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.]
Showing posts with label rhetorical questions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rhetorical questions. Show all posts
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Friday, July 25, 2014
Pet Peeves About Golf Channel's Day 1 International Crown Coverage
In no particular order:
There's No "Q" in Sakura! And No "Mini"!! Sa-koo-ra Yo-ko-mee-nay. Say it fast with equal emphasis on each syllable and you'll be fine. Never mind that the romanized "r" in Japanese is somewhere between an English "r" and "l"--too tough to learn for just one week. Although if you can learn how to lisp "Atha" and "Motho," why not go the extra mile for one of the JLPGA's best players ever? [Update (7/26/14, 9:33 am): Also, Sakura's no "meanie" (although Kirk and Wright might beg to differ after that shot on 17 Friday!). Yo-ko-mee-nay, people!]
Speaking of Sakura... She's got a John Daly-esque swing. And I think we saw it once on the 18th hole. C'mon, people!
First-Tee Footage?! Everyone talked about how emotional (in so many ways) the 1st drive of the 1st tee was this week. Yet did Golf Channel shoot it, save it, and replay it for us? Noooo!!!!! I know playing every national anthem would have taken too long. But how about a quick montage with the last 2 seconds of each country's anthem and reaction shots by the players during it and right after they knew where their 1st shots went? Or feature the best reactions at the top of Day 2's coverage?
Show More Tee Shots! When something even remotely dramatic happens on the tee--shot in the woods, player hits fairway after partner puts it in woods, one bomber outdrives another, whatever--we oughtta see it. Everything matters in match play and with so few groups on the course, we should be able to get a good sense of how every match is unfolding and not have to rely so much on Juli Inkster's summaries of what happened.
Know Your Matches. I can't believe that Anna Nordqvist and Caroline Hedwall--the Vikings of the Solheim Cup--struggled so much in the 1st 12 holes yesterday against struggling young Okinawans Mika Miyazato and Mamiko Higa. So much for Solheim Cup experience and heroics, eh? You know what else I can't believe? That we barely saw a shot of the latter's great play and not even much of the former's great comeback. This was a made-for-tv David vs. Goliath deal, but we saw very little of it. (True, most of the fireworks from Team Japan occurred in the 1st 5 holes. But this is what they make highlights for.)
Speaking of Balance... Man, the cameras loved Teams USA and Spain, and I wholeheartedly endorse that decision. But if 2 seconds per shot of golfers walking, standing, and consulting with each other and their caddies on non-pivotal shots were cut, just think of how much more could have been shown of the Vikings vs. the Okinawans, Karrie Webb and Minjee Lee taking it to Na Yeon Choi and In-Kyung Kim (with attendant speculation on how the pressure is affecting the half of Team ROK that isn't coming into this week with a whole lot of confidence), and Inbee Park and So Yeon Ryu lighting up the course?
And Now a Word from Our Sponsors. Given how many commercials that GC gets to show at the end of each day, wouldn't it be nice if they cut back a little midway through the coverage?
[Update 1 (8:00 am): Ruthless Mike wants more credit given where it's due to Team Taiwan. HappyFan gives Judy Rankin credit for mentioning the Japan-Korea almost-annual team matches during an interview, but rightly criticizes the bulk of the coverage for pretending as if the Asian and other non-Solheim Cuppers have no professional team experience. I wish I had thought of both (or, more accurately, remembered the latter). I mean, nobody remembers the Lexus Cup?]
There's No "Q" in Sakura! And No "Mini"!! Sa-koo-ra Yo-ko-mee-nay. Say it fast with equal emphasis on each syllable and you'll be fine. Never mind that the romanized "r" in Japanese is somewhere between an English "r" and "l"--too tough to learn for just one week. Although if you can learn how to lisp "Atha" and "Motho," why not go the extra mile for one of the JLPGA's best players ever? [Update (7/26/14, 9:33 am): Also, Sakura's no "meanie" (although Kirk and Wright might beg to differ after that shot on 17 Friday!). Yo-ko-mee-nay, people!]
Speaking of Sakura... She's got a John Daly-esque swing. And I think we saw it once on the 18th hole. C'mon, people!
First-Tee Footage?! Everyone talked about how emotional (in so many ways) the 1st drive of the 1st tee was this week. Yet did Golf Channel shoot it, save it, and replay it for us? Noooo!!!!! I know playing every national anthem would have taken too long. But how about a quick montage with the last 2 seconds of each country's anthem and reaction shots by the players during it and right after they knew where their 1st shots went? Or feature the best reactions at the top of Day 2's coverage?
Show More Tee Shots! When something even remotely dramatic happens on the tee--shot in the woods, player hits fairway after partner puts it in woods, one bomber outdrives another, whatever--we oughtta see it. Everything matters in match play and with so few groups on the course, we should be able to get a good sense of how every match is unfolding and not have to rely so much on Juli Inkster's summaries of what happened.
Know Your Matches. I can't believe that Anna Nordqvist and Caroline Hedwall--the Vikings of the Solheim Cup--struggled so much in the 1st 12 holes yesterday against struggling young Okinawans Mika Miyazato and Mamiko Higa. So much for Solheim Cup experience and heroics, eh? You know what else I can't believe? That we barely saw a shot of the latter's great play and not even much of the former's great comeback. This was a made-for-tv David vs. Goliath deal, but we saw very little of it. (True, most of the fireworks from Team Japan occurred in the 1st 5 holes. But this is what they make highlights for.)
Speaking of Balance... Man, the cameras loved Teams USA and Spain, and I wholeheartedly endorse that decision. But if 2 seconds per shot of golfers walking, standing, and consulting with each other and their caddies on non-pivotal shots were cut, just think of how much more could have been shown of the Vikings vs. the Okinawans, Karrie Webb and Minjee Lee taking it to Na Yeon Choi and In-Kyung Kim (with attendant speculation on how the pressure is affecting the half of Team ROK that isn't coming into this week with a whole lot of confidence), and Inbee Park and So Yeon Ryu lighting up the course?
And Now a Word from Our Sponsors. Given how many commercials that GC gets to show at the end of each day, wouldn't it be nice if they cut back a little midway through the coverage?
[Update 1 (8:00 am): Ruthless Mike wants more credit given where it's due to Team Taiwan. HappyFan gives Judy Rankin credit for mentioning the Japan-Korea almost-annual team matches during an interview, but rightly criticizes the bulk of the coverage for pretending as if the Asian and other non-Solheim Cuppers have no professional team experience. I wish I had thought of both (or, more accurately, remembered the latter). I mean, nobody remembers the Lexus Cup?]
Friday, September 27, 2013
Miyagi TV Cup Dunlop Ladies Open Friday: Ai Miyazato and Teresa Lu Lead at -3
This is the 10th anniversary of Ai Miyazato's victory as a teenage amateur at the 2003 Miyagi TV Cup Dunlop Ladies Open, the 1st of her 15 JLPGA victories (a total that includes a repeat during her rookie year on the LPGA in 2006). Well, this year, she shares the lead at -3 with fellow LPGA Class of 2006er Teresa Lu, as they were the only 2 golfers in the field to break 70 in the opening round, a day in which only 7 other golfers even went under par.
2 shots behind the co-leaders are Sakura Yokomine, Mamiko Higa, Bo-Bae Song, Na-Ri Lee, Ji-Woo Lee, and Erina Hara, while Shiho Oyama, Miki Saiki, Yukari Baba, Mayu Hattori, and Junko Omote are only 3 off the pace. Other big names in the field didn't do quite so well: money-list leader Rikako Morita and Momoko Ueda opened with 73s, Chie Arimura, Ayako Uehara, Shinobu Moromizato, and Miho Mori with 74s, Yumiko Yoshida with a 75, Yuri Fudoh and Maiko Wakabayashi with 76s, and Natsuka Hori with a 77.
Of course, there's a lot of golf yet to be played and anything can happen in the next 36 holes. Still, wouldn't it be cool if Ai-sama broke through for her 1st JLPGA victory since 2009 and only 3rd since joining the LPGA?
2 shots behind the co-leaders are Sakura Yokomine, Mamiko Higa, Bo-Bae Song, Na-Ri Lee, Ji-Woo Lee, and Erina Hara, while Shiho Oyama, Miki Saiki, Yukari Baba, Mayu Hattori, and Junko Omote are only 3 off the pace. Other big names in the field didn't do quite so well: money-list leader Rikako Morita and Momoko Ueda opened with 73s, Chie Arimura, Ayako Uehara, Shinobu Moromizato, and Miho Mori with 74s, Yumiko Yoshida with a 75, Yuri Fudoh and Maiko Wakabayashi with 76s, and Natsuka Hori with a 77.
Of course, there's a lot of golf yet to be played and anything can happen in the next 36 holes. Still, wouldn't it be cool if Ai-sama broke through for her 1st JLPGA victory since 2009 and only 3rd since joining the LPGA?
Monday, January 31, 2011
Golf Channel, Here I Come!
Today in history, the Constructivist family entered the 21st century. We've had high-speed internet since we got back from Japan but now we have it with Verizon, whose triple play deal means that we also have DirectTV (with a sweet HD DVR) and a home phone (VTec, of course!), plus we went in for a Sony Blu-Ray player (connected to our new 42" plasma Panasonic with the scariest of Monster HDMI cables) to supplement our old Sony DVD-VCR player. Golf Channel, here I come!
Now, some of you may be wondering, "Constructivist, how can you afford your rock and roll lifestyle?" Well, I'm happy to report that I'm starting a serious product placement initiative here at Mostly Harmless (see above). Other than that, I don't have a clue. Anyone out there in Blogaramaville got any ideas?
Now, some of you may be wondering, "Constructivist, how can you afford your rock and roll lifestyle?" Well, I'm happy to report that I'm starting a serious product placement initiative here at Mostly Harmless (see above). Other than that, I don't have a clue. Anyone out there in Blogaramaville got any ideas?
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Paging Steve Elling
Steve Elling took the misguided meme of "parity" on the LPGA to an absurd extreme yesterday. That's the only way to understand his suggestion that having half a dozen players at the top of their games at about the same time and duelling for every single season-long award and honor this week is nothing to get excited about. Why? Because "good is not great"--it's more like "mediocre."
The fact is, we have no way of knowing if Annika Sorenstam, Karrie Webb, Se Ri Pak, and Lorena Ochoa would have been able to dominate Na Yeon Choi, Ji-Yai Shin, Ya Ni Tseng, Suzann Pettersen, Cristie Kerr, and Ai Miyazato this season. Sure, in their peak years they each posted lower scoring averages than Choi's 69.79 (not counting the 1st 2 rounds of the LPGA Tour Championship) and racked up more wins than Miyazato's 5. And one of them must have won more majors than Tseng's pair in one of their career seasons, right? But please point to a year when there were 5 players with sub-70 scoring averages--as is still statistically possible this season. Or when 5 players averaged 4 or more birdies per round (which is statistically possible this season). OK, OK, how about a year when 6 players made more than $1.5M in a season? (Yes, Miyazato needs a huge charge this weekend to become the 6th, but roll with the possibilities for a while.)
There is no way these kind of stats are products of mediocrity (that would characterize the many big names between #29 and #49 on the money list) or even just good play (which would characterize #17 through #28). In fact, everyone from #7 Song-Hee Kim through #16 Amy Yang have had very good years. It's just that the Big 6 have been excellent. Sure, only time will tell how great they'll each be. But let's wait 2 more rounds and see who has how many Hall of Fame points at what age, shall we? And then let's see how long they can sustain this level of play and who among them and their lead chase pack can find another gear and force everyone else to play catch-up (for a time). Greatness can be a product of consistent excellence, even if it doesn't result in long stretches of dominance.
The bottom line is that even if Cristie Kerr, Paula Creamer, Suzann Pettersen, and Ji-Yai Shin were in the best position to make the leap to instant greatness when Lorena Ochoa bowed out earlier this year, it's no aspersion on them that it didn't happen. If Kerr had been a little less shaky on a few Sundays over the past 2 seasons, or if the latter 3 had been healthier this season, we'd be having an entirely different conversation right now. But their losses have been Ai Miyazato's, Ya Ni Tseng's, and Na Yeon Choi's gains. At different points this season, they each played some truly fantastic golf to put themselves in the mix and in the conversation. I wouldn't at all be surprised to see In-Kyung Kim, Inbee Park, Morgan Pressel, Song-Hee Kim, and Amy Yang making similar moves next season. But the point is that very soon the battles among the Big 6 will be settled for this season. The issue at hand is not dominance or greatness but who can play the best golf over the next 36 holes. After the dust settles from this week, we can start looking back on this season and looking ahead to the next. Let's keep our eyes on the ball, shall we, Steve?
Me, I'm hoping Elling's essay has the same effect on the Big 6 that posting in your locker room what an opposing team's player or coach says is supposed to have on your team. Most of them are playing pretty crappy golf this week, truth be told. Time to get fired up, ladies! Right now, most of the mainstream golfy media (exemplified by Elling's absurdity) are on the opposing team. How about every time one of them makes a birdie this week, they tell the cameras, "This is for you, Steve!"?
[Update 1 (7:11 am): Compare Mike Southern, who attempts to put the week's world of golf in come perspective, and you'll see what's lacking in Elling's attempt to tell the LPGA it isn't all that.]
The fact is, we have no way of knowing if Annika Sorenstam, Karrie Webb, Se Ri Pak, and Lorena Ochoa would have been able to dominate Na Yeon Choi, Ji-Yai Shin, Ya Ni Tseng, Suzann Pettersen, Cristie Kerr, and Ai Miyazato this season. Sure, in their peak years they each posted lower scoring averages than Choi's 69.79 (not counting the 1st 2 rounds of the LPGA Tour Championship) and racked up more wins than Miyazato's 5. And one of them must have won more majors than Tseng's pair in one of their career seasons, right? But please point to a year when there were 5 players with sub-70 scoring averages--as is still statistically possible this season. Or when 5 players averaged 4 or more birdies per round (which is statistically possible this season). OK, OK, how about a year when 6 players made more than $1.5M in a season? (Yes, Miyazato needs a huge charge this weekend to become the 6th, but roll with the possibilities for a while.)
There is no way these kind of stats are products of mediocrity (that would characterize the many big names between #29 and #49 on the money list) or even just good play (which would characterize #17 through #28). In fact, everyone from #7 Song-Hee Kim through #16 Amy Yang have had very good years. It's just that the Big 6 have been excellent. Sure, only time will tell how great they'll each be. But let's wait 2 more rounds and see who has how many Hall of Fame points at what age, shall we? And then let's see how long they can sustain this level of play and who among them and their lead chase pack can find another gear and force everyone else to play catch-up (for a time). Greatness can be a product of consistent excellence, even if it doesn't result in long stretches of dominance.
The bottom line is that even if Cristie Kerr, Paula Creamer, Suzann Pettersen, and Ji-Yai Shin were in the best position to make the leap to instant greatness when Lorena Ochoa bowed out earlier this year, it's no aspersion on them that it didn't happen. If Kerr had been a little less shaky on a few Sundays over the past 2 seasons, or if the latter 3 had been healthier this season, we'd be having an entirely different conversation right now. But their losses have been Ai Miyazato's, Ya Ni Tseng's, and Na Yeon Choi's gains. At different points this season, they each played some truly fantastic golf to put themselves in the mix and in the conversation. I wouldn't at all be surprised to see In-Kyung Kim, Inbee Park, Morgan Pressel, Song-Hee Kim, and Amy Yang making similar moves next season. But the point is that very soon the battles among the Big 6 will be settled for this season. The issue at hand is not dominance or greatness but who can play the best golf over the next 36 holes. After the dust settles from this week, we can start looking back on this season and looking ahead to the next. Let's keep our eyes on the ball, shall we, Steve?
Me, I'm hoping Elling's essay has the same effect on the Big 6 that posting in your locker room what an opposing team's player or coach says is supposed to have on your team. Most of them are playing pretty crappy golf this week, truth be told. Time to get fired up, ladies! Right now, most of the mainstream golfy media (exemplified by Elling's absurdity) are on the opposing team. How about every time one of them makes a birdie this week, they tell the cameras, "This is for you, Steve!"?
[Update 1 (7:11 am): Compare Mike Southern, who attempts to put the week's world of golf in come perspective, and you'll see what's lacking in Elling's attempt to tell the LPGA it isn't all that.]
Thursday, October 28, 2010
This Makes Me Proud
Onechan, a 1st-grader, is trying to read a 50-page "Step 3" illustrated story based on The Incredibles--which we've been watching every other day for the last few weeks (not to mention watching the awesome short "Jack-Jack Attack" much more often!). Guess which words and phrases she's been having no problem reading on her own....
"bad guy"
"attacked"
"ran for our lives"
"his own robot"
"after us"
"Syndrome's guards"
"in trouble"
"powers"
"pretend to be normal"
"not a real Super"
"slipped into her force field"
"super speed"
"she set us free too"
"with his remote control"
"We got there just in time"
"turned into a fireball"
"Super-strong little monster"
"We have the best family!"
"save the day"
Oh, and guess who's going trick-or-treating as Violet?
All I can say is, there's hope for that girl yet!
"bad guy"
"attacked"
"ran for our lives"
"his own robot"
"after us"
"Syndrome's guards"
"in trouble"
"powers"
"pretend to be normal"
"not a real Super"
"slipped into her force field"
"super speed"
"she set us free too"
"with his remote control"
"We got there just in time"
"turned into a fireball"
"Super-strong little monster"
"We have the best family!"
"save the day"
Oh, and guess who's going trick-or-treating as Violet?
All I can say is, there's hope for that girl yet!
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Anyone Want to Give My Girls a Ride to Buffalo This Morning?
Anyone? See, they have Japanese school from 9-12 and then onechan has a violin lesson at 12:30. But the pairings for the 3rd round of the LPGA Championship have been moved up. And there are some players I'd love to follow, even though they're back in the pack.
Like, say,
Start Time: 7:20 AM
Mina Harigae
Christina Kim
Ai Miyazato
going off the 10th tee. OMG!
Or these folks going off the 1st:
Start Time: 7:00 AM
Brittany Lang
Ya Ni Tseng
Shanshan Feng
Start Time: 7:10 AM
Vicky Hurst
Mariajo Uribe
Paola Moreno
Not to mention the leaders:
Start Time: 8:20 AM
Seon Hwa Lee
Song-Hee Kim
Paula Creamer
Start Time: 8:30 AM
Ji-Yai Shin
In-Kyung Kim
Stacy Lewis
Start Time: 8:40 AM
Na On Min
Michele Redman
Azahara Munoz
Start Time: 8:50 AM
Amy Yang
Brittany Lincicome
Jimin Kang
Start Time: 9:00 AM
Cristie Kerr
Inbee Park
Mika Miyazato
If we're lucky, we might be able to make it to the 18th-hole grandstands to see a little bit of live action tomorrow. But more likely it'll be Sports Zone, driving range, hotel, pool. If I'm lucky, our hotel will get Golf Channel.... I'm assuming they'll show moving day tape-delayed from 4-7 pm as planned, but who knows?
Like, say,
Start Time: 7:20 AM
Mina Harigae
Christina Kim
Ai Miyazato
going off the 10th tee. OMG!
Or these folks going off the 1st:
Start Time: 7:00 AM
Brittany Lang
Ya Ni Tseng
Shanshan Feng
Start Time: 7:10 AM
Vicky Hurst
Mariajo Uribe
Paola Moreno
Not to mention the leaders:
Start Time: 8:20 AM
Seon Hwa Lee
Song-Hee Kim
Paula Creamer
Start Time: 8:30 AM
Ji-Yai Shin
In-Kyung Kim
Stacy Lewis
Start Time: 8:40 AM
Na On Min
Michele Redman
Azahara Munoz
Start Time: 8:50 AM
Amy Yang
Brittany Lincicome
Jimin Kang
Start Time: 9:00 AM
Cristie Kerr
Inbee Park
Mika Miyazato
If we're lucky, we might be able to make it to the 18th-hole grandstands to see a little bit of live action tomorrow. But more likely it'll be Sports Zone, driving range, hotel, pool. If I'm lucky, our hotel will get Golf Channel.... I'm assuming they'll show moving day tape-delayed from 4-7 pm as planned, but who knows?
Monday, April 19, 2010
A Tale of Two Playoffs
Can anyone tell me why you can't go on the internet without finding out about Brian Davis's calling the penalty on himself that gave Jim Furyk his playoff victory on the PGA, while I still can't find anything in English on how Inbee Park won her playoff on the JLPGA and broke her U.S. Women's Open-jinx-induced victory drought?
[Update 1 (4/20/10, 5:58 am): Stephanie Wei's post on Davis's decision made me realize how to get more attention to the LPGA. It's up to Michelle Wie to call a penalty on herself, preferably when she's in contention. Come on, Michelle! Take one for the team!]
[Update 1 (4/20/10, 5:58 am): Stephanie Wei's post on Davis's decision made me realize how to get more attention to the LPGA. It's up to Michelle Wie to call a penalty on herself, preferably when she's in contention. Come on, Michelle! Take one for the team!]
Thursday, December 24, 2009
'Twas the Afternoon Before Honika... Uh, Two Weeks Ago
OK, so I'm a little late with this, but I finally finished grading and it's time to celebrate! Actually, T-Joh is to blame for this departure from my usual anime Hanukah thing:
That's the real Lady Gaga in there, right?
For background on Smooth-E, check out this youtube timeline of Hanukah-themed parody songs:
Merry QSMS, everyone!
[Update 1 (12:24 pm): OMG, I'm such a bad Jew I even got the title and timing of this post wrong! Should have posted it at sundown so I could have called it "'Twas the Sundown Before Honika... Uh, Two Weeks Ago"! Yeesh.]
That's the real Lady Gaga in there, right?
For background on Smooth-E, check out this youtube timeline of Hanukah-themed parody songs:
Merry QSMS, everyone!
[Update 1 (12:24 pm): OMG, I'm such a bad Jew I even got the title and timing of this post wrong! Should have posted it at sundown so I could have called it "'Twas the Sundown Before Honika... Uh, Two Weeks Ago"! Yeesh.]
Friday, October 16, 2009
Recommended Reading: Ryan Ballengee and Stephanie Wei Go Behind the Scenes
Hey kids! Curious about who the next LPGA commissioner will be? Want to know more about the state of the LPGA in this economy? Well, check out what Ryan Ballengee and Stephanie Wei have been up to! Who said bloggers can't break news?
[Update 1 (11:28 am): And if men's golf happens to be your thing, Patricia Hannigan gives great background to the Padraig Harrington-Thomas Bjorn debate over the future of the European Tour.]
[Update 2 (11:32 am): And Brent Kelley has PGA business news for ya!]
[Update 3 (10/19/09, 3:39 am): Hmm, turns out the same day I posted this, Randall Mell broke the news that there's another contender for the LPGA commish position. Score one for the mainstream golfy media--but note that the Shag Bag blog was the place this story was broken!]
[Update 1 (11:28 am): And if men's golf happens to be your thing, Patricia Hannigan gives great background to the Padraig Harrington-Thomas Bjorn debate over the future of the European Tour.]
[Update 2 (11:32 am): And Brent Kelley has PGA business news for ya!]
[Update 3 (10/19/09, 3:39 am): Hmm, turns out the same day I posted this, Randall Mell broke the news that there's another contender for the LPGA commish position. Score one for the mainstream golfy media--but note that the Shag Bag blog was the place this story was broken!]
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Safeway Classic Saturday: Now That's What I Call Precision!
Between them, the 3 players within 1 shot of the lead at the Safeway Classic have missed a grand total of 4 fairways and made only 6 bogeys through the 1st 2 rounds. Anna Nordqvist at -10 has only missed 5 greens so far, while Seon Hwa Lee at -9 has taken only 51 putts and Ai Miyazato is right between them with 6 missed greens and 56 putts. Of the 3, Miyazato has played the front best (33-33)--particularly the turn--while Lee (31-33) and Nordqvist (32-33) have feasted on the back. For Ai-sama to get her 2nd win of the season, she'll need a stronger stretch run than she's previously put together; for Nordqvist to get her 2nd win, she'll need to play better at the turn; and for Lee to get her 5th career LPGA win (and 3rd over Ai-sama), she'll need to hit more greens and play better at the turn. However, if each accomplish this but fail to take advantage of the parts of the course they've already been playing very well, they'll open the door to a host of players in the lead chase pack. And this is precisely why it's so hard to win on the LPGA.
A comparison to the Yonex Ladies, a 54-hole event in its final round right now on the JLPGA, can illustrate this neatly. Mi-Jeong Jeon, like Nordqvist, was the only player double digits under par after 2 rounds there. But Miho Koga was the only player within 4 shots of her and there were only 8 players within 5. By contrast, there are 13 players within 4 shots and 20 within 5 of Nordqvist. Nothing against last year's money-list leader Koga or Shinobu Moromizato, this year's money-list leader (as she's clearly a much better player now than when she struggled to make cuts in her rookie season on the LPGA in 2006), but would you rather have them chasing you or Suzann Pettersen (-8), Angela Stanford (-7), Natalie Gulbis (-7), Christina Kim (-6), Sophie Gustafson (-6), Jeong Jang (-6), Cristie Kerr (-5), Michelle Wie (-5), or Hee Young Park (who bounced back from an opening 74 with the low round of moving day, a 65 that included 5 birdies in her last 7 holes on the front)?
Good thing for the leading trio at Pumpkin Ridge that the rest of the LPGA's best aren't bringing their A-game this week. A sick Lorena Ochoa has stalled at -2 with Brittany Lang at T37, while Ya Ni Tseng was -6 through 27 holes and closed with a 40, Ji-Yai Shin has a grand total of 1 birdie in 10 par-5 attempts thus far, and Song-Hee Kim hasn't capitalized on a hole in one--so all remain stuck at -1 (T46). Meanwhile, a walkoff bogey on the par-5 9th cost In-Kyung Kim a missed cut and 68s by Catriona Matthew and Katherine Hull were too little, too late for them to make the cut after opening 77s. And those were just some of the most prominent players who came close to the even-par cut line. Laura Davies (71-74), Inbee Park (76-70), Nicole Castrale (74-72), Brittany Lincicome (77-71), Helen Alfredsson (70-78), Hee-Won Han (77-72), Shiho Oyama (78-73), and Karrie Webb (74-78)? Not a chance.
So I'll be rooting for a classic Ai-sama/Seon Hwa duel tomorrow, hoping that the 3rd time's the charm for my favorite golfer on the planet, and wondering who among my friends in town will be willing to let me hijack their tv from 4 to 6 tomorrow.
[Update 1 (11:31 pm): Here's Hound Dog!]
[Update 2 (11:39 pm): Here are Jamie in the Rough and Nice Ballz. Nice preview of what's to come on LPGA.com when they finally post their notes and interviews for round 2.]
[Update 3 (11:59 am): For those interested in comparing somewhat new and very old new technology, be sure to follow GolferWriterGuy and NiceBallz as they live-micro-blog from Ghost Creek and check out the bulletin board on-course report threads on Seoul Sisters.com by Verdant Garden and Go-Kimmie-Go.]
[Update 4 (8/30/09, 12:05 am): I realize I haven't mentioned Jee Young Lee's 67, M.J. Hur's closing 30 on the back, Meena Lee's 3-hole closing bogey-train to drop her 4 back, Karrie Webb's 1st-round hole in one, or any other interesting tidbits. Plus, I haven't mentioned the weather (often rainy). Until now.]
[Update 5 (12:06 am): As for Se Ri Pak's WD before the start of play yesterday, I'm too distraught for words.]
A comparison to the Yonex Ladies, a 54-hole event in its final round right now on the JLPGA, can illustrate this neatly. Mi-Jeong Jeon, like Nordqvist, was the only player double digits under par after 2 rounds there. But Miho Koga was the only player within 4 shots of her and there were only 8 players within 5. By contrast, there are 13 players within 4 shots and 20 within 5 of Nordqvist. Nothing against last year's money-list leader Koga or Shinobu Moromizato, this year's money-list leader (as she's clearly a much better player now than when she struggled to make cuts in her rookie season on the LPGA in 2006), but would you rather have them chasing you or Suzann Pettersen (-8), Angela Stanford (-7), Natalie Gulbis (-7), Christina Kim (-6), Sophie Gustafson (-6), Jeong Jang (-6), Cristie Kerr (-5), Michelle Wie (-5), or Hee Young Park (who bounced back from an opening 74 with the low round of moving day, a 65 that included 5 birdies in her last 7 holes on the front)?
Good thing for the leading trio at Pumpkin Ridge that the rest of the LPGA's best aren't bringing their A-game this week. A sick Lorena Ochoa has stalled at -2 with Brittany Lang at T37, while Ya Ni Tseng was -6 through 27 holes and closed with a 40, Ji-Yai Shin has a grand total of 1 birdie in 10 par-5 attempts thus far, and Song-Hee Kim hasn't capitalized on a hole in one--so all remain stuck at -1 (T46). Meanwhile, a walkoff bogey on the par-5 9th cost In-Kyung Kim a missed cut and 68s by Catriona Matthew and Katherine Hull were too little, too late for them to make the cut after opening 77s. And those were just some of the most prominent players who came close to the even-par cut line. Laura Davies (71-74), Inbee Park (76-70), Nicole Castrale (74-72), Brittany Lincicome (77-71), Helen Alfredsson (70-78), Hee-Won Han (77-72), Shiho Oyama (78-73), and Karrie Webb (74-78)? Not a chance.
So I'll be rooting for a classic Ai-sama/Seon Hwa duel tomorrow, hoping that the 3rd time's the charm for my favorite golfer on the planet, and wondering who among my friends in town will be willing to let me hijack their tv from 4 to 6 tomorrow.
[Update 1 (11:31 pm): Here's Hound Dog!]
[Update 2 (11:39 pm): Here are Jamie in the Rough and Nice Ballz. Nice preview of what's to come on LPGA.com when they finally post their notes and interviews for round 2.]
[Update 3 (11:59 am): For those interested in comparing somewhat new and very old new technology, be sure to follow GolferWriterGuy and NiceBallz as they live-micro-blog from Ghost Creek and check out the bulletin board on-course report threads on Seoul Sisters.com by Verdant Garden and Go-Kimmie-Go.]
[Update 4 (8/30/09, 12:05 am): I realize I haven't mentioned Jee Young Lee's 67, M.J. Hur's closing 30 on the back, Meena Lee's 3-hole closing bogey-train to drop her 4 back, Karrie Webb's 1st-round hole in one, or any other interesting tidbits. Plus, I haven't mentioned the weather (often rainy). Until now.]
[Update 5 (12:06 am): As for Se Ri Pak's WD before the start of play yesterday, I'm too distraught for words.]
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
The Things I Do for My Readers
Hound Dog's regulars already know about the Mirassou wine LPGA sweepstakes, but for any of mine who aren't one of them, here's the set-up to my punch line:
Since courtgolf and Tim Maitland have both publicly questioned my Ai Miyazato fanboy standing, I went ahead and entered this contest. So I'm counting on all of you not to. At least until after July 31st. I mean, the Full Metal Archivist and I are taking the girls to Skate Canada to watch Daisuke Takahashi's comeback attempt around Thanksgiving, but how cool would it be for us toescape from them enjoy a romantic getaway the last week of September? We deserve an Ai-chan/Dai-chan double shot, right? Right?!
This post was brought to you the Mostly Harmless Ai Miyazato Half Week organizing committee.
One winner and a guest will receive the California wine and golf getaway of a lifetime, including round-trip air transportation to San Francisco, hotel accommodations, VIP passes to the CVS/Pharmacy LPGA Challenge tournament, a meet-and-greet with an LPGA player, and more. Plus, the winners will also dine California-style at a special dinner with wine expert David Mirassou. Visit http://www.mirassou.com/golf/sweepstakes.asp to enter now through July 31.
Since courtgolf and Tim Maitland have both publicly questioned my Ai Miyazato fanboy standing, I went ahead and entered this contest. So I'm counting on all of you not to. At least until after July 31st. I mean, the Full Metal Archivist and I are taking the girls to Skate Canada to watch Daisuke Takahashi's comeback attempt around Thanksgiving, but how cool would it be for us to
This post was brought to you the Mostly Harmless Ai Miyazato Half Week organizing committee.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Tweet! Tweet! Cink Birdies Out to Rout Watson in Open Playoff
I wonder if this means that Cink will gain more new Twitter followers then he loses for ruining everyone's hopes and dreams?
[Update 1 (7/20/09, 10:44 pm): Bob Smiley has a preliminary answer.]
[Update 1 (7/20/09, 10:44 pm): Bob Smiley has a preliminary answer.]
Monday, July 13, 2009
Dear Media: This Ain't Reality TV
In one of my last updates to my not-quite-live-blogging the final round of the U.S. Women's Open, I had occasion to ask,
Whether it was Leonard Shapiro hoping for a Cristie Kerr win or Michael Arkush bemoaning a Paula Creamer moving day implosion, something fishy was in the air this week, and it wasn't just those doing the color commentary who were the source of it. Consider who among the following 3 pairs of golfers captured the imagination and attention of the national media in the Sunday game stories you read today.
Yeah, yeah, beyond the fact that it's always the blonde American LPGAers who get the word count from the U.S. media, I get it that Kerr and Lincicome have each won a major recently and that Creamer may well be the best player on tour without one. Yes, Suzann Pettersen also made a late birdie to join Creamer and Miyazato as co-leaders in the clubhouse until Lincicome, Kim, and Kung surpassed them, so it's not just the Taiwan-born, Korean, or Japanese players who fall outside the media spotlight. And yes, I'll even confess to feeling the same things that lead to these kinds of oversights: I was disappointed 2 Sundays ago when Morgan Pressel's dramatic comeback on Eunjung Yi at the Farr came just short.
But a 1st LPGA win for my #11-ranked Super Soph is less of a story than my #2-ranked Junior Mint coming back from a mini-slump this season to get her 2nd career win and 1st major with a walkoff birdie on women's golf's biggest stage. And the fact that she beat Kung, Kim, Miyazato, and Pettersen is just as significant as the fact that she beat Kerr, Lincicome, and Creamer.
I'm off to take out my frustrations on the course--for the 1st time since last August, so I'm pretty excited. Maybe in the meantime someone in the national media will prove me wrong and find a compelling way to frame what really happened at Saucon Valley rather than focusing only on the news that's "fit to print" in their eyes. And maybe everyone will realize that the LPGA's future doesn't rest on one individual or nationality, that the point of sports is the thrilling competition itself.
Yeah, and maybe I'll break 75 on The Easiest Course in the World today.
[Update 1 (12:09 pm): Well, I couldn't even break 80 today (the rust on my 30-to-90 yard game was something fierce!), but I got to catch up with one of my golfing buddies from years ago and we had a fun 3 and a half hours. Nice to come back to find that Jay Busbee's got my back (and a link to a very good Brian Murphy piece)!]
[Update 2 (12:18 pm): Also a nice overview from Amy Ellis Nutt out of the Newark Star-Ledger. Have I misunderestimated the national media?]
[Update 3 (12:30 pm): But the basic question remains: will the national media be able to get the story right? My benchmark is whether they understand the tournament and final round as well as long-time LPGA bloggers Hound Dog and Bill Jempty.]
[Update 4 (1:15 pm): The smaller-market golf writers are doing a good job. Here's Mark Wogenrich out of PA's Lehigh Valley, Andrew Shay out of Bethlehem, and Gerry Dulac out of Pittsburgh. But Mike Kirn of the Philadelphia Daily News, Joe Juliano of the Philadelphia Inquirer, and Michael Whitmer of the Boston Globe did just fine. Still, the SI guys only focus on Creamer's and Kerr's collapses--the rest is on who will replace Bivens. (More on that in another post.)]
[Update 5 (7/14/09, 12:30 pm): John Strege gets it right, as usual.]
When is the national media going to realize that sports are different than a reality tv show and that their job isn't to script an event but to report on it?
Whether it was Leonard Shapiro hoping for a Cristie Kerr win or Michael Arkush bemoaning a Paula Creamer moving day implosion, something fishy was in the air this week, and it wasn't just those doing the color commentary who were the source of it. Consider who among the following 3 pairs of golfers captured the imagination and attention of the national media in the Sunday game stories you read today.
- Cristie Kerr and Candie Kung: the last leader in the clubhouse--and her disappointing bogey on the 71st hole of the tournament--were almost completely eclipsed by the focus on Kerr's struggles with her game.
- Brittany Lincicome and In-Kyung Kim: the player who was actually tied for the lead late on the back 9--and who bogeyed the final hole to fall out of a tie with Kung--gets eclipsed by a player who made a charge early on the back but fizzled from 15 on.
- Paula Creamer and Ai Miyazato: both players made late birdies to become the 1st leaders in the clubhouse (at +4) to actually put a little pressure on those in the final pairings, but you'll only find out about 1 of them if you rely on the national media.
Yeah, yeah, beyond the fact that it's always the blonde American LPGAers who get the word count from the U.S. media, I get it that Kerr and Lincicome have each won a major recently and that Creamer may well be the best player on tour without one. Yes, Suzann Pettersen also made a late birdie to join Creamer and Miyazato as co-leaders in the clubhouse until Lincicome, Kim, and Kung surpassed them, so it's not just the Taiwan-born, Korean, or Japanese players who fall outside the media spotlight. And yes, I'll even confess to feeling the same things that lead to these kinds of oversights: I was disappointed 2 Sundays ago when Morgan Pressel's dramatic comeback on Eunjung Yi at the Farr came just short.
But a 1st LPGA win for my #11-ranked Super Soph is less of a story than my #2-ranked Junior Mint coming back from a mini-slump this season to get her 2nd career win and 1st major with a walkoff birdie on women's golf's biggest stage. And the fact that she beat Kung, Kim, Miyazato, and Pettersen is just as significant as the fact that she beat Kerr, Lincicome, and Creamer.
I'm off to take out my frustrations on the course--for the 1st time since last August, so I'm pretty excited. Maybe in the meantime someone in the national media will prove me wrong and find a compelling way to frame what really happened at Saucon Valley rather than focusing only on the news that's "fit to print" in their eyes. And maybe everyone will realize that the LPGA's future doesn't rest on one individual or nationality, that the point of sports is the thrilling competition itself.
Yeah, and maybe I'll break 75 on The Easiest Course in the World today.
[Update 1 (12:09 pm): Well, I couldn't even break 80 today (the rust on my 30-to-90 yard game was something fierce!), but I got to catch up with one of my golfing buddies from years ago and we had a fun 3 and a half hours. Nice to come back to find that Jay Busbee's got my back (and a link to a very good Brian Murphy piece)!]
[Update 2 (12:18 pm): Also a nice overview from Amy Ellis Nutt out of the Newark Star-Ledger. Have I misunderestimated the national media?]
[Update 3 (12:30 pm): But the basic question remains: will the national media be able to get the story right? My benchmark is whether they understand the tournament and final round as well as long-time LPGA bloggers Hound Dog and Bill Jempty.]
[Update 4 (1:15 pm): The smaller-market golf writers are doing a good job. Here's Mark Wogenrich out of PA's Lehigh Valley, Andrew Shay out of Bethlehem, and Gerry Dulac out of Pittsburgh. But Mike Kirn of the Philadelphia Daily News, Joe Juliano of the Philadelphia Inquirer, and Michael Whitmer of the Boston Globe did just fine. Still, the SI guys only focus on Creamer's and Kerr's collapses--the rest is on who will replace Bivens. (More on that in another post.)]
[Update 5 (7/14/09, 12:30 pm): John Strege gets it right, as usual.]
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Vagaries of Golf Journalism
A few puzzlers for you all as we head into the pre-Masters frenzy that consistently overshadows the Kraft Nabisco Championship.
Why is it that Jason Sobel knows how to write a great piece on the coming changing of the guard in the world of men's professional golf, as heralded by Rory McIlroy, Danny Lee, and Ryo Ishikawa, but nobody knows how to write about the exact same thing that's been happening on the LPGA over the last several years--except to whine about the lack of American dominance? Recent writing on the LPGA has felt like a bad flashback to the late '90s--anyone remember how golf journalists then were more anxious than excited at the fact that the international trio of Annika Sorenstam, Karrie Webb, and Se Ri Pak was pushing a generation of great American stars down the leaderboard? Where's the journalist today to declare that the transnationalism of the LPGA's Young Guns and New Blood is something to be celebrated?
It stands to reason that Ron Sirak would be your man for the job. Why, then, didn't he save his column on the holes in the LPGA's schedule for next week and produce as good a preview of the competition then to come in the very strong field at the J Golf Phoenix International last week as good as his Kraft Nabisco Championship preview this one? (Although even in the recent one it would have been great to end with a look at the current contenders as searching as his look at the course and the ways past champions won on it. Is he worried about what Brent Kelley has recently noted--that the LPGA's 1st major has no clear favorite?) The irony here is that Jon Show, who's done as much as anyone to document the LPGA's financial crisis, came out with the most optimistic article in recent memory on the LPGA's prospects the very same week Sirak decided to write on the schedule rather than the players in Phoenix.
Look, Sirak is a talented writer, as his profile of twin sisters Aree and Naree Song shows. But when is he going to get comfortable with the fact that he can't just replicate his success with Annika Sorenstam today with Michelle Wie? With the rise of Ji-Yai Shin, Ya Ni Tseng, Seon Hwa Lee, and Angela Park, joined by another couple of dozen international golfers international players who are capable of winning any given week (and, yes, naturalized U.S. citizen Park is joined by Morgan Pressel, Brittany Lang, Jane Park, Vicky Hurst, and, yes, Wie, to name a few Americans who have already excelled in this cohort), golf journalists who focus on the LPGA have to get a handle on more players and story lines than just the stuff that flies on the PGA: the awesomeness of Tiger's awesome awesomeness and the follow-the-will'o'wisp search for a legitimate rival for him. This is most definitely the Ochoa Era on the LPGA, but the PGA's future is the LPGA's present: that changing of the guard that Sobel wrote about coming in the next 10 years there is happening here right now. When will Sirak write about that?
Speaking of present and future PGA revolutionaries, I want to give credit to Jaime Diaz and Max Adler for writing fantastic profiles of Tiger's mom Tida (in the great Steve Elling tradition) and Danny Lee, respectively. Don't get me wrong, Corina Knoll got some great tidbits in her idiot's guide to identifying some of the top players of Korean descent on the LPGA (outdoing Matt Cooper's fine survey), but wouldn't it be nice for some of them to get the long-form treatment? Until then, we'll just have to endure more great American hope stories, I guess.
[Update 1 (4/3/09, 12:34 am): Hey, is Randall Mell a MH reader? Probably not, but nice job on the Ochoa-Shin pairing and its larger significance, Randall!]
Why is it that Jason Sobel knows how to write a great piece on the coming changing of the guard in the world of men's professional golf, as heralded by Rory McIlroy, Danny Lee, and Ryo Ishikawa, but nobody knows how to write about the exact same thing that's been happening on the LPGA over the last several years--except to whine about the lack of American dominance? Recent writing on the LPGA has felt like a bad flashback to the late '90s--anyone remember how golf journalists then were more anxious than excited at the fact that the international trio of Annika Sorenstam, Karrie Webb, and Se Ri Pak was pushing a generation of great American stars down the leaderboard? Where's the journalist today to declare that the transnationalism of the LPGA's Young Guns and New Blood is something to be celebrated?
It stands to reason that Ron Sirak would be your man for the job. Why, then, didn't he save his column on the holes in the LPGA's schedule for next week and produce as good a preview of the competition then to come in the very strong field at the J Golf Phoenix International last week as good as his Kraft Nabisco Championship preview this one? (Although even in the recent one it would have been great to end with a look at the current contenders as searching as his look at the course and the ways past champions won on it. Is he worried about what Brent Kelley has recently noted--that the LPGA's 1st major has no clear favorite?) The irony here is that Jon Show, who's done as much as anyone to document the LPGA's financial crisis, came out with the most optimistic article in recent memory on the LPGA's prospects the very same week Sirak decided to write on the schedule rather than the players in Phoenix.
Look, Sirak is a talented writer, as his profile of twin sisters Aree and Naree Song shows. But when is he going to get comfortable with the fact that he can't just replicate his success with Annika Sorenstam today with Michelle Wie? With the rise of Ji-Yai Shin, Ya Ni Tseng, Seon Hwa Lee, and Angela Park, joined by another couple of dozen international golfers international players who are capable of winning any given week (and, yes, naturalized U.S. citizen Park is joined by Morgan Pressel, Brittany Lang, Jane Park, Vicky Hurst, and, yes, Wie, to name a few Americans who have already excelled in this cohort), golf journalists who focus on the LPGA have to get a handle on more players and story lines than just the stuff that flies on the PGA: the awesomeness of Tiger's awesome awesomeness and the follow-the-will'o'wisp search for a legitimate rival for him. This is most definitely the Ochoa Era on the LPGA, but the PGA's future is the LPGA's present: that changing of the guard that Sobel wrote about coming in the next 10 years there is happening here right now. When will Sirak write about that?
Speaking of present and future PGA revolutionaries, I want to give credit to Jaime Diaz and Max Adler for writing fantastic profiles of Tiger's mom Tida (in the great Steve Elling tradition) and Danny Lee, respectively. Don't get me wrong, Corina Knoll got some great tidbits in her idiot's guide to identifying some of the top players of Korean descent on the LPGA (outdoing Matt Cooper's fine survey), but wouldn't it be nice for some of them to get the long-form treatment? Until then, we'll just have to endure more great American hope stories, I guess.
[Update 1 (4/3/09, 12:34 am): Hey, is Randall Mell a MH reader? Probably not, but nice job on the Ochoa-Shin pairing and its larger significance, Randall!]
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
J Golf Phoenix LPGA International Preview/Predictions/Pairings
As Hound Dog emphasizes, the J Golf Phoenix LPGA International has a major-quality field, but even though the LPGA has competed in Phoenix since 1980, they've moved to a new course that has just completed renovations (Hound Dog links to a caddie who thinks Papago will play easy; local journalist Bill Huffman thinks it'll play tough). So take Golf Observer's historical stats and Ochoa's domination last year with a big grain of salt if you're playing this week's Pakpicker over at Seoul Sisters.com. Me, I'm basically going with my hot list, with some adjustments based on who I think will adjust best to the new track. Of course, Hound Dog's been kicking my butt all winter in the Pakpicker, so take my predictions with an even bigger grain of salt!
1. Ochoa
2. Stanford
3. Lee Jee Young
4. Tseng
5. Choi Na Yeon
6. Kerr
7. Lang
8. Ji
9. Shin
10. Wie
11. Pettersen
12. Creamer
Alts: Hull, Kim Song-Hee, Yoo
It would be nice to know who have been the best ballstrikers on tour this season, but the LPGA's key performance stats were not kept in Mexico, just as they weren't in Asia. So this is a bit more guesswork than I usually like to be making. Still, the LPGA is back in the States and winter is over, so I'm hoping my luck will turn over a new leaf. (At the same time, I'd love to see Moira Dunn, Ai Miyazato, Seon Hwa Lee, and In-Kyung Kim make me pay for leaving them off my list!)
In any case, the pairings for the first 2 rounds are up, and once again, they are a treat. I'm not even going to try to rank the prime-time quadrants. Just check out the front-side morning groups for Thursday's round:
Yeah, it's a little vet-heavy at the bottom for my taste, but these vets got game. Compare their counterparts in the back-side morning pairings and you'll see what I mean about how hard it is to say one set is better than another:
OK, maybe you could make a case that there are more players among those going off the back with a legitimate shot at winning the tournament and fewer in danger of missing the cut, but you'd have to work really hard to convince me.
Now check out the front-side afternoon pairings:
Wow! But check out their counterparts going off the back:
Even with vets struggling to find their top games, 2 legitimately slumping younger players, and others who haven't been playing quite up to their potential lately, any quadrant with Ya Ni Tseng and Jee Young Lee in it has a lot going for it.
But to get a true sense of the strength of the field, consider who'll need to earn their way into the prime-time weekend pairings. Off the 1st tee, we have Futures Tour playoff-loser Song Yi Choi (7:01 am), Europe's hottest golfer Anja Monke (7:12 am), American rookies Michelle Wie (who's featured in the 1st pre-tournament interview) and Vicky Hurst, playing with NCAA superstar Carlota Ciganda (12:40 pm), sponsor exemption and KLPGA Super Soph So Yeon Ryu (1:02 pm), American rookie Stacy Lewis (1:24 pm), Australian media magnet Anna Rawson (1:35 pm), and 11-time JLPGA winner Shiho Oyama (1:46 pm). Off the 10th tee, we have Japanese rookie Mika Miyazato (7:12 am), LPGA Super Soph Amy Yang (7:23 am), LPGA Senior Standout Ai Miyazato (7:45 am), and Euro-star Johanna Mundy (1:46 pm).
This should be an exciting week! If Pat Hurst can come out of nowhere and beat a relatively strong field in Mexico, who says someone else can't do the same to a much stronger field in Phoenix?
1. Ochoa
2. Stanford
3. Lee Jee Young
4. Tseng
5. Choi Na Yeon
6. Kerr
7. Lang
8. Ji
9. Shin
10. Wie
11. Pettersen
12. Creamer
Alts: Hull, Kim Song-Hee, Yoo
It would be nice to know who have been the best ballstrikers on tour this season, but the LPGA's key performance stats were not kept in Mexico, just as they weren't in Asia. So this is a bit more guesswork than I usually like to be making. Still, the LPGA is back in the States and winter is over, so I'm hoping my luck will turn over a new leaf. (At the same time, I'd love to see Moira Dunn, Ai Miyazato, Seon Hwa Lee, and In-Kyung Kim make me pay for leaving them off my list!)
In any case, the pairings for the first 2 rounds are up, and once again, they are a treat. I'm not even going to try to rank the prime-time quadrants. Just check out the front-side morning groups for Thursday's round:
Start Time: 8:07 AM
Ji-Yai Shin
Eun-Hee Ji
Angela Park
Start Time: 8:18 AM
Laura Davies
Hee-Won Han
Na Yeon Choi
Start Time: 8:29 AM
Sophie Gustafson
Brandie Burton
Laura Diaz
Start Time: 8:40 AM
Wendy Ward
Teresa Lu
Meaghan Francella
Start Time: 8:51 AM
Ji Young Oh
Silvia Cavalleri
Helen Alfredsson
Yeah, it's a little vet-heavy at the bottom for my taste, but these vets got game. Compare their counterparts in the back-side morning pairings and you'll see what I mean about how hard it is to say one set is better than another:
Start Time: 8:07 AM
Young Kim
In-Kyung Kim
Song-Hee Kim
Start Time: 8:18 AM
Stacy Prammanasudh
Candie Kung
Louise Friberg
Start Time: 8:29 AM
Karrie Webb
Carin Koch
Angela Stanford
Start Time: 8:40 AM
Paula Creamer
Juli Inkster
Natalie Gulbis
Start Time: 8:51 AM
Christina Kim
Grace Park
Morgan Pressel
OK, maybe you could make a case that there are more players among those going off the back with a legitimate shot at winning the tournament and fewer in danger of missing the cut, but you'd have to work really hard to convince me.
Now check out the front-side afternoon pairings:
Start Time: 11:45 AM
Jane Park
Brittany Lang
Liselotte Neumann
Start Time: 11:56 AM
Leta Lindley
Katherine Hull
Cristie Kerr
Start Time: 12:07 PM
Se Ri Pak
Hee Young Park
Seon Hwa Lee
Start Time: 12:18 PM
Sun Young Yoo
Meena Lee
Momoko Ueda
Start Time: 12:29 PM
Lorena Ochoa
Suzann Pettersen
Pat Hurst
Wow! But check out their counterparts going off the back:
Start Time: 11:45 AM
Lindsey Wright
Ya Ni Tseng
Karen Stupples
Start Time: 11:56 AM
Lorie Kane
Brittany Lincicome
Jee Young Lee
Start Time: 12:07 PM
Rachel Hetherington
Michelle Ellis
Inbee Park
Start Time: 12:18 PM
Nicole Castrale
Minea Blomqvist
Giulia Sergas
Start Time: 12:29 PM
Michele Redman
Shanshan Feng
Mi Hyun Kim
Even with vets struggling to find their top games, 2 legitimately slumping younger players, and others who haven't been playing quite up to their potential lately, any quadrant with Ya Ni Tseng and Jee Young Lee in it has a lot going for it.
But to get a true sense of the strength of the field, consider who'll need to earn their way into the prime-time weekend pairings. Off the 1st tee, we have Futures Tour playoff-loser Song Yi Choi (7:01 am), Europe's hottest golfer Anja Monke (7:12 am), American rookies Michelle Wie (who's featured in the 1st pre-tournament interview) and Vicky Hurst, playing with NCAA superstar Carlota Ciganda (12:40 pm), sponsor exemption and KLPGA Super Soph So Yeon Ryu (1:02 pm), American rookie Stacy Lewis (1:24 pm), Australian media magnet Anna Rawson (1:35 pm), and 11-time JLPGA winner Shiho Oyama (1:46 pm). Off the 10th tee, we have Japanese rookie Mika Miyazato (7:12 am), LPGA Super Soph Amy Yang (7:23 am), LPGA Senior Standout Ai Miyazato (7:45 am), and Euro-star Johanna Mundy (1:46 pm).
This should be an exciting week! If Pat Hurst can come out of nowhere and beat a relatively strong field in Mexico, who says someone else can't do the same to a much stronger field in Phoenix?
Thursday, January 8, 2009
The Day the Earth Stood in the Balance
Liked the title of my critique of the 2008 version of The Day the Earth Stood Still that I recently posted over at sf@SF so much I thought I'd link to it here. As you can see from the tags, it may be of interest to those who come to Mostly Harmless for something--anything!--besides women's golf.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Hannah Yun to Turn Pro When She Turns 17
Dave Andrews reports that Hannah Yun will be playing full-time on the Futures Tour in 2009. Good for her, even if she hasn't assumed the privileges of MH authorship just quite yet. Look for her to battle FT Q-School medalist Hannah Jun down the stretch on many Sundays in 2009. Wouldn't it be cool if Yun were the 1st player to take advantage of the LPGA's new battlefield promotion rule and play the LPGA under Category 13 after her 3rd win on the FT?
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
2008 Pinx Cup Snowed Out
Check out the Seoul Sisters.com discussion board thread and the JoongAng Daily for pictures and accounts of the unofficial 9-hole snow-golf remnant of the Pinx Cup played for the fans after the tournament organizers decided it would be impossible to complete the annual Korea-Japan head-to-head team stroke play competition this year. This is as good a time as any to revive my proposal from last fall that the Pinx Cup (or Kyoraku Cup, as it's called when it's hosted by Japan) model itself after the Solheim Cup in format and timing, so that the winners and losers of each competition can face off in the "off"-year to crown a world champion. It's not too late to set this up for the 2009 season. The LPGA certainly has enough gaps in its late-summer schedule for the KLPGA and JLPGA to agree on a week off around the time of the Solheim Cup to move the Pinx/Kyoraku Cup near it. And then it's just a question of the 4 major professional tours in women's golf agreeing to my proposal. Piece of cake, right?
Friday, October 3, 2008
Turning Stone Thursday: Oh, the Joys of Central NY Golf!
Reading the PGATOUR.com game story on the Turning Stone Resort Championship and noting the opposite fortunues of Korean-Australian sensation Danny Lee (75, T80) here and Korean-American rock star Anthony Kim (64, 1st) at the KOLON-Hana Bank Korea Open on the Asian Tour, I had some flashbacks to my own college golfing experiences in central NY in the fall. Like the time during the ECAC Championship qualifier at Colgate University's Seven Oaks when the driving rain turned into swirling snow flurries. Come to think of it, it wasn't just during the fall that we had to deal with bizarre weather. My worst-ever round at the Utica City Amateur came during a rain/windstorm so intense that when it both broke and blew away my heavy-duty golf umbrella on the 16th fairway, I didn't even bother trying to chase it. Oh, and then there was the 1 and only time in my life that I qualified for the New York State Mid-Amateur one fall. It was being held in Buffalo that year and I worked so hard during the 1st round in soaking rain and freezing cold to stay only a few over par until it was called when I had only 7 or so holes to go and our scores were erased that when I came back for my early starting time the next day I was so sick and tired that I came in, uh, last. Just like that windy day on Bethpage Black.... (Wait, maybe those last 2 shouldn't count b/c of their western NY and Long Island locations. Nah, it's all "central" NY!)
Why is it the traumatic golf memories stick with you so much more intensely than the good ones--like during that year when I got a hole-in-one and an eagle with the same 3-wood? Or my 66? Just goes to show it's much easier to blog about competitive golf than play it. Do we keep coming back to the game because we love it or because of PTSD?
Why is it the traumatic golf memories stick with you so much more intensely than the good ones--like during that year when I got a hole-in-one and an eagle with the same 3-wood? Or my 66? Just goes to show it's much easier to blog about competitive golf than play it. Do we keep coming back to the game because we love it or because of PTSD?
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