long twisty one to force Lee to make hers to win.]

[Update 69 (4:42 am):  Neither Hedwall nor Lewis could make theirs.  So Lee needs 2 putts to win.]

[Update 70 (4:45 am):  Hedwall makes her par putt (another tester) to finish 2nd at -13.  Lee sinks her birdie and gets her 2nd win in her rookie campaign on the LPGA!]

Japan Women's Open Sunday: Can 20-Year-Old Ai Suzuki Win Her 2nd JLPGA Major in a Row? Can Ji-Yai Shin Win for the 5th Time in her Last 10 Starts?

Let's take a look at the players with the best shot of winning the Japan Women's Open today before I jump into not-quite-live-blogging the final round!

• Ai Suzuki (-8):  The 20-year-old won the Konica Minolta Cup almost out of nowhere, defeating Ji-Yai Shin, one of the hottest players in the world of women's golf, in the process.
• Yun-Jye Wei (-8):  She has 4 JLPGA victories in her 14-year career on tour, but none since 2010.  She finished in the top 10 of the money list twice and top 30 7 times in her 1st 8 years on tour, but hasn't cracked the top 35 since and has only 1 top 10 in her 22 previous starts this season.
• Ji-Yai Shin (-6):  With 4 wins in her 9 previous starts, and history on the KLPGA and LPGA as well as on the JLPGA (where she already has 9 victories) to draw on, she may well be the favorite today.
• Ah-Reum Hwang (-5):  The 26-year-old journeywoman got a top 10 at the Konica Minolta Cup in a reduced schedule this season, but has never cracked the top 20 on the JLPGA money list in her 6 previous full seasons on tour, even when she got her lone win in 2009.
• Hiroko Azuma (-5):  The 22-year-old tied her best career finish in tour with a T5 at the Samantha Thavasa Ladies this July, but has done very little of note before or after that week in 2014.  Here's the 1st-round leader's chance.
• Sun-Ju Ahn (-4):  This 2-time money-list title-holder picked up her 16th JLPGA victory back in June, but has since been overshadowed by Bo-Mee Lee and Ji-Yai Shin.
• Mi-Jeong Jeon (-4):  This 22-time JLPGA winner hasn't been quite the same golfer since winning the money-list title in 2012, with only 5 top 10s thus far this season, but she's always a threat.
• Na-Ri Lee (-4):  She's coming off 4 top 6s in a row and counting during a time of the season where she won twice last year for her only JLPGA victories during her now 7 years on tour.
• Erika Kikuchi (-4):  This 26-year-old is looking to improve on her 1st-ever top-20 finish on the JLPGA money list last season, her 5th full one on tour, and snatch her 1st victory away from players with much longer resumes.
• Kana Nagai (-4):  The 17-year-old amateur is ranked #60 in the Women's WAGR and finished 7th at this year's Callaway Junior World Golf Championships in her age division.
• Mika Miyazato (-3):  She's won the JWO twice before, but is going to have to bounce back from a front-9 39 on moving day in a big way to make it a hat trick this year.
• Chie Arimura (-3):  This 13-time JLPGA winner has had a tough 2 years on the LPGA and will have to decide if she wants to go to Q-School again to try to improve her status after finishing outside the top 100 on the money list.  After sharing the lead here at the halfway point, she fell off the pace with a back-9 39 yesterday.
• Teresa Lu (-3):  She decided against a return to the LPGA after winning the Mizuno Classic last year and followed it up with her 2nd JLPGA title to start June.  At #7 on the money list this season, she's aiming for the top today!

It's looking like Bo-Mee Lee (this year's money-list leader) and Rikako Morita (last year's) are too far back to contend today (they start the day at -1 and E, respectively), but Shiho Oyama and Yumiko Yoshida were only 6 down at the start of play.  So let's check in on the action!

[Update 1 (12:36 am):  Teresa Lu has birdied 6 of her 1st 11 holes to move to -9 and take a 1-shot lead on Yun-Jye Wei.  Pretty much everyone besides Na-Ri Lee at -6 has moved backwards today.  Ai Suzuki is +2 through 9, Ji-Yai Shin is +2 through 10, and Mika Miyazato is +2 through 13, for example.]

[Update 2 (12:38 am):  Kana Nagai is one of the few to move up the leaderboard, with an eagle on the par-4 4th and a bounceback birdie on the par-5 10th to join Lee at -6.]

[Update 3 (12:40 am):  Right now there are 7 players chasing Lu who are within 5 shots of her lead.  Sun-Ju Ahn and Ah-Reum Hwang round out that group, but both are only -4.]

[Update 4 (1:01 am):  Lu gave everyone chasing her some hope with a bogey on the par-4 14th that dropped her to -8, but Wei bogeyed 10 and 11 (her 2nd back-to-back bogey run of the day) to fall to -7.  Lee, Suzuki, and Nagai are only 2 down now.]

[Update 5 (1:06 am):  Sorry, Wei's bogey on 11 put her at -6.  Lee birdied the par-3 13th to follow up on her birdies on 8 and 9 to pull within 1 of the lead.]

[Update 6 (1:09 am):  Suzuki's now 3 back after making her 4th bogey of the day, this one on the par-4 11th.]

[Update 7 (1:11 am):  Rikako Morita shot her 2nd-straight 70 on the weekend to finish at -2.  Both rounds included bogeys on the par-4 18th, or she would have done even better.]

[Update 8 (1:13 am):  Erina Hara also finished her week 70-70 and ended up at -1.  She eagled the 1st today and parred out.]

[Update 9 (1:17 am):  Out-of-it files:  Yumiko Yoshida is +6 today through 17, Mi-Jeong Jeon is +4 through 16, Mika Miyazato is +3 through 16, Chie Arimura is +2 through 17, Hiroko Azuma is +3 through 14, Ji-Yai Shin is +3 through 13, Ai Suzuki is +4 through 14.  Bo-Mee Lee's 72 leaves her tied with Hara at -1.]

[Update 10 (1:21 am):  Oyama's 3-birdie 71 makes her the new leader in the clubhouse at -3.]

[Update 11 (1:22 am):  Lu parred 15, 16, and 17.  Lee parred 14 and 15.  The lead remains 1.]

[Update 12 (1:28 am):  Wei has now bogeyed 3 of her last 4 holes to drop back to -5.  Nagai has made 6-straight pars after that birdie on 10 got her to -6.  She needs to make a couple of birdies coming home to catch Lu, it looks like.]

[Update 13 (1:37 am):  Lu is in with a 6-birdie 67 that makes her the new leader in the clubhouse at -8.  Now everyone else knows what they need to shoot to catch or pass her!]

[Update 14 (1:42 am):  Tough weekend for Mikan (74-77) makes this one of those tease JWOs for her.  Too bad!]

[Update 15 (1:43 am):  Lee failed to birdie the par-5 16th.  She's 1 down with 2 to play.]

[Update 16 (1:44 am):  Nagai parred the par-3 17th, so she needs an eagle on the par-4 18th to force a playoff.]

[Update 17 (1:52 am):  Wow, Lee birdied 17 to join Lu at -8!]

[Update 18 (2:00 am):  69-71-72-70 by Nagai leaves her alone in 3rd.  What a great week for the amateur!  She ended up 1 shot ahead of Sun-Ju Ahn, who birdied the 18th for a 71.]

[Update 19 (2:02 am):  Erika Kikuchi won't be happy about the 4 bogeys she made each day on the weekend, but she made enough birdies in the 2nd half of the tournament to finish at -3, tied with Oyama right now for 8th.]

[Update 20 (2:04 am):  Arimura's 75-74 finish on the weekend sums up her 2014.]

[Update 21 (2:07 am):  OMG!  Lee bogeys 18 to all but hand the title to Lu!]

[Update 22 (2:08 am):  Man, that was Lee's 1st bogey of the day and 1st in her previous 26 holes.  What a terrible time for it!]

[Update 23 (2:10 am):  Wei and Suzuki need to finish eagle-eagle to force a playoff.  Looks like Lu's 3rd JLPGA victory will be her 1st major!!!!]

[Update 24 (2:15 am):  No hole in 1s for Wei or Suzuki.  Lu wins!]

[Update 25 (3:51 am):  Here's the JLPGA's hole-by-hole leaderboard/grid!  I'll have the money-list update after I get up--and even longer after the LPGA's China event is over!]

Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic Friday: Paula Reto Goes Low Again, Takes 4-Shot Lead on Stacy Lewis

Paula Reto followed up yesterday's bogey-free 65 at the Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic with a 66 today that was sparked by 5 birdies in her last 7 holes.  When you look at her performance stats--averaging 275 yards off the tee, only 4 missed fairways and 4 missed greens, only 56 putts, and 15 birdies over her 1st 36 holes--you can see why so far she's left the field in the dust.  Even world #1 Stacy Lewis, who's no slouch in the birdies department with 13 already thus week, is 4 shots behind her thanks to 2 early bogeys and 2 late ones.  1st-round co-leader with Lewis, Mi Jung Hur, is E through her 1st 6 holes and still -8 overall.  Nobody else on the course right now is closer than 8 behind Reto's pace.

Looking over Reto's performance stats in this her rookie year, it's looking like improved accuracy, both off the tee and with her approaches, is the key factor.  It stands to reason that more and better looks at birdies will lead to more of them, but to improve from 2.76 birdies per round over the course of 46 previous rounds to 7.50 over these 2 means that the South African golfer is making way more of her birdie opportunities.  It's doubtful she can sustain that pace over the next 36 holes, but you never know.  Robert Trent Jones courses are set up to give you a lot of birdie opportunities if you're hitting the ball long and straight and making good clubbing selections to the correct parts of the gigantic green complexes.

For now, though, let's see who can make a move on Reto from the afternoon wave--if anyone.  There aren't that many hot starts out there right now!  More later!

[Update 1 (3:38 pm):  Looking ahead again just for a moment, Reto had the best finish of her LPGA career in her last event; with 3 rounds in the 60s, she got a top 10 in Portland.  But moving day was tough on her, as she shot a 74.  Let's see how she handles it this week!]

[Update 2 (8:48 pm):  Hur ended up getting to -10 and solo 2nd.  Nice to see Sydnee Michaels putting together a sweet 65 that included 5 birdies in her last 7 holes to move to T4 at -7 with Moriya Jutanugarn (69) and Alison Walshe (68).  But what made me even happier was Ai Miyazato's 67, which shows yet again what she's capable of when she gets her putter going!  At the same time, I felt bad for Ayako Uehara, who got it to -8 with 5 holes to play but bogeyed 3 of them.  Feeling much worse, though, for Chie Arimura, who missed the cut by a single shot and will need to play great in the Mizuno to have a chance to get into the top 100 and avoid Q-School.  On the bright side, my buddy Moira Dunn made the cut with a 7-birdie 69 to keep her hopes of getting into the top 100 alive.  Nice 69 by Tiffany Joh, too!]

[Update 3 (9:10 pm):  Here's the rundown of those closest to #100:

90. Jaye Marie Green $88.4K (71-76, MC)
91. Kelly Tan $88.1K [not in Yokohama field]
92. Alison Walshe $85.4K (69-68, T4)
93. Lindsey Wright $84.7K (75-75, MC)
94. Kristy McPherson $83.9K (75-75, MC)
95. Ashleigh Simon $78.3K (72-77, MC)
96. Yueer Cindy Feng $77.6K (70-75, T64)
97. Alena Sharp $75.3K (72-74, T70)
98. Paz Echeverria $75.0K [not in Yokohama field]
99. Jee Young Lee $74.8K (74-75, MC)
100. Joanna Klatten $72.7K (69-74, T45)
***
101. Alejandra Llaneza $66.1K (71-79, MC)
102. Lisa McCloskey $66.0K (71-74, T64)
103. Chie Arimura $62.8K (75-72, MC)
104. Hee-Won Han $61.1K [retired]
105. Paula Reto $58.4K (65-66, 1st)
106. Becky Morgan $57.7K (72-69, T28)
107. Paola Moreno $57.0K (73-71, T55)
108. Rebecca Lee-Bentham $51.9K (72-75, MC)
109. Jennifer Kirby $51.7K (74-76, MC)
110. Felicity Johnson $50.8K (71-78, MC)

One way of looking at this is that only 4 players have a good chance of leapfrogging those already in the top 100 this week.  But lower down the money list, Jacqui Concolino, Giulia Molinaro, Karin Sjodin, Jane Rah, Stacey Keating, Perrine Delacour, Kathleen Ekey, Cydney Clanton, Louise Friberg, Julia Boland, Heather Bowie Young, and Hanna Kang are under par at the halfway point, while Jenny Suh, Sandra Changkija, Moira Dunn, Ryann O'Toole, Brianna Do, and Reilley Rankin made the cut.  Of course, the further down the money list you are, the higher you have to finish, so the pressure's really on these 18 players this weekend.  But at least their fate is in their hands!]

[Update 4 (9:18 pm):  Hard to believe it's even possible for Lexi to shoot 44 on the front at a place she won not so long ago, but it happened and she's done for the week.  Cristie Kerr would have missed the cut thanks to missed 8-foot par save on 18, but the cut line came down to her at +2.  Julieta Granada also survived despite taking 37 putts today!]

[Update 5 (9:22 pm):  Caroline Westrup had a fine 67 to tie Ai-sama for the 3rd-best round of the day.  Reto has had the 2nd-best score each of the 1st 2 days.  She keeps that up and she wins.]

[Update 6 (9:30 pm):  Lots of my non-Japanese faves having good weeks, too:  Jane Park (-6), Mina Harigae (-3), Tiffany Joh (-2), even Jennifer Song (+1)!]

[Update 7 (9:38 pm):  And let's not count out Brittany Lincicome (-5) and Angela Stanford (68-->E)!]

Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic Thursday: Strike While the Iron Is Hot!

Mi Jung Hur went low today at the Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic, opening with a bogey-free 64 to take a 2-shot lead on Cydney Clanton and a 3-shot lead on Beatriz Recari, Christina Kim, Ilhee Lee, and Kris Tamulis.  Hur has been playing great golf pretty much since I followed her at the Wegmans LPGA Championship.  She's had 5 rounds in the 60s out of her last 9 and 7 under-par rounds in her last 12.  Should I start talking about a Mostly Harmless bump instead of a Mostly Harmless jinx?  We'll have to see how she backs up this 8-birdie, 25-putt extravaganza over the next 54 holes, but it's really amazing how she's found something so suddenly.

And how about Mika Miyazato making 6 birdies and taking only 26 putts on her way to a 68, her best round since June 1st at the ShopRite?!

I think as golf writers we can make too much of trends and slumps and stats and forget that all these players are capable of doing great things at any time.  Pros have to be so opportunistic about their good shots, good runs, good rounds, and good weeks.  Strike while the iron is hot ought to be the motto of the tournament this week!

By the same token, golf remains a really cruel game, and even someone like Angela Stanford, who's had great success at this tournament, can go +5 in a 7-hole stretch and need a walkoff birdie to salvage a 76, as she did today.  Let's see if she can go on a tear tomorrow.

But before then let's see who's going to shine on Golf Channel today.  I may even get to watch this thing live if I can get a lot of work-related writing done in the next hour and a half.  I'll be back!

[Update 1 (9/19/14, 7:02 am):  Ah, I got caught up in writing and researching other things.  Hoping to find the time to catch Stacy Lewis's bogey-free 66, which was sparked by 5 birdies in her last 6 holes!  It'll be interesting to see how Paula Reto (65, #105 on LPGA money list), Karin Sjodin (66, #119), Cydney Clanton (66, #145), Joanna Klatten (69, #100), and Maria McBride (69, #154) follow up their great opening rounds today, too.]

Evian Championship Saturday: A Tale of 2 Moving Days

It's hard to get a feel for what's happening at the Evian Championship just from following the live leaderboard, and I won't be able to catch up with the tv coverage until this evening, but it's pretty fair to say that moving day has been a mix of the best of times and worst of times for the golfers who made the cut at the LPGA's final major of 2014.

The Best of Times

• Mi Jung Hur is -2 today and bogey-free over her last 13 holes and counting, which puts her in the lead at -9 with 6 holes to play today.
• Anna Nordqvist has made 9 birdies in her last 28 holes of bogey-free golf to pull within 2 shots of Hur's lead. 
• Na Yeon Choi and Jane Park both fired 6-birdie 67s to move to -4 and E for the week, respectively.
• Ha Na Jang shrugged off a double in the middle of her round to post a 6-birdie 68 and move to -4 for the week, while Amelia Lewis birdied 6 of her last 10 holes to fight back to +1 on the strength of a 68 of her own.

The Worst of Times

• Brittany Lincicome opened with back-to-back doubles after playing her previous 31 holes without even a bogey and followed them up with a triple on the par-5 7th.  Now at -3 for the week, she needs to regroup over her final 6 holes to have a chance to fight back into contention.  Ah, she just birdied 13 to fight back to -4!
• Also tumbling down the leaderboard are Moriya Jutanugarn (who's made 5 bogeys in her last 12 holes to fall to -1), Minjee Lee (who's already made 5 bogeys today, as well, and is currently at E), Julieta Granada (who salvaged a 73 despite making 6 bogeys today and finished her day at E for the week), Mina Harigae (who bogeyed 5 of her 1st 6 holes and recently doubled the par-3 16th), and Amy Yang (who bogeyed 4 of her 1st 7 holes and just took a quad on the 16th!).
• I didn't expect the likes of Lydia Ko, Paula Creamer, Azahara Munoz, Shanshan Feng, and In-Kyung Kim to be over par today, but that's either where they finished or look likely to finish.

That leaves players like Hyo Joo Kim, Stacy Lewis, Suzann Pettersen, and Karrie Webb to muddle through today.  Kim just birdied 2 holes in a row to get back to E on her day and -9 for the week; Lewis also has 4 birdies and 4 bogeys today and is still at -5; Pettersen had bogeyed 2 of her last 4 holes to drop to +1 on her day and -5 for the week; Webb is in a similar boat as Pettersen.  Let's see what they can do down the home stretch!

[Update 1 (10:58 am):  I was considering not writing about her until she was done with her round, so as to avoid calling down the Mostly Harmless jinx on her accidentally, but I decided to take the risk and note that Mariajo Uribe is -2 with 4 birdies today and at -6 with only 2 holes to play.  Only Kim and Hur at -9 and Nordqvist at -7 are ahead of her!]

[Update 2 (10:59 am):  That's 2 bounceback birdies in a row from Lincicome.  She's now fought back to -5!!]

[Update 3 (11:03 am):  The par-5 15th looks like it's going to be a key hole today.  Lincicome can make it 3 birdies in a row if she plays it well.  Webb just birdied it to return to -6.  Lewis couldn't birdie it so she stays at -5.  Jutanugarn birdied it to fight back to -2.  Now just waiting to see what Pettersen, Hur, Kim, and Lincicome can do with it!]

[Update 4 (11:06 am):  How about Inky and Ko both birdieing the 16th?!]

[Update 5 (11:08 am):  Lexi Thompson had a 4-birdie, 4-bogey 71 to remain at -2 for the week, while Minjee Lee fought back with 2 birdies in her last 5 holes of bogey-free golf to join Creamer and Ayako Uehara at -1.]

[Update 6 (11:11 am):  Too bad Ayako was the only Japanese golfer to play well today.  Mika Miyazato (76) and Sakura Yokomine (75) fell back to +4 for the week.  Se Ri Pak (75, +6), Beatriz Recari (76, +6), Cristie Kerr (75, +7), and Eun-Hee Ji (75, +8) were also in the moving backward club today, among many others!]

[Update 7 (11:14 am):  Neither Pettersen nor Hur could birdie the par-5 15th.  Opportunity for Lincicome and Kim to make something happen there!]

[Update 8 (11:15 am):  Nordqvist just doubled the par-4 17th to fall back to -5.]

[Update 9 (11:16 am):  Uribe bogeyed 18 to fall back to -1 on her day and -5 for the week.]

[Update 10 (11:18 am):  Man, what a way for Nordqvist to end a 30-hole bogey-free run.  If this keeps up, Kim and Hur could really separate themselves from the field today!]

[Update 11 (11:20 am):  Just realized I never mentioned Inbee Park's 7-birdie 69 today, which also included 2 early bogeys, another bogey in the middle of her round, and a late double!  At -3, she's not quite out of this thing just yet, either!]

[Update 12 (11:23 am):  Kim could not birdie 15, so she still hasn't been able to return to where she was after 18 holes (double digits under par), while Lincicome killed her mo' with a bogey on 15!]

[Update 13 (11:23 am):  This number update is as good as any to report that Yang's walkoff bogey left her with a 78 and left her at +3 for the week.]

[Update 14 (11:25 am):  Walkoff bogey for Inky leaves her at -2.  She'll need some help from Kim and Hur today and tomorrow to have a chance to win.]

[Update 15 (11:26 am):  Inbee has not broken 30 putts all week, which is really rare for her.  Here's hoping she's saved up a lot of 1-putts for tomorrow!]

[Update 16 (11:27 am):  Whoa!  Hur tripled 16!!!  She's now -6!!!]

[Update 17 (11:34 am):  And now Kim goes ahead and bogeys 16 to fall back to -8.  With Lewis's bogey on 17, this race is tightening up!!]

[Update 18 (11:35 am):  Meanwhile, Lincicome birdies 16 to fight back to -5!!]

[Update 19 (11:35 am):  That's 3 birdies and 2 bogeys in her last 5 holes!]

[Update 20 (11:37 am):  OK, Jutanugarn parred 18, so even though she made 3 bogeys on each side, she only had a 75 and is still -1 for the week.]

[Update 21 (11:38 am):  Ko also parred 18, so is safely in at -4.  Who knows how close or far from the lead that will be when all is said and done today?!]

[Update 22 (11:39 am):  Ditto for Nordqvist, so she ends the day at -5.]

[Update 23 (11:40 am):  Lewis finishes bogey-bogey to drop to -3 for the week.]

[Update 24 (11:41 am):  Pettersen now doubled 17!!  She's only -3 now.  What a contrast to her strong finishes the 1st 2 days!]

[Update 25 (11:44 am):  Webb's walkoff birdie gets her to -3 over her last 10 holes, -1 on her day, and -7 for the week!!!]

[Update 26 (11:49 am):  Kim pars 17 to hang onto a 1-shot lead on Webb.  Even pars are dramatic now!]

[Update 27 (11:50 am):  Lincicome's bogey now makes it 6 holes without a par.  And even at -4, she's by no means out of this thing!]

[Update 28 (11:55 am):  Hur pars 18 to stay at -6 and Pettersen pars to stay at -3.  Can't believe how few puts Hur has taken this week!  Also can't believe I have to pull the plug on this.  Girls' Japanese school is almost over!]

Evian Championship Friday: Hyo Joo Kim Opens Door; Who Will Make up Ground on Her?

Hyo Joo Kim came back to earth quickly after yesterday's record-setting 61, but she bounced back from her opening birdieless 39 on the back, which ended with 2 bogeys in a row, with 2 birdies to start the front and 1 to end it, salvaging a 1-over-par 72 and fighting back to -9 at the halfway point of the Evian Championship.  Mi Jung Hur, meanwhile, broke 70 for the 2nd time in a row and pulled within 2 shots of the lead, while Amy Yang, Anna Nordqvist, and Minjee Lee are also closing in on Kim.  We're about to find out what Karrie Webb (-6) and Suzann Pettersen (-4) do with the opportunity Kim's given them.  More to come soon!

[Update 1 (10:05 am):  Ah, best-laid plans and all that!  No not-quite-live-blogging today, or at least not much of it!  Here's the quick run-down of big moves so far today:

• Nordqvist birdied 6 of her last 12 holes to post a 67 and move to -4, but both Yang and Lee bogeyed 18 to finish at -4 and -3, respectively.
• Brittany Lincicome is making a move; with 4 birdies in her 1st 11 holes, she's -8 and 1 back.
• Stacy Lewis, Julieta Granada, and Moriya Jutanugarn are -3 early in their rounds and moving up the leaderboard.  No, wait, Lewis is now -4 today--that's 4 birdies in her last 5 holes to get to -5 overall.
• Paula Creamer had a pair of doubles and Shanshan Feng a slew of bogeys in the middle of her own round, but both fought back to -2 for the week by the end of their rounds.
• So Yeon Ryu got DQed!!  Wonder what happened?  No time to check!

Looks like the cut line will fall somewhere around +4 or +5, so the course isn't playing very easy for the field.]

[Update 2 (10:11 am):  Webb had 2 bogeys and 2 birdies on the back (her front) to remain at -6.  Pettersen is also off to a slow start, with a birdieless 36 (+1) on the front--the same side she closed with 5 birdies in a row yesterday.  But she's learned that patience is a virtue, so expect her to bust out her birdie stick any time now!]

[Update 3 (10:14 am):  Lincicome is now tied for the lead!!  And look who's -2 thus far today! None other than Mina Harigae (-4) and Sakura Yokomine (-2).  With Mika Miyazato at -3 for the week and Ai Miyazato fighting to make the cut, I'll definitely have some faves to check in on when I find time to fast forward through today's tv coverage.  Right now I have to go to work!]

[Update 4 (2:41 pm):  OK, short day at work allows me to follow up on my morning updates.  I was deeply disappointed to see that Ai Miyazato basically fell apart on the back and missed the cut by a mile.  By contrast, Lincicome fired a bogey-free 65 to pass Kim by a shot, while Pettersen got it into gear and fired a bogey-free 33 on the back to catch Webb at -6.  A 67 by Lewis and 68s by Lydia Ko and Moriya Jutanugarn got them to -5.  In-Kyung Kim birdied 4 of her last 7 holes to join a big group at -4 that now also includes Mariajo Uribe.  It was the opposite end of the golf spectrum for Granada, who made 3 bogeys and a walkoff double on the back, as well as for Harigae, who also stumbled coming home with 2 bogeys in her last 3 holes, which allowed Lexi Thompson to catch them at -2.]

[Update 5 (2:45 pm):  The cut line ended up saving golfers at +5, including Jessica Korda, Mirim Lee, Jenny Shin, and In Gee Chun.  I was glad to see Morgan Pressel (+4), Jane Park (+4), and Jennifer Song (+2) lived to fight another day, not to mention Na Yeon Choi (E), Sakura Yokomine (E), Hee Young Park (E), Ayako Uehara (E), Inbee Park (-1), Mika Miyazato (-1), and Ha Na Jang (-1). Hoping to see some nice numbers from them on the weekend!]

Canadian Pacific Women's Open Saturday: So Yeon Ryu Opens Door Early; Will Anyone Kick it Down?

So Yeon Ryu started moving day of the Canadian Pacific Women's Open at -15, with a 5-shot lead on playing partners Anna Nordqvist and Danielle Kang, as well as Na Yeon Choi, who's playing in the group in front of them alongside Cristie Kerr and Brittany Lincicome.  Well, Ryu's bogey-free run came to an end after 38 holes with her 1st bogey of the week on the par-4 3rd and when she failed to bogey the par-5 4th she had officially opened the door to the field.  And Choi has been the 1st to walk through it, making 3 birdies in her 1st 5 holes to pull within 1 shot of Ryu.  Nordqvist birdied the 4th to get to -11, Kang has extended her bogey-free streak to 38 holes herself and is still at -10, Azahara Munoz birdied 3 of her 1st 7 holes to join her at -10, Suzann Pettersen and Lizette Salas have caught Lincicome at -9, and Karrie Webb has just birdied 3 holes in a row late in her round to get to -5 on her day and -8 overall, tied with Kerr, Harukyo Nomura, Kim Kaufman, and a player you may have heard of by the name of Inbee Park.

[Update 1 (1:40 pm):  Webb has a chance to outdo Chie Arimura and Line Vedel for low round of the day.  Both of them moved up to -6 with Karine Icher, who fired a 68 of her own in a round that was highlighted by 5 birdies in a row as she made the turn.  Mirim Lee also shot a 68 today, but generally scores are higher and birdies are fewer and farther between than during the 1st 2 rounds.]

[Update 2 (1:41 pm):  I have to take my car into the shop for a regular check-up now.  Hopefully the wi fi at the dealer's is working!]

[Update 3 (2:05 pm):  It is!  Ryu birdied the 6th to get back to -15.  Salas's bogey-free run ended at 33 holes and then she added insult to injury with her 2nd bogey in a row of the day on the par-3 8th.  She's fallen to -7.]

[Update 4 (2:07 pm):  Nordqvist also birdied 6 to get to -12.  Lincicome joined Munoz and Kang at -10 with a birdie on the par-5 7th.]

[Update 5 (2:08 pm):  Nomura fired a 3-birdie 34 on the front to move to -9.]

[Update 6 (2:10 pm):  Ai Miyazato birdied the 2nd and extended her bogey-free run to 34 holes, but she bogeyed 3 to drop back to -7, where she's stayed the entire front.]

[Update 7 (2:11 pm):  Add Shanshan Feng to the list of players who needed a birdie barrage to squeak into the weekend who kept it going on moving day. Her 5-birdie 68 moved her to -5 for the week.]

[Update 8 (2:13 pm):  Inbee couldn't birdie any of the 1st 3 par 5s today, but she just got one on the par-4 11th to move to -9.]

[Update 9 (2:14 pm):  Ouch!  Turned out Salas doubled 8.]

[Update 10 (2:15 pm):  Munoz birdied 11 to get to -11!]

[Update 11 (2:16 pm):  Ryu makes it 2 birdies in a row with another one on the par-5 7th.  She's now birdied each of the par 5s on the front 2 out of 3 times this week each.  1st time she's at -16.]

[Update 12 (2:20 pm):  Kaufman birdied the par-4 14th to get to -4 on her day and -9 overall.]

[Update 13 (2:21 pm):  Salas's hopes are dimming even further as she bogeys 9 to go +4 in her last 3 holes and fall back to -5.]

[Update 14 (2:22 pm):  Ko has hit every green but 1 and parred every hole but 1.  At -6 with 4 holes to play, she needs a real closing run to have a hope tomorrow.]

[Update 15 (2:25 pm):  Sydnee Michaels has made 5 birdies today, including 2 in her last 3 holes, to move to -8.]

[Update 16 (2:30 pm):  Aza's -5 through 12 and -12 overall!]

[Update 17 (2:32 pm):  Kerr birdies 9 to get back to -9!]

[Update 18 (2:34 pm):  So does Lincicome.  She's -11 now!]

[Update 19 (2:36 pm):  Pornanong Phatlum has birdied her last 2 holes in a row to move to -8.  She's -3 and bogey-free today and has a 27-hole bogey-free run going.]

[Update 20 (2:38 pm):  Mariajo Uribe has birdied 4 of her last 7 holes to move to -9.]

[Update 21 (2:41 pm):  Inbee birdies the par-3 13th to get to -10.  Pettersen bogeys 11 to fall back to -8.  Salas birdies the par-5 10th to fight back to -6.]

[Update 22 (2:45 pm):  Stacy Lewis has been having a quiet day, but she just made her 2nd birdie in her last 7 holes to get to -6.  Like Ko, she needs to make something happen down the home stretch to even have a thought about a hope tomorrow.]

[Update 23 (2:49 pm):  A birdie for Michaels on the par-5 16th gets her to -9.]

[Update 24 (2:50 pm):  Nomura birdies the par-4 12th to get to -10.  Kerr gets her 2nd birdie in a row, this one on the par-5 10th, to join her.]

[Update 25 (2:52 pm):  There are currently 9 players double digits under par, or within 6 shots of the lead.]

[Update 26 (2:54 pm):  So far today there have been only 10 rounds posted in the 60s.]

[Update 27 (2:56 pm):  Aza birdies 14 to get to -6 on her round and -13 overall, only 3 behind Ryu.]

[Update 28 (2:57 pm):  Another birdie for Inbee!  She's now -11!!]

[Update 29 (2:58 pm):  Ko bogeys the par-5 16th to fall back to -5.  Just not her week.]

[Update 30 (2:58 pm):  Miyazato birdies 12 to get to -8.]

[Update 31 (3:01 pm):  Lincicome birdies 11 to get to -12.  She's now -4 on her round.]

[Update 32 (3:03 pm):  Ryu birdies the 10th to get to -17.  The rest of the field should start feeling the pressure right about now.  Let's see who responds!]

[Update 33 (7:21 pm):  Well, the car is fine, I watched the tv coverage, and wow, did Aza go low!  Even though she tied Ryu's course record, she's still 4 shots behind her, as SYR ended up making 6 birdies in her last 13 holes to get to -20 for the week!  NYC made a couple of late birdies to post a 66 and join Munoz at -16.  The only other player seemingly with half a chance to win is Inbee, who extended her bogey-free run to 54 holes and counting and whose 65 got her within 6 of Ryu.  Yup, 5 birdies in a row on the back and she made up 2 shots on the leader.]

[Update 34 (7:30 pm):  So everybody else lost still more ground on Ryu.  Nordqvist has a 20-hole bogey-free run going, but only made 3 birdies in that stretch, so she's 7 back.  She's missed 6 fairways and 5 greens in regulation all week and she's 7 back!  Lincicome birdied 4 of her 1st 11 holes but hit the wall after that, parring out and ending up 8 off the pace.  At least she has a 43-hole-and-counting bogey-free streak going into the final round.  Kang played some pretty solid golf, but offset 2 of her 4 birdies today with a pair of bogeys, so she's also 8 behind.  Kerr's putting isn't up to her standards this week, but she did make 3 birdies in her last 10 holes and has a 17-hole bogey-free streak going, so she's "only" 9 back.  And that's it for those less than double digits behind SYR!]

[Update 35 (7:34 pm):  So of those way behind but still playing well, I'll focus on only a few.  Pettersen's putting has been even more frustrating than Kerr's, so she's 11 down.  Nomura got it to -10 but doubled 14 and bogeyed 18 to drop 13 behind.  Speaking of screwing up the end of a round, Brittany Lang should have been -10 after 16 holes yesterday, but instead she's had to fight her way back to -8 over those next 21 holes.  Uribe finished bogey-bogey to drop back to -7.  Most weeks that would mean, bear down the next day.  Tomorrow, even a 59 from anyone at -7 probably wouldn't win this thing!  Won't stop me for rooting for one for Ai-sama....]

Canadian Pacific Women's Open Friday: So Yeon Ryu, -15, Sets High Bar for Field

So Yeon Ryu followed up yesterday's tournament-record 63 with a 66 that extended her bogey-free run at the Canadian Pacific Women's Open to 36 holes and counting and allowed her to open up a 5-shot lead on playing partner Anna Nordqvist and a 6-shot lead on 2006 champion at the London Hunt and Country Club Cristie Kerr as the afternoon wave began their rounds.  The only player in the morning wave to score better than Ryu was last week's runner-up, Brittany Lincicome, who fired a 65 to get to -8 and whose own bogey-free streak is 25 holes and counting despite being dissatisfied with her driving as she came home on the front 9 today.

Of course, it took Lincicome 36 holes to get as many under par as Na Yeon Choi had been after her 1st 18 of the week, but NYC just bogeyed the tough 5th hole to drop back to -7, which is where Suzann Pettersen, Azahara Munoz, Harukyo Nomura, and Belen Mozo ended their rounds today.  2-time defending champion Lydia Ko birdied 2 of her last 3 holes today to reach the halfway point of the tournament at -5, 10 shots off the lead.  Let's see how many golfers are between Ko and Ryu when the afternoon action is over.  And whether the cut line gets as high as -2, which would make Ya Ni Tseng's closing 3-hole birdie train in vain and knock Mina Harigae, who fired a 5-birdie 68 today, out of the weekend.  Right now there are 65 players at -2 or better and 82 at -1 or better....

[Update 1 (5:40 pm):  Seems like some players are really starting to figure out this course.  Lizette Salas made 6 birdies in her last 11 holes to post a bogey-free 66 and tie Lincicome at -8.  Chella Choi made 5 birdies in her last 12 holes to fight back to -2, which is sure to make the cut.  Moriya Jutanugarn birdied 5 of her last 15 holes to get back to -1, but will need some help for the cut line to fall there.  There are currently 73 players at -2 or better.]

[Update 2 (5:44 pm):  At the same time, not everyone is as dialed in as these golfers.  Na Yeon Choi made 4 birdies today but had to settle for a 70 and a tie for 2nd at -10 with Anna Nordqvist--and she wouldn't have even done that well if she hadn't strung together late birdies on 15 and 16.  Inbee Park was bogey-free today, but could only manage 1 birdie all day and is stuck at -7.  She took 5 more putts today than she did yesterday.  Paula Creamer, Shanshan Feng, Charley Hull, and Sandra Gal are all -1 with only a few holes to go for each of them...]

[Update 3 (5:50 pm):  Back to the hot golfers:  Stacy Lewis made 4 birdies in her last 12 holes to claw her way to -5; Jodi Ewart Shadoff did the same to get to -3; Ai Miyazato fired a bogey-free 67 that included 4 birdies between the 10th and 16th holes (w00t!!); Alison Walshe has made 6 birdies today and with 4 holes to play is -6.]

[Update 4 (5:51 pm):  Cut watch continues with Chie Arimura, who's birdied 2 of her last 4 holes to fight back to E for the week and is playing the par-5 16th in a must-birdie situation.]

[Update 5 (5:52 pm):  Hot watch continues with Amy Yang, who birdied 5 of her last 12 holes on her way to a bogey-free 67 that gets her to -5.]

[Update 6 (5:55 pm):  And with Joanna Klatten, who's birdied 4 of her last 7 holes to get to -5 and still has 5 left to play.]

[Update 7 (5:57 pm):  Feng has birdied 3 of her last 4 holes to become the 71st player at -2 or better.  Hull needs to birdie 18 to join her.]

[Update 8 (6:00 pm):  We know that Ariya Jutanugarn, Katherine Kirk, Sun Young Yoo, Jee Young Lee, Samantha Richdale, Eun-Hee Ji, Caroline Hedwall, Meena Lee, Lorie Kane, Rebecca Lee-Bentham, Jennifer Song, Stephanie Meadow, Mika Miyazato, and Gerina Piller will not make the cut.]

[Update 9 (6:02 pm):  Looks like only 3 golfers can help those at -1 right now:  Mirim Lee, Shanshan Feng, and Sarah Kemp.  2 of the 3 have to drop below -2 to let everyone at -1 in.]

[Update 10 (6:03 pm):  Arimura birdied 16!  So that means that there are 5 live rounds at -1 that can also change the cut-line equation if any of them get to -2.]

[Update 11 (6:07 pm):  Feng matched T-Joh's 68 to join her at -2.  Kemp has birdied 4 of her last 7 holes to get to -3 and has 5 to play, so I think she's looking to rise further up the leaderboard rather than being in danger of falling back to -1.  Although Mirim Lee was -5 at the same point and on a roll, having birdied 3 of her previous 6 holes, but went double-bogey on 14 and 15 to drop back to -2, so you never know.]

[Update 12 (6:09 pm):  Wow, Kemp just bogeyed 14, her 1st bogey since the 3rd hole, to join Mirim Lee at -2.]

[Update 13 (6:10 pm):  Hull parred 18, so she's done at -1.  There are now only 3 players at -1:  Arimura, Christina Kim, and Candie Kung, who can ensure that the cut line moves up to -2, whatever Kemp and Lee do.]

[Update 14 (6:12 pm):  Walshe just bogeyed her last 2 holes in a row now to bring it to 3 on her day.  Back to -5.  Let's see if she can regroup on the par-5 7th.]

[Update 15 (6:27 pm):  Klatten has now made it 5 birdies in her last 8 holes!  She's -6 with 3 to play.]

[Update 16 (6:27 pm):  Ouch!  Mirim Lee bogeyed 18 to go +4 in her last 5 holes and fall to -1.]

[Update 17 (6:28 pm):  There are exactly 70 golfers at -2 right now.]

[Update 18 (6:32 pm):  Arimura couldn't birdie 17 or 18 and Christina Kim also finished at -1, so it all comes down to Sarah Kemp now (unless Candie Kung finishes birdie-birdie).]

[Update 19 (6:41 pm):  BTW, tough finish for Brittany Lang as TV coverage was shutting down:  after birdieing 6 holes between the 4th and the 15th, she had a 4-foot birdie putt on the par-5 16th to get to -10, but ended up 3-putting, then doubled the 18th after duck-hooking her drive and failing to recover from it gracefully.  So she's at -6 now.]

[Update 20 (6:45 pm):  Kemp could not birdie the par-5 16th.  She can go par-par to make the cut and keep it at 70 golfers, but if she finishes +1 over her last 2 holes, she lets at least 87 golfers play on the weekend!]

[Update 21 (6:48 pm):  So Yeon Ryu continues to set records this week!  Check it out!]

[Update 22 (6:50 pm):  Scratch the drama at the cut line.  After fixing an error, the LPGA.com scoreboard now shows everyone at -1 at T70.]

[Update 23 (6:53 pm):  I've studiously avoided mentioning Danielle Kang's round as she followed up her bogey-free 33 with 8-straight pars.  But now that she's birdied the 18th to join the group at -10, I can't possibly jinx her today!  She's got a 34-hole-and-counting bogey-free run going, to boot!]

[Update 24 (6:55 pm):  It wasn't an error:  Chella Choi withdrew.  Hope she's ok!]

[Update 25 (7:00 pm):  A lot of players I really like made it into the weekend thanks to Chella's WD:  Mika Miyazato, Paula Creamer, Ya Ni Tseng, Mina Harigae, and Chie Arimura.]

[Update 26 (7:10 pm):  You know, as easy as this course has been playing, only 12 golfers have broken 70 both days.  If Ryu can make it 4 in a row, somebody's going to have to go low-60s/mid-60s to have a chance of catching her!]

[Update 27 (7:11 pm):  Kemp did finish par-par, btw, to end her day at -2, while Klatten followed up a bogey on 17 with a par on 18 to finish at -5.  Only 4 golfers within 5 shots of the lead but 33 within 10....]

[Update 28 (8/23/14, 6:02 am):  Here's Ruthless Mike's take on Ryu's roll!]

Wegmans LPGA Championship Saturday: Who Will Make a Move as the Rains Move in on Pittsford?

I'm watching Golf Channel after walking 27 holes with Chie Arimura, Ayako Uehara, and Harukyo Nomura earlier today at the Wegmans LPGA Championship.  (I got off the course just before rain arrived here at Monroe Golf Club.)  My goal today was to follow Japanese golfers I haven't gotten to know as well as Ai Miyazato and Mika Miyazato; tomorrow, I want to follow Asian American golfers who are having great weeks like Tiffany Joh (-4), Jane Park (-4 through 12), Danielle Kang (-1), and Jennifer Song (E).

But it's time now to focus on the top of the leaderboard.  Brittany Lincicome continues to play great golf this week, with birdies on 7, 9, and 12 to offset bogeys on 5 and 10.  At -10, she leads Suzann Pettersen (-4 through 14 holes today) and Inbee Park (-2 through 12) by 2 shots.  Julieta Granada is working on a 32-hole bogey-free streak and is only 3 off Lincicome's pace.  Gerina Piller takes a 22-hole bogey-free run into the 18th hole and is tied with the fighting Lees, Meena and Mirim, at -6.  And Anna Nordqvist's 69 has brought her to -5, tied right now with a struggling Lexi Thompson and a stuck-in-neutral-while-riding-a-roller-coaster Lydia Ko.

On to the not-quite-live blogging!

[Update 1 (5:49 pm):  Meena Lee just birdied the par-5 14th to move to -7.]

[Update 2 (5:51 pm):  Inbee jetted a birdie attempt well past the hole on 13 but I guess she saved par.  Lexi went for 14 in 2 after a great drive but yanked it left into deep rough.  Pettersen made her 4th birdie in her last 6 holes to move to -9.  She's tied for the lead now as Lincicome missed her par save on 13.]

[Update 3 (5:56 pm):  Lexi did birdie 14!  Piller made a great 8-footer on 18 to keep her bogey-free run alive!]

[Update 4 (5:59 pm):  Both Inbee and Brittany hit 14 in 2.  Lincicome was 1 yard shorter than Kirby, apparently.]

[Update 5 (6:00 pm):  Nice sand play from Pettersen as Golf Channel goes to commercial.]

[Update 6 (6:02 pm):  I hope Golf Channel shows Mirim Lee's birdie on 17!]

[Update 7 (6:04 pm):  Instead they show Brittany just miss an eagle on the low side and tap in for birdie to take the lead.  Pettersen made her sandie and Inbee her birdie.]

[Update 8 (6:07 pm):  Maybe I missed them showing Mirim's birdie on 17.  Because they just showed her par on 18 for a 69 that puts her at -7 through 54 holes.]

[Update 9 (6:10 pm):  In case anyone watching Golf Channel is wondering if Jane Park exists, she is still -5, playing with Lexi.]

[Update 10 (6:12 pm):  Weak approaches from Lincicome and Park on 15 from barely over 100 yards out.]

[Update 11 (6:13 pm):  Granada bogeyed 15 and 16 to end her bogey-free run at 32 holes and drop out of GC coverage.]

[Update 12 (6:15 pm):  After doubling 13, Shanshan Feng battled back with 2 birdies in her last 5 holes to shoot a 71 and return to -5.]

[Update 13 (6:16 pm):  Inbee made her 1st bogey of the day, catching the edge of the cup but on the low side.  She returns to -8.]

[Update 14 (6:18 pm):  BTW, Lexi bogeyed 15 to drop back to -5.]

[Update 15 (6:20 pm):  Best rounds of the day include a 67 by Carlota Ciganda and 68s by Caroline Masson and Ashleigh Simon.  And the latter 2 did it with a double and a bogey on 16, respectively.]

[Update 16 (6:21 pm):  Nice 6-birdie 69 by Jenny Shin, too!]

[Update 17 (6:22 pm):  Great birdie attempt from downtown Rochester by Jane Park hit the hole and spun out on 16.]

[Update 18 (6:23 pm):  Great birdie by Ko on 17!  Stuck it and made the 3-footer!  She's now -6.]

[Update 19 (6:25 pm):  Pettersen hits a great 7-iron or so in on 18 but it trickles into the gully away from the tucked pin.]

[Update 20 (6:26 pm):  Ciganda, by the way, has eagled 14 2 rounds in a row now!]

[Update 21 (6:28 pm):  This is the 3rd day in a row Lexi has made back-to-back bogeys in those last 4 holes on the back.  She's now only -4.]

[Update 22 (6:31 pm):  Pettersen's birdie putt on 18 died in the last 3 feet, so she has to settle for a 67 today, tied for low round of the day with Ciganda.]

[Update 23 (6:33 pm):  You almost never see Inbee hit a 10-foot putt so badly she walks after it before it reaches the hole, but that's what happened on 16.  Right after Lincicome made a great par save, that putt looked particularly ugly!]

[Update 24 (6:34 pm):  Ko's approach on 18 trickles into the same gulch that Pettersen and so many others ended up in.]

[Update 25 (6:35 pm):  Granada bogeys 18 for 3 in her last 4 holes.  Her 72 leaves her at -4.]

[Update 26 (6:38 pm):  Pettersen has made only 4 bogeys all week, only 2 in her last 37 holes, and none in her last 17.  She's averaging 279 yards off the tee, has hit over 75% of her fairways, and has hit 42 of 54 greens in regulation.  I'd say she's the favorite heading into Sunday, wouldn't you?]

[Update 27 (6:39 pm):  Ko couldn't make the tough birdie putt, so her 71 leaves her at -6 through 54 holes.]

[Update 28 (6:40 pm):  Ko will need to hit more greens Sunday to make a move on those ahead of her, though.]

[Update 29 (6:41 pm):  Lincicome just didn't give her birdie putt on 17 enough oomph!]

[Update 30 (6:43 pm):  Inbee birdies 18 to get back to -9.  Meena Lee parred 17 and 18 to right the ship and shoot a 71 that ties her with Ko at -6.]

[Update 31 (6:44 pm):  Suzann Pettersen is in the media center!]

[Update 32 (6:55 pm):  Great interview!  Be sure to go to LPGA.com soon to read it!]

[Update 33 (6:56 pm):  Just saw Inbee make a 10-foot par save on 18.  She's in at -9 with a 69.]

[Update 34 (7:00 pm):  Think Inbee will be the next interview....  To sum up Suzann's interview, she's brimming with confidence and believes she's playing the best golf in her career.  She's being very cautious with her workout schedule, doing only cardio to avoid reinjuring her back.  She's trying to find other ways to work out her golf frustrations.  (I can identify, having hurt my back last fall and still not being 100%.  And on the frustration front.)  I'm glad I picked her to be the #1 player in 2014--I think she's due for a big 2nd half of the season!]

[Update 35 (7:06 pm):  Inbee's in the interview room!]

[Update 36 (7:12 pm):  Inbee certainly buys into the bombers paradise narrative, although she doesn't sound intimidated by the advantage the longer hitters have on the par 5s.  She just said she has to putt really well to beat them!]

[Update 37 (7:13 pm):  Next in the chair is Brittany Lincicome!]

[Update 38 (7:22 pm):  Brittany was very forthright about her nerves coming into the afternoon and persisting into the back 9 today.  She hopes she's worked it out of her system.  It shows up for her on the greens; she called her lack of aggressiveness with her putter today "wimpy."  She doesn't plan to look at a leaderboard tomorrow.  She just wants to make as many birdies as possible.  She still sings together with her caddy on the course.]

Wegmans LPGA Championship Friday: Lydia Ko Gets to -5; Will Anyone Else Be There at the End of the Day?

Well, I'm back in Pittsford after failing to qualify for the New York State Mid-Amateur--and failing miserably.  Feel free to skip the next 2 paragraphs if you don't come here to hear me moan about my game.  And count yourself lucky it's as short as it is--I entertained myself on the ride here from Tuscarora by composing much longer and meaner posts in my head.  Obviously doing so didn't completely get the round out of my system....  Maybe the next paragraph will...or the one after that.

I was -3 after 3 holes and just missed a 30-foot birdie try on the 618-yard par-5 4th, then managed to miss the 4-foot comebacker and the 18-incher right after that for my 1st 4-putt of the year and 1st of 4 doubles on the day.  Even after double #2 on the next hole, a shorter par 5--from 12 feet away from the hole in 3, just off the green, no less--I hung in there and managed to shoot a 40 on the front when I avoided my 3rd double of the side on the 9th hole thanks to my 6th 1-putt of the side.  But I fell apart on the back, hitting only 1 fairway (and doubling that par 5, too, to add insult to injury) and ending up at the bottom of the pack.

It was a true Jekyll and Hyde round.  I was E for 9 holes and +15 for 9 holes.  In addition to my 4-putt, I had 3 3-putts (all on the back, and all due to badly-judged and/or -executed approach shots that left me facing monster putts with mega-undulations or hills to deal with), but I also had 7 1-putts and made all kinds of pressure putts to save 2-putts.  Tuscarora easily had the fastest greens of any I've played all year--and unlike last year I made a point to regularly play courses with fast greens this year, so I can't say I wasn't used to it.  But it was really my inability to handle the pressure of needing to put together a solid back 9 and absolutely butchering 3 short par 4s in a row to start it that killed me today.  For some reason I couldn't figure out how to avoid pull-hooks all day and I didn't do a great job clubbing myself, either.  Oh well, for what will probably be my last round of 2014, it was pretty representative of the good and the bad in my game this season.  Glad to put it out of its misery.

Given my mood, let's start my focus on the 2nd round of the Wegmans LPGA Championship with more bad news.  2 of my favorite golfers, Ai Miyazato and Mika Miyazato, will be missing the cut.  They battled all day, but a couple of late bogeys for each of them did them both in.  I'm also sad to see Amy Yang and Jeong Jang missing the cut.  It's not looking good for other faves like Moira Dunn, Paula Creamer, or Morgan Pressel, and rookies like Yueer Cindy Feng and Amy Anderson are on the wrong side of it at +3 right now.

On the bright side, Lydia Ko fired a 6-birdie 69 to move to -5 for the week, Tiffany Joh a 4-birdie 70 to get to -2, and Danielle Kang a 5-birdie 73 to hang in there at -1.  Plus Ya Ni Tseng, Jennifer Song, and Ayako Uehara will make the cut.  There are others golfers I particularly root for out on the course right now whom I don't want to jinx, so enough said about them for now.  The big question obviously is whether the bomb squad of Brittany Lincicome and Lexi Thompson will be able to continue threading the needle at Monroe Golf Club and finish the halfway point of the tournament ahead of Ko.  And whether the fighting Lees (Meena and Ilhee) will be able to finish their rounds ahead of last week's winner Mirim when all is said and done today.  And whether Inbee Park will be able to bounce back from losing to Lee as well as Suzann Pettersen did today.  Actually, there are a whole lot more questions than that, but I have to burn off this negative energy by following Chie Arimura as she finishes her round.  More later!

[Update 1 (7:41 pm):  Well, Lincicome played fantastic golf today, eagling the par-5 14th to get to -9 and staying there over her last 4 holes.  Lexi didn't play quite as well, but she did birdie the par-5 3rd to get back to -7 after finishing the back (her front) bogey-bogey.  Unfortunately, she bogeyed the par-3 6th and couldn't birdie 8 or 9, so she's tied with freakin' Inbee Park, who birdied 3 of her 1st 4 holes on the front and parred in to match Lexi and Meena Lee's 66s from yesterday.  But it's Julieta Granada who holds the 18-hole record at Monroe GC for this tournament, as she fired a bogey-free 65 today!!  She's tied with Pettersen, Shanshan Feng, Mirim Lee, Beatriz Recari, and Jennifer Johnson at -4.  And how about her fellow Park, Jane, who birdied 3 of her last 7 holes (on the front) to catch Ko at -5?!]

[Update 2 (7:54 pm):  I'm pleased and saddened to report the Mostly Harmless jinx is only at half strength today.  Pleased for Chie Arimura, who bounced back from a devastating double on the tough par-3 13th with 5-straight pars to make the cut on the number.  And saddened for Reilley Rankin, who scrambled her butt off after making a tap-in birdie on 10 to get to +2, but couldn't get the last up-and-down she needed on 18 and missed it by a shot.

I hate to say it, but that was among the easier attempts Rankin had coming home.  On 14, she swiped her 2nd shot right and it ended up in dirt near a green-side tree.  After maybe-purposely exploding it from the dirt (she looked concerned about a root and conferred with her caddie to be sure how she wanted to play the shot) and coming up short of the green, she punched a nice wedge to 4 feet and made the tester.  Then she left what looked like a 25-footer on 15 3 feet short and sank another key par save.  Then she was between clubs--3-hybrid or 4-hybrid--and chose the longer one while the wind was gusting.  But it died during her swing and she powered it through what was left and almost bounced it onto the 17th tee.  She played a classic Texas wedge to 3 feet and made it to stay on track.  Then on 17 she pulled her approach badly but was lucky enough to fly it a foot past Death Valley (that really deep trap left of the green that must be 20 feet below its surface).  She made another good chip, but it ran about 8 feet by and she made the putt to stay alive.  Then on 18 she left it in the front-right fringe and misjudged her putt up the gully or swale or ditch or whatever you want to call it that runs diagonally up the green, leaving it barely halfway to the pin tucked in the back-left corner of the lower tier.  That left her at least 18 feet, but the putt died left and low in the last foot or so.  And just like that, she was done for the week.

Of course the club pro Alison Curdt had a tough time out there, but she hit a lot of good shots and made several good chips and putts.  I got to see her make 2 of her 3 birdies on the day (on 10 and 14), plus she parred 13, so she shouldn't feel bad about her 79.

I'm devoting a separate post to Arimura's game, but 1st I have to grab something to eat you-know-where!]

[Update 3 (11:31 pm):  Home sweet home!  Finally!  Entertained myself on the ride home thinking of tweets I could do with #thisisyourbrainongolf as the hashtag.  As in:

• disaster flashback and/or premonition in middle of downswing #thisisyourbrainongolf
• Someone screamed "boo!" in the middle of my downswing. Oh. It was my brain. #thisisyourbrainongolf
• Never point to the sand trap that would have cost you your 3rd double of the 9 after saving bogey with a 15-footer and mouth "FU" to it. #47onback9 #thisisyourbrainongolf
• "Dear God, why do I have to suck so hard at a game I love so much?" #thisisyourbrainongolf

Don't know if all would stay at or under 140 characters, but you get the picture!  Why don't you tweet your own?  Let's vent together!]

[Update 4 (8/16/14, 12:36 pm):  Yes!  Mina Harigae made the cut!  Xi Yu Lin gets to play with Laura Davies later today!  Mo Martin and Kristy McPherson get to show the world how precision players handle moving day!  And the Jane Park is paired with Lexi.  So many good pairings to follow tomorrow.  I think I'll spread the Mostly Harmless jinx around by only following folks for 3 or 6 holes at a time.  First victims (if I wake up in time):  Salas, Arimura, Uehara.]

International Crown Sunday: It All Comes Down to This!

Play has just started on day 4 of the International Crown, with Inbee Park 1-up on Caroline Hedwall through 2 and Pornanong Phatlum and In-Kyung Kim all-square through the 1st.  I'll be not-quite-live blogging every half-hour or so until the Golf Channel coverage starts.  In the meantime, check out my previews of each Sunday singles match.  I'm very interested in seeing how the under-22 crowd in the field--Ariya Jutanugarn, Moriya Jutanugarn, and Mamiko Higa--handle the pressure!  Oh, and if you get a chance to watch Stacy Lewis's interview from Morning Drive, I guarantee your respect for her will go even higher, no matter how high it was before the interview.

[Update 1 (12:37 pm):  Here's how the matches stand thus far.

1. Caroline Hedwall vs. Inbee Park

Inbee is now 2-up through 5.  She won 2 and 3, lost 4, and won 5.  Too bad the scorecard is traditional match-play format, with no scores on the cards.  Would be nice to get a hint of whether eagle, birdie, par, or bogey won a hole!

[Update 1.a.1 (1:08 pm):  Inbee won the par-3 6th and lost the par-4 7th, so she is now 2-up through 8.]

[Update 1.a.2 (2:02 pm):  Inbee won 11 to go back to 3-up.]

[Update 1.a.3 (2:20 pm):  Inbee is 3-up with 5 holes to go.]

[Update 1.a.4 (2:36 pm):  Judy said that Caroline's been burning a lot of edges.  That won't do it against Inbee.]

[Update 1.a.5 (2:37 pm):  Inbee makes the 3-footer to be dormie with 3 to play.]

[Update 1.a.6 (2:51 pm):  Inbee gets the job done with another wedge on 16!  Caroline pitched to the fringe and fails to make birdie.  She concedes Inbee the birdie.  Inbee wins 4&2.  Korea now has 8 points.]

2. Pornanong Phatlum vs. In-Kyung Kim

Pornanong just won the 4th hole to go 1-up.

[Update 1.b.1 (1:10 pm):  Inky won the par-3 6th but Pornanong bounced back with a win on the par-4 7th, and she is now 1-up through 7.]

[Update 1.b.2 (2:03 pm):  Pornanong won 8 to go 2-up but Inky won 10 to go 1-down.]

[Update 1.b.3 (2:47 pm):  If Korea is going to win this thing, Inky has to saddle up.  She's 2-down with 4 to play.]

[Update 1.b.4 (3:03 pm):  Pornanong is 2-up with 3 holes to go.]

[Update 1.b.5 (3:12 pm):  Inky needs to make this putt on 16!]

[Update 1.b.6 (3:29 pm):  She blasted it through the break after getting a great read from Pornanong, who's now dormie.]

[Update 1.b.7 (3:33 pm):  Pornanong misses the 17th green short but dry with a 5-iron.  Inky has a hybrid in her hands and lofts it to the front of the green.  Maybe 30 feet for a birdie.]

[Update 1.b.8 (3:39 pm):  Too aggressive a chip from Pornanong leaves her with a 15-foot putt to win the match.  She couldn't make it.  Now Inky has a 3-footer to force the match to 18.]

[Update 1.b.9 (3:41 pm):  Inky made it and they go to 18.]

[Update 1.b.10 (3:46 pm):  From the right side of the fairway to a front-right pin, Inky just carries her iron far enough to stay on top of the shelf guarding the front of the green.  Not as extreme as on 16, but the bank kept her shot from bouncing forward right to the pin.  She's on the fringe.]

[Update 1.b.11 (3:47 pm):  Pornanong uses the shelf past the pin to bring her 8-iron back to about 8 feet.  Great shot!]

[Update 1.b.12 (3:55 pm):  Inky can't get her birdie try to the hole.  She's in for par.  Pornanong needs to 2-putt to win the match.  Rolled it 18 inches by.  Conceded.  Pornanong wins 1-up.]

3. Ariya Jutanugarn vs. Pernilla Lindberg

Pernilla won the 1st hole and remains 1-up through 3.

[Update 1.c.1 (1:11 pm):  Pernilla won the par-4 5th and is now 2-up through 6.]

[Update 1.c.2 (2:03 pm):  Pernilla won 7 and 10 to go 4-up.]

[Update 1.c.3 (2:22 pm):  Pernilla is now 5-up with 7 holes to play after winning 11.]

[Update 1.c.4 (2:35 pm):  Pernilla is now dormie and putting from the fringe on 13 to win the match.  6 inches short.  Ariya has to make her putt to extend the match.]

[Update 1.c.5 (2:37 pm):  Pernilla wins 6&5.  Now Sweden has 9 points.]

4. Carlota Ciganda vs. Na Yeon Choi

Carlota won the 1st hole and remains 1-up through 2.

[Update 1.d.1 (1:11 pm):  Carlota is taking it to NYC, with wins on 3, 4, and 5 to go 4-up.]

[Update 1.d.2 (2:04 pm):  Carlota won 6 to go 5-up and 9 to go 6-up.]

[Update 1.d.3 (2:22 pm):  Carlota is 6-up with only 8 left to play.]

[Update 1.d.4 (2:26 pm):  Carlota is dormie with 7 to play!]

[Update 1.d.5 (2:41 pm):  NYC misses a makeable birdie putt and concedes Ciganda the shorter birdie putt.  Ciganda wins 8&6.  Spain now has 9 points.]

5. Sakura Yokomine vs. So Yeon Ryu

So Yeon won the 1st hole and Sakura the 2nd, so they're all-square through 2.

[Update 1.e.1 (1:12 pm):  Sakura won the par-3 3rd and is 1-up through 4.]

[Update 1.e.2 (2:05 pm):  Sakura is now 1-up through 8.]

[Update 1.e.3 (2:25 pm):  Sakura is now 2-up through 9.]

[Update 1.e.4 (2:56 pm):  So Yeon won 10, but got her approach shot buried in a bunker on the par-5 12th and barely got it out; anyway, Sakura eagled the hole anyway to go back 2-up.]

[Update 1.e.5 (2:58 pm):  Hold on.  They updated the scoreboard.  So Yeon won 10 and 11 to briefly bring the match to all-square.  So Sakura's eagle only puts her 1-up.]

[Update 1.e.6 (3:07 pm):  So Yeon put it just past pin-high after Sakura went over on the par 3, but after a fantastic chip and a So Yeon miss, Sakura has 3 feet to halve the hole.  She missed it right.  I've seen that miss several times the last few days.]

[Update 1.e.7 (3:14 pm):  After So Yeon used the left bank on the 14th green to put a 4-hybrid about 25 feet past the pin, Sakura took it just right of the pin and left it about 10 feet away for birdie.  Great match!]

[Update 1.e.8 (3:35 pm):  Nice 2-putt save by So Yeon after "a rush of blood to her head" on the birdie try.  Wonder why they didn't show the birdie attempts on the coverage?]

[Update 1.e.9 (3:42 pm):  Sakura puts it right in the middle of the 15th green.  So Yeon was much closer to the green, but her approach didn't hold, either, and she ended up about 2 feet farther from the hole than Sakura.]

[Update 1.e.10 (3:48 pm):  Both make routine 2-putts.  Now they're heading into the 16th, where So Yeon made one of the most important birdies of her life last night!]

[Update 1.e.11 (4:00 pm):  So Yeon goes for the green in 2 and just carries it to the top of the shelf, right in the same neck that blocked Lexi twice yesterday.  She's on the fringe with an eagle putt ahead of her.]

[Update 1.e.12 (4:02 pm):  Yokomine laid up just into the left rough.  With the pin back, she had plenty of room to bounce it up to the green, but she just carried it too far and it went to the back fringe or 1st cut.]

[Update 1.e.13 (4:06 pm):  Amazing lag from So Yeon from maybe 80 feet almost went in.  Easy birdie after all!]

[Update 1.e.14 (4:07 pm):  Can Sakura bring the magic again on this chip?  Nope.  So Yeon is 1-up with 2 to play.]

[Update 1.e.15 (4:10 pm):  Dammit, So Yeon put it in the water on 17.  Don't get me wrong, I want Sakura to win, but I want it through great shots.  Oh well, Sakura guarded so much against the pond she went left of the cart path into the dining area!  So Yeon's still in this hole!]

[Update 1.e.16 (4:15 pm):  Yokomine did what she had to, lofting it over the trap and letting it roll out to the edge of the green.  She has about 30 feet for par and So Yeon has about 8 for bogey.]

[Update 1.e.17 (4:16 pm):  Maybe some more magic for Sakura here?  She needs it, as she's showing So Yeon the line on her par attempt.  Just missed it, right.  Now the pressure's on So Yeon to halve the hole and become dormie heading into 18.]

[Update 1.e.18 (4:17 pm):  So Yeon's taking a long look.  HUGE putt for her!]

[Update 1.e.19 (4:17 pm):  So Yeon's drive was leaking right but stayed at the edge of the fairway.  Nervous moment as the creek was only a few yards right of where she ended up.  Sakura got almost no roll on her drive; she's in the right side of the fairway.]

[Update 1.e.20 (4:30 pm):  Sakura hit a nice shot from about 150 out, putting it maybe 8 feet past the pin on 18.  So Yeon's approach went a little longer and a little lefter.  She'll have about 20 feet to close out the match.]

[Update 1.e.21 (4:38 pm):  Can't believe Golf Channel didn't show So Yeon's lag.  She's in for 4.  So Korea will get 2 points if Sakura misses and each team will get 1 if she makes.  She just missed on the left side.  So Yeon wins 1-up.]

6. Beatriz Recari vs. Mikaela Parmlid

Beatriz and Mikaela halved the 1st hole, so they're all-square through 1.

[Update 1.f.1 (1:13 pm):  Beatriz won the 2nd and 3rd and is 2-up through 4.]

[Update 1.f.2 (2:06 pm):  Beatriz won 5, Mikaela won 6, and Beatriz won 8 to go back to 3-up.]

[Update 1.f.3 (2:23 pm):  Beatriz is now 4-up with 9 holes to go.]

[Update 1.f.4 (3:04 pm):  Mikaela wins 11 to get back to 3-down.]

[Update 1.f.5 (3:10 pm):  2 in a row for Mikaela!  Only 2-down now with 6 to play.]

[Update 1.f.6 (3:51 pm):  Too bad!  Parmlid can't get the 18-foot par putt to drop to halve the 14th.  Back to 3-down.]

[Update 1.f.7 (4:22 pm):  Parmlid couldn't make the 6-footer on the par-5 16th to extend the match.  Recari wins 3&2.]

The remaining matches have not yet completed a hole as of the 1st update.]

[Update 2 (1:14 pm):  See above for updates on matches already in progress at last update!

7. Mamiko Higa vs. Anna Nordqvist

Anna won the 3rd to go 1-up through 3.

[Update 2.a.1 (2:07 pm):  Mamiko won 4 and 5 to go one-up, but Anna brought it back to all-square by winning 7.]

[Update 2.a.2 (2:20 pm):  Anna makes it 2 holes in a row to go 1-up through 8.]

[Update 2.a.3 (2:49 pm):  Mamiko won 9 but couldn't sink a 12-footer to halve 10.  Nordqvist is still 1-up.]

[Update 2.a.4 (3:01 pm):  Great putt by Nordqvist on 11 for birdie to go 2-up.]

[Update 2.a.5 (3:36 pm):  Another great mid-range putt from Nordqvist for another win, this one on 12.  She's 3-up.]

[Update 2.a.6 (3:44 pm):  Just when you thought she might be on the ropes, Mamiko makes a 20-footer for birdie on the par-3 13th to go back to 2-down.]

[Update 2.a.7 (3:59 pm):  Anna's too much for Higa--and probably anyone--today.  With Higa in the bunker on 14, Anna calmly bounces 1 in to 8 inches.  Higa needs to make like Ai-sama just to halve the hole.]

[Update 2.a.8 (4:10 pm):  1st tentative stroke I've seen today from Anna, but she halves the hole and goes dormie with 3 to play.]

[Update 2.a.9 (4:33 pm):  Anna had 2 putts from 10 feet on the fringe to win the match, and she cozied the 1st right up there.  She wins 3&2.]

8. Belen Mozo vs. Moriya Jutanugarn

They're all-square through 2.

[Update 2.b.1 (2:07 pm):  Moriya won 4 and 6 and Belen won 5, so Moriya is 1-up.]

[Update 2.b.2 (2:28 pm):  Belen won 7 and 8 to go 1-up.]

[Update 2.b.3 (2:44 pm):  A par is enough for Mozo to make it 3 in a row.  She's 2-up through 9.]

[Update 2.b.4 (2:52 pm):  Nice shot and nice bounce for Moriya on 10.  Let's see if she can make the 6-footer.]

[Update 2.b.5 (3:11 pm):  Moriya made it on 10 and then Belen missed a makeable 10-footer on 11, so Belen remains 1-up.]

[Update 2.b.6 (3:49 pm):  Belen makes a tap-in birdie on 12 to go 2-up.]

[Update 2.b.7 (3:53 pm):  After a lot of discussion, Belen goes to the back-left of the pin on 13.]

[Update 2.b.8 (4:04 pm):  Nice lag from Mozo on 13 to halve the hole.]

[Update 2.b.9 (4:47 pm):  Golf Channel's been ignoring this match until they got to 16 and because I had to talk to a man about a tree (literally), I'm still behind on the DVR, so haven't looked online to see the results.  They finally realized that Belen can clinch it for Spain and showed her hitting a good lay-up on the par-5 16th.  She's 2-up and Moriya needs to make something happen!  She backs off from her fairway wood.  She restarts her routine and then lands it too far short of the top of the bank, so she rolls back down the hill.  If Belen can get up and down, she not only wins the hole and the match, but also the crown!]

[Update 2.b.10 (4:49 pm):  Nice approach from Belen, hitting it just past the pin and spinning it enough to stop it before it ran down to where Yokomine ended up on this hole earlier.]

[Update 2.b.11 (4:50 pm):  Great pitch from Moriya.  Now it's a putting contest.]

[Update 2.b.12 (4:52 pm):  Mozo sinks it!!!  Now Moriya needs to make hers to extend the match.]

[Update 2.b.13 (4:54 pm):  Moriya misses low side.  Mozo wins 3&2.  The crown is Spain's!]

[Update 2.b.14 (4:58 pm):  When you think about how high was on day 1 and how low they were on day 2 after Team USA swept them, the way they played on the weekend is even more impressive.  Carlota destroying NYC really set the tone for them today and Beatriz and Belen responded against opponents they knew they had a good chance to beat.  Bottom line is they did what they had to do.  Great job!]

9. Mika Miyazato vs. Onnarin Sattayabanphot

They're all-square through 2.

[Update 2.c.1 (2:08 pm):  Mikan won 4 and 5 and is 2-up through 6.]

[Update 2.c.2 (2:27 pm):  Mikan wins 7 to go 3-up.]

[Update 2.c.3 (2:38 pm):  Nice putt on 8 by Onnarin to get back to 2-down.]

[Update 2.c.4 (3:30 pm):  Mikan sticks it on 11 to tap-in range.]

[Update 2.c.5 (3:33 pm):  Onnarin halves the hole with a fantastic 20-footer for birdie!]

[Update 2.c.6 (4:12 pm):  Thought Mikan had the birdie putt from the back fringe on 13, but it veered left on the last roll.]

[Update 2.c.7 (4:13 pm):  Onnarin has about a 5-footer to save par and she makes it dead-center, halving the hole.  She's still 2-down with 5 to play.]

[Update 2.c.8 (4:32 pm):  Mikan's birdie try on 14 seemed to wobble its way around the hole.]

[Update 2.c.9 (4:36 pm):  Yikes.  Mikan missed her tap-in to fall back to 1-up.]

[Update 2.c.10 (4:51 pm):  Mikan has a 4-footer to win 15.  Hits the right corner of the cup and spins out.  Still 1-up, now with 3 to play.]

[Update 2.c.11 (5:03 pm):  Great approach by Mikan on 16.  She's in that same range she's missed from the last 2 holes, but this time for birdie.]

[Update 2.c.12 (5:07 pm):  Onnarin took a run at her birdie putt, assuming Mikan will make hers.  Now if she misses the comebacker Mikan won't have to putt.  Onnarin makes the 4-foot par putt, though.  Can she dodge a 3rd bullet in a row?  Mikan's little water bottle ritual is getting a lot of humorous commentary the last few holes!  She makes it and goes dormie with 2 to play.]

[Update 2.c.13 (5:14 pm):  Onnarin concedes a long par putt to Mikan on 17.  Mikan wins 3&1.]

10. Ai Miyazato vs. Azahara Munoz

Aza won the 1st hole.]

[Update 2.d.1 (2:09 pm):  Ai-sama won 4 and 5 to go 1-up.]

[Update 2.d.2 (2:30 pm):  Aza won 7 to square up the match.]

[Update 2.d.3 (3:02 pm):  Great 12-footer by Aza to halve 9.  Still all-square.]

[Update 2.d.4 (3:37 pm):  Aza sticks it on 11!  Pressure's on Ai-sama!  She gets it in birdie range--maybe 8 feet short right of the cup.]

[Update 2.d.5 (3:40 pm):  Yikes, both players missed!  Ai-sama must feel like she dodged a bullet.]

[Update 2.d.6 (4:07 pm):  Ai-sama didn't miss the tap-in for birdie on 12, so she's 1-up!]

[Update 2.d.7 (4:18 pm):  Fantastic 15-footer for birdie by Aza.  Back to all-square through 13 now.]

[Update 2.d.8 (4:43 pm):  Aza made a nice try from about 20 feet on 14.  Looked good all the way but rolled about 2 feet by the cup.]

[Update 2.d.9 (4:59 pm):  Aza made a great birdie on 15, again from medium range, right after finding out her team had won the crown.  She's 1-up with 3 to play.]

[Update 2.d.10 (5:01 pm):  Great drive by Aza on 16, dead center.  Good one from Ai-sama, to the right side of the fairway.]

[Update 2.d.11 (5:04 pm):  Bad lay-up by Ai-sama with a fairway wood.  Deep in the right rough.]

[Update 2.d.12 (5:09 pm):  Ai-sama's 121 out with Aza in perfect position.  The rough closed her club face and the ball rolled into the front-left trap.  Munoz is about half the distance from the hole and puts it about 2 feet outside where Mikan had left hers.  Munoz can win the match on this hole.]

[Update 2.d.13 (5:11 pm):  After a bad bunker shot, Ai-sama rolls in the 25-footer to make a huge par save.  Rueful smile and raised eyebrows from Ai-sama say it all.  Big let-down.  I'll bet she's hoping Aza makes the putt.]

[Update 2.d.14 (5:12 pm):  Aza's putt rolled by the right edge of the cup at a snail's pace.  They halve the hole and Aza remains 1-up with 2 to play.  Sorry, she would have been dormie if she had made it.]

[Update 2.d.15 (5:18 pm):  Good shot by Aza, landing it front-left on the green and letting it roll out to almost pin high.  Not a good shot by Ai-sama, leaving it on the front-right fringe.  The atmosphere here would be totally different if Sakura could have put her approach on 17 on the green, eh?]

[Update 2.d.16 (5:21 pm):  Good speed, bad line for Ai-sama.  3 feet right.  Aza has maybe 20 feet to win the hole and the match.  18 inches short.  Ai-sama concedes and Aza doesn't.  Wonder if Ai-sama will be concentrating on this one.  Nope.  Aza wins 2&1.]

[Update 3 (1:19 pm):  At times, I'll try to sum up where the teams currently stand.

Japan (8): up in 1, all-square in 1, down in 2
Spain (7): up in 2, all-square in 1, down in 1
Sweden (7): up in 1, down in 3
Thailand (7): up in 1, all-square in 2, down in 1
Korea (6): up in 1, down in 3

Wish they had flags by the players' names on the scoreboard!]

[Update 4 (2:11 pm):  Here's how the teams stand right now:

Japan (8): up in 3, all-square in 1
Spain (7): up in 2, all-square in 1, down in 1
Sweden (7): up in 1, all-square in 1, down in 2
Thailand (7): up in 2, down in 2
Korea (6): up in 1, down in 3

Can't wait for the tv coverage to start!]

[Update 5 (2:32 pm):  Here's how the teams stand right now:

Japan (8): up in 2, all-square in 2
Spain (7): up in 3, all-square in 1
Sweden (7): up in 1, all-square in 1, down in 2
Thailand (7): up in 1, down in 3
Korea (6): up in 1, down in 3

K, it's tv time!]

[Update 6 (2:40 pm):  Here's how the teams stand right now:

Sweden (9): won 1, all-square in 1, down in 2
Japan (8): up in 2, all-square in 2
Spain (7): up in 3, all-square in 1
Thailand (7): up in 1, down in 2, lost 1
Korea (6): up in 1, down in 3

Tightening up!]

[Update 7 (2:43 pm):  Here's how the teams stand right now:

Spain (9): won 1, up in 2, all-square in 1
Sweden (9): won 1, all-square in 1, down in 2
Japan (8): up in 2, all-square in 2
Thailand (7): up in 1, down in 2, lost 1
Korea (6): up in 1, down in 2, lost 1

Tightening up!]

[Update 8 (2:54 pm):  Here's how the teams stand right now:

Spain (9): won 1, up in 2, all-square in 1
Sweden (9): won 1, up in 1, down in 1, lost 1
Japan (8): up in 2, all-square in 1, down in 1
Korea (8): won 1, down in 2, lost 1
Thailand (7): up in 1, down in 2, lost 1

Tightening up further!]

[Update 9 (3:57 pm):  Here's how the teams stand right now:

Spain (9): won 1, up in 2, all-square in 1
Sweden (9): won 1, up in 1, down in 1, lost 1
Thailand (9): won 1, down in 2, lost 1
Japan (8): up in 1, all-square in 2, down in 1
Korea (8): won 1, all-square in 1, lost 2

Tightening up even further!]

[Update 10 (4:23 pm):  Here's how the teams stand right now:

Spain (11): won 2, up in 1, all-square in 1
Sweden (9): won 1, up in 1, lost 2
Thailand (9): won 1, down in 2, lost 1
Japan (8): up in 1, all-square in 1, down in 2
Korea (8): won 1, up in 1, lost 2

It's looking like Spain right now!]

[Update 11 (4:35 pm):  Here's how the teams stand right now:

Spain (11): won 2, up in 1, all-square in 1
Sweden (11): won 2, lost 2
Thailand (9): won 1, down in 2, lost 1
Japan (8): up in 1, all-square in 1, down in 1, lost 1
Korea (8): won 1, up in 1, lost 2

It's still looking like Spain!]

[Update 12 (4:39 pm):  Here's how the teams stand right now:

Spain (11): won 2, up in 1, all-square in 1
Sweden (11): won 2, lost 2
Korea (10): won 2, lost 2
Thailand (9): won 1, down in 2, lost 1
Japan (8): up in 1, all-square in 1, lost 2

It's more and more looking like Spain!]

[Update 13 (4:55 pm):  Here's how the teams stand right now:

Spain (13): won 3, all-square in 1
Sweden (11): won 2, lost 2
Korea (10): won 2, lost 2
Thailand (9): won 1, down in 1, lost 2
Japan (8): up in 1, all-square in 1, lost 2

It's Spain!]

[Update 14 (5:15 pm):  Here's how the teams stand right now:

Spain (13): won 3, all-square in 1
Sweden (11): won 2, lost 2
Korea (10): won 2, lost 2
Japan (10): won 1, down in 1, lost 2
Thailand (9): won 1, lost 3

They're just playing for position now!]

[Update 15 (5:22 pm):  Here are the final results:

Spain (15): won 4
Sweden (11): won 2, lost 2
Korea (10): won 2, lost 2
Japan (10): won 1, lost 3
Thailand (9): won 1, lost 3

Congratulations to Team Spain!]