21-year-old Mi Hyang Lee won the 2nd tournament of 2014 among major women's professional tours by firing a final-round 63 in New Zealand and blowing past Lydia Ko, among others. And she's just won the Mizuno Classic, the 2nd of November--and her 1st on the LPGA--by blowing past 51-year-old Laura Davies, among others, catching Ilhee Lee and Kotomo Kozuma at -11, and beating them with a birdie on the 5th playoff hole. With 9 players finishing at -10 and 5 at -9, it's amazing that Lee could prevail, but somebody had to do it. Here's how it happened.
Lee had sprung into contention with a 2nd-round 67, but it wasn't nearly the best round on moving day. The JLPGA's young star Ai Suzuki birdied her last 4 holes in a row (and 5 of her last 6) for a 64 that got her a share of the lead with Davies (67) and Ilhee Lee (66) at -9. Na-Ri Lee birdied 6 of her last 11 holes to post a 65 that got her into solo 7th, 2 shots off the lead and 1 behind Mi Hyang Lee, Kozuma (67), and Chella Choi (68). With Jessica Korda, Misuzu Narita, and Teresa Lu firing 67s of their own to move to -6, -5, and -4, respectively, and with big names Karrie Webb (68), Sakura Yokomine (69), and Bo-Mee Lee (69) lurking, Sunday dawned with 21 players within 5 shots of the lead. The only disappointment was that the 2 biggest names in the field, LPGA money-list leader Stacy Lewis and JLPGA money-list leader Sun-Ju Ahn, were not in that group.
Even without them in the hunt, what a Sunday it turned out to be! Hall of Famer and 2006 champion Webb kicked off the festivities with a bogey-free 31 on the front from the 3rd-to-last group to move to -11 at the turn. Playing in the next-to-last group, Choi and Mi Hyang Lee birdied 4 of her 1st 7 holes and 3 of her 1st 7, respectively, to join her. Meanwhile Korda, sandwiched between those 2 groups, got it to -10 with a birdie-free 32 on the front. But all of them were chasing Choi's and Lee's playing partner Kozuma, who birdied 4 holes in a row after parring the 1st and got it to -13 with a birdie on the par-5 7th. As the 2nd-round co-leaders stumbled out of the gates--Suzuki bogeyed her 1st 2 holes and scrambled her way to a 37 that left her at -8, Davies offset her 2 birdies with 2 bogeys to stay at -9, and Ilhee Lee made 11-straight pars dating back to the end of moving day before making her lone birdie on the front that got her to -10--Kozuma suddenly gave everyone hope with bogeys on 9 and 11 that dropped her back to -11.
Even as the 22-year-old looking for her 1st JLPGA victory looked like she was starting to fumble it, other players entered the fray. LPGA newbie Ayako Uehara, a 3-time winner on the JLPGA who was a fixture in the top 26 of their money list from 2006 to 2012, ended her 8-hole par train that closed out yesterday's round with a birdie on her 1st hole today and followed it up with 4 more in her next 12 holes of bogey-free golf to climb to -11 and into a tie for the lead with her playing partner Korda (who birdied the 12th to get there), Choi (who would follow up her birdie barrage on the 1st 7 holes with a par train over her next 7), Kozuma, and Ilhee Lee (who birdied the 7th and 11th to get there and had gone without a bogey for 33 holes and counting at that point). But what of Webb, Davies, and the eventual winner? Well, Webb went bogey-birdie-bogey to fall back to -10 with only 4 holes left to play, Mi Hyang Lee had bogeyed the 10th to join her there but fought back into a tie for the lead with a birdie on the 14th, and Davies birdied the par-5 13th to get to -10.
A bunch of late charges complicated matters yet further. 1st-round leader Morgan Pressel, who had stalled Saturday after an opening 67 due to an unexpectedly balky putter, followed up her bogey-free 33 on the front today with 3 birdies in her last 6 holes, including 2 in her last 3, to post her 2nd 67 of the week and become the leader in the clubhouse at -10. She was joined a few minutes later by playing partners Sakura Yokomine and Saiki Fujita. Yokomine had birdied 2 of her 1st 3 holes but stalled midway through her round, yet finished strong with 4 birdies in her last 8 holes, including 3 of her last 6. Fujita, meanwhile, followed up her 4 birdies in her 1st 6 holes with a lone eagle on the 13th in a sea of pars. Their final playing partner, Harukyo Nomura, had a great chance to become the 4th co-leader in the clubhouse, but despite making 5 birdies between the 7th and 15th holes, could not make another on the 540-yard par-5 16th, 180-yard par-3 17th, or 405-yard par-4 18th.
So the big question as the leaders entered the home stretch was who would join Pressel, Yokomine, and Fujita at -10--and who would surpass them?
The 1st to try was Webb. She made a heroic birdie on 17 to get to -11, but had to settle for becoming the 4th co-leader in the clubhouse when she suffered a walkoff bogey.
Next up were Korda, Uehara, and Na-Ri Lee. Korda had fallen back to -10 with a bogey on the par-4 14th and couldn't make a birdie coming home. Lee did birdie 2 of her last 4 holes, but it was too little, too late. So all Uehara needed to do to pass the 6 co-leaders was to stay at -11. She did it with pars on 14, 15, 16, and 17, but she couldn't do it on 18. Now there were 7 players at -10 and only 6 left on the course. Would anyone break the logjam?
The next threesome featured up-and-coming golfers looking for their 1st win ever (Choi and Kozuma) or 1st win on the LPGA (Mi Hyang Lee). Kozuma had righted the ship after her mid-round stumbles and had made 6-straight pars as she headed into the 18th at -11. Lee had followed up her birdie on 14 with 3-straight pars to keep pace with the JLPGA's last hope for a homegrown winner. But Choi had bogeyed the par-4 15th and needed a birdie on 18 or walkoff bogeys by her playing partners to have a hope of winning. In the end, all 3 parred out, making it 8 golfers at -10--and 2 at -11.
Would anyone in the final group be able to beat Lee and Kozuma? Davies couldn't do it, as she finished with 5-straight pars to become the 9th player to end the week at -10. After her rough start, Suzuki had fought back to -9 with 2 holes to play, but parred out. Ilhee Lee got it to -12 with a birdie on the long par-5 16th, but she ended her 38-hole bogey-free run with a bogey on 17. Could she birdie 18 for the win? Would she join Webb and Uehara in the walkoff bogey club? Nope, she parred it to join the playoff with Kozuma and Mi Hyang Lee.
And what a playoff it was! They played the tough 18th over and over...and over. All pars the 1st go-round...and the 2nd. All birdies the 3rd. All pars the 4th. Finally Mi Hyang Lee prevailed with her 2nd birdie of the playoff on the 5th go-round!
If you had told me at the start of the week that Stacy Lewis, Na Yeon Choi, and Sun-Ju Ahn would finish outside the top 30 and Bo-Mee Lee, Ji-Yai Shin, Misuza Narita, Teresa Lu, and Mirim Lee would struggle to make the top 20, I would have told you that anyone could walk away with the victory (and that I'd be in contention for the wooden spoon, the cellar-dweller's prize in SeoulSisters.com's PakPicker, this week!). In the midst of Morgan Pressel, Chella Choi, and Na-Ri Lee putting on a ball-striking exhibition, Ai Suzuki and Ayako Uehara putting on a putting exhibition, and Laura Davies and Karrie Webb showing the kids a thing or two, Mi Hyang Lee, Ilhee Lee, and Kotono Kozuma showed us all that you don't need to have a big name or a huge resume to create a lot of drama. Mi Hyang Lee's 2nd win of 2014 will move her up my ranking of the top 22 under 22 on major women's professional tours. Congratulations to Lee and condolences to everyone she surpassed!
[Update 1 (5:39 am): Sunday was a day of playoffs, as Min Sun Kim broke through for her 1st career KLPGA victory and Lee-Anne Pace made it 3 Ws in her last 3 starts!]
Showing posts with label that's why they play the game. Show all posts
Showing posts with label that's why they play the game. Show all posts
Sunday, November 9, 2014
Thursday, September 18, 2014
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.]
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.]
Monday, September 15, 2014
It's Crunch Time on the LPGA and Symetra Tour This Week!
The Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic and the Symetra Tour Championship this week will have a huge bearing on who keeps or gains solid LPGA status for the 2015 season and who will have to go to Q-School to improve or secure it.
In a nutshell, those who finish in the top 100 on the 2014 LPGA money list will be able to get as many starts as they want in 2015, as will those who finish in the top 10 on the 2014 Symetra Tour money list. Those between #101 and #125 on this year's LPGA money list will have a limited number of starts next year, and will probably choose to go to Q-School to improve on their status, while those who finish between #11 and #25 on the Symetra Tour money list will get a free pass into the final stage of Q-School and those who finish outside the top 25 will need to play in Stage II at the end of the month. With that in mind, let's review the LPGA and Symetra Tour money lists to see who's on the edge.
Let's start with the LPGA:
90. Jaye Marie Green $88.4K
91. Kelly Tan $88.1K [not in Yokohama field]
92. Alison Walshe $85.4K
93. Lindsey Wright $84.7K
94. Kristy McPherson $83.9K
95. Ashleigh Simon $78.3K
96. Yueer Cindy Feng $77.6K
97. Alena Sharp $75.3K
98. Paz Echeverria $75.0K [not in Yokohama field]
99. Jee Young Lee $74.8K
100. Joanna Klatten $72.7K
***
101. Alejandra Llaneza $66.1K
102. Lisa McCloskey $66.0K
103. Chie Arimura $62.8K
104. Hee-Won Han $61.1K [retired]
105. Paula Reto $58.4K
106. Becky Morgan $57.7K
107. Paola Moreno $57.0K
108. Rebecca Lee-Bentham $51.9K
109. Jennifer Kirby $51.7K
110. Felicity Johnson $50.8K
So let's say someone wanted to guarantee she passed Echeverria. A top-25 finish would be good enough for Llaneza or McCloskey, while Lee-Bentham, Kirby, and Johnson would need more like top-10 finishes. A top-2 finish would be good enough to leapfrog anyone in the field into the top 100 who wasn't already there, while a top 5 would be good enough for almost everyone. The only question is how many players from outside the top 100 play well enough to make a move on those near the bottom of it. To keep their fate in their hands, the most vulnerable players in the top 100--Simon, Feng, Sharp, Lee, and Klatten--need to at least make the cut in Alabama.
On the Symetra Tour, it seems to me that if the purse is the same as last year, then everyone from #8 Kendall Dye on up has already secured their card, no matter what happens this week. (That's why Yueer Cindy Feng is playing on the LPGA to improve on her #96 position there rather than defending her #6 position on the Symetra Tour money list). But a top-5 finish from someone fairly far down the money list can have a huge impact on who makes the top 10 and top 25, particularly if those near the edges miss the cut:
9. Mallory Blackwelder $39.5K
10. Veronica Felibert $39.5K
***
11. Sara-Maude Juneau $36.5K
12. Lee Lopez $36.1K
13. Lindy Duncan $36.1K
14. Brittany Altomare $33.9K
15. Demi Runas $33.2K
16. Emily Talley $32.7K
17. Nicole Vandermade $31.9K
18. Olivia Jordan-Higgins $30.9K
19. Laura Gonzalez-Escallon $29.0K
20. Madison Pressel $27.9K
21. Maude-Aimee Leblanc $25.2K
22. Hye-Min Kim $24.9K
23. Daniela Iacobelli $24.2K
24. Jennie Lee $23.6K
25. Rebecca Artis $23.4K
***
26. Jean Reynolds $22.8K
27. Marta Silva $22.3K
28. Molly Aronsson $22.0K
29. Stephanie Na $21.3K
30. Therese Koelbaek $21.3K
31. Calle Neilson $20.1K
32. Megan McChrystal $20.1K [in Yokohama, not Tour Championship, field]
33. Kim Kaufman $19.6K [LPGA card already secured; fighting to make Asian Swing]
34. Casey Grice $19.5K
35. Caroline Powers $19.0K
36. Samantha Richdale $18.2K
37. Katie Kempter $18.1K
38. Madeleine Sheils $17.5K
39. Ashley Tait $17.3K
40. Garrett Phillips $16.1K
In a nutshell, those who finish in the top 100 on the 2014 LPGA money list will be able to get as many starts as they want in 2015, as will those who finish in the top 10 on the 2014 Symetra Tour money list. Those between #101 and #125 on this year's LPGA money list will have a limited number of starts next year, and will probably choose to go to Q-School to improve on their status, while those who finish between #11 and #25 on the Symetra Tour money list will get a free pass into the final stage of Q-School and those who finish outside the top 25 will need to play in Stage II at the end of the month. With that in mind, let's review the LPGA and Symetra Tour money lists to see who's on the edge.
Let's start with the LPGA:
90. Jaye Marie Green $88.4K
91. Kelly Tan $88.1K [not in Yokohama field]
92. Alison Walshe $85.4K
93. Lindsey Wright $84.7K
94. Kristy McPherson $83.9K
95. Ashleigh Simon $78.3K
96. Yueer Cindy Feng $77.6K
97. Alena Sharp $75.3K
98. Paz Echeverria $75.0K [not in Yokohama field]
99. Jee Young Lee $74.8K
100. Joanna Klatten $72.7K
***
101. Alejandra Llaneza $66.1K
102. Lisa McCloskey $66.0K
103. Chie Arimura $62.8K
104. Hee-Won Han $61.1K [retired]
105. Paula Reto $58.4K
106. Becky Morgan $57.7K
107. Paola Moreno $57.0K
108. Rebecca Lee-Bentham $51.9K
109. Jennifer Kirby $51.7K
110. Felicity Johnson $50.8K
So let's say someone wanted to guarantee she passed Echeverria. A top-25 finish would be good enough for Llaneza or McCloskey, while Lee-Bentham, Kirby, and Johnson would need more like top-10 finishes. A top-2 finish would be good enough to leapfrog anyone in the field into the top 100 who wasn't already there, while a top 5 would be good enough for almost everyone. The only question is how many players from outside the top 100 play well enough to make a move on those near the bottom of it. To keep their fate in their hands, the most vulnerable players in the top 100--Simon, Feng, Sharp, Lee, and Klatten--need to at least make the cut in Alabama.
On the Symetra Tour, it seems to me that if the purse is the same as last year, then everyone from #8 Kendall Dye on up has already secured their card, no matter what happens this week. (That's why Yueer Cindy Feng is playing on the LPGA to improve on her #96 position there rather than defending her #6 position on the Symetra Tour money list). But a top-5 finish from someone fairly far down the money list can have a huge impact on who makes the top 10 and top 25, particularly if those near the edges miss the cut:
9. Mallory Blackwelder $39.5K
10. Veronica Felibert $39.5K
***
11. Sara-Maude Juneau $36.5K
12. Lee Lopez $36.1K
13. Lindy Duncan $36.1K
14. Brittany Altomare $33.9K
15. Demi Runas $33.2K
16. Emily Talley $32.7K
17. Nicole Vandermade $31.9K
18. Olivia Jordan-Higgins $30.9K
19. Laura Gonzalez-Escallon $29.0K
20. Madison Pressel $27.9K
21. Maude-Aimee Leblanc $25.2K
22. Hye-Min Kim $24.9K
23. Daniela Iacobelli $24.2K
24. Jennie Lee $23.6K
25. Rebecca Artis $23.4K
***
26. Jean Reynolds $22.8K
27. Marta Silva $22.3K
28. Molly Aronsson $22.0K
29. Stephanie Na $21.3K
30. Therese Koelbaek $21.3K
31. Calle Neilson $20.1K
32. Megan McChrystal $20.1K [in Yokohama, not Tour Championship, field]
33. Kim Kaufman $19.6K [LPGA card already secured; fighting to make Asian Swing]
34. Casey Grice $19.5K
35. Caroline Powers $19.0K
36. Samantha Richdale $18.2K
37. Katie Kempter $18.1K
38. Madeleine Sheils $17.5K
39. Ashley Tait $17.3K
40. Garrett Phillips $16.1K
McChrystal has decided she has a better shot at improving dramatically on her #133 position on the LPGA money list ($21.8K) than even a win at the Symetra Tour Championship is worth. Meanwhile, Cheyenne Woods (#58, $12.0K) and Kelly Shon (#71, $8.6K) basically need to win to skip to Stage III of LPGA Q-School, although Cheyenne might get lucky with a solo 2nd.
So keep an eye on these names this week!
Sunday, July 13, 2014
Ricoh Women's British Open Sunday: Down to the Wire...
The final round of the Ricoh Women's British Open is underway and early scoring is not pretty.
- Ariya Jutanugarn took a 9 on the 1st hole, Harukyo Nomura suffered a 5-6-7 start, Brittany Lang opened with a double and 3 bogeys in her next 4 holes and Jeong Jang and Kristy McPherson started with 3-hole bogey trains. So far, with half the field underway, Thidapa Suwannapura has the lone birdie on #1.
- I wouldn't put too much stock in the 1st completed rounds; most players would just want them over as quickly as possible. So Becky Brewerton's 85, Hee Young Park's 79, Hannah Jun's 77, Ji Young Oh's 76, Lexi Thompson's 75, and Valentine Derrey's 74 are not necessarily bellwethers. And yet, usually you play quicker when you take fewer strokes and these are professionals playing for money in still-benign conditions, so you'd think they're not that much worse than average for the day. We'll see.
- Alena Sharp and Ayaka Watanabe have been the only 2 players so far to shoot even-par 35s on the front. Nobody has been under par for the entire 9, although amateur Emma Talley is -1 through 8.
More not-quite-live-blogging all morning!
[Update 1 (6:20 am): Anna Nordqvist opened bogey-double, but has been -1 since. Nomura is -2 over her last 13 holes and bogey-free since her awful start. So there are some scoring opportunities out there in the middle of the round. As usual, the par-5 6th is giving up a fair number of birdies.]
[Update 2 (6:24 am): Talley parred 9 for the 1st 34 of the day. Chella Choi made a rare par on 1 but followed it up with a triple on 2. Ilhee Lee came in with a 79 and Austin Ernst with a 78.]
[Update 3 (6:25 am): Mika Miyazato is E through 6, making her -4 over her last 40 holes.]
[Update 4 (6:28 am): Alena Sharp already has 2 birdies on the back, but also a bogey and a double, so she needs a birdie on 18 for the 1st even-par round of the day.]
[Update 5 (6:30 am): 27-hole leader Ayako Uehara is +4 through her 1st 5 holes today, bringing her to +7 for the week.]
[Update 6 (6:32 am): Suwannapura is +6 over her last 9 holes. She hasn't been able to follow up on her opening birdie as of yet.]
[Update 7 (6:33 am): Sharp doubled 18 for a 75. Still waiting for that 1st E round of the day. Ayaka Watanabe is +1 with 3 holes to go.]
[Update 8 (6:38 am): Par Watch continues. Mikan bogeyed 7 to drop to +1. Talley bogeyed 10 to fall to E. Lee-Anne Pace is E through 8.]
[Update 9 (6:41 am): Disaster Watch continues. Beth Allen shot an 85, Vikki Laing an 80, Christina Kim a 77.]
[Update 10 (6:42 am): Paula Creamer is E through 5. Rikako Morita started bogey-birdie.]
[Update 11 (6:50 am): Man, Pace bogeyed 9 for a 36. Thought she'd have the 3rd 35 of the day on the front!]
[Update 12 (6:52 am): Creamer has 2 birdies in a row and is -1 through 6. Only 7th player of the day to make back-to-back birdies thus far!]
[Update 13 (6:53 am): 2 of her predecessors did it on 6 and 7, so maybe Creamer can be the 1st to make it 3 in a row!]
[Update 14 (6:55 am): Nomura hung in there for a 76 after going +6 over her 1st 3 holes. Jee Young Lee shot a birdieless 79.]
[Update 15 (6:57 am): Mikan doubles 8 to go to +3 on her day. Xiyu Lin took an 8 on that hole and there have been plenty of doubles there already.]
[Update 16 (6:59 am): Talley bogeyed 11, too. Now +1 on her day. Only 3 shots up on Georgia Hall for low amateur. Hall has 2 birdies in a row with only the 18th left to play.]
[Update 17 (7:02 am): Giulia Sergas has birdied 10 and 11 to fight back to +1 on her day. Pace has bogeyed 9 and 10 to drop to +2. Nordqvist now only +1 through 10 after +3 start on 1st 2 holes. Creamer still only player under par thus far in her final round.]
[Update 18 (7:05 am): I picked Lydia Ko to win this week. She's bogeyed her 1st 3 holes in a row to fall to +4.]
[Update 19 (7:07 am): So Yeon Ryu pars 1 to stay at -1. Still 13 players under par.]
[Update 20 (7:10 am): Dori Carter posts 77. Only 1 golfer has broken 75 thus far today!]
[Update 21 (7:13 am): Alison Walshe matches Lexi's 75. Chella Choi +5 through her 1st 4 holes.]
[Update 22 (7:13 am): Georgia Hall and Ayaka Watanabe match Derrey's 74 for low rounds of the day thus far!]
[Update 23 (7:17 am): Belen Mozo "only" +3 with 17 and 18 to play. Can she make like Ji Young Oh on the last 2 holes and get the low round of the day?]
[Update 24 (7:19 am): Ko got off her 3-hole bogey train. Morita is on one right now.]
[Update 25 (7:22 am): Hall finished at +9. Talley is +6 with 5 to go. Low am within reach....]
[Update 26 (7:25 am): Ryu doubles 2 to drop to +1 on the week. Hull's par on 1 keeps it at 7 golfers under par right now.]
[Update 27 (7:27 am): Amy Yang doubled 1 to drop to +1. Stacy Lewis, Eun-Hee Ji, Beatriz Recari, Gwladys Nocera, and Mo Martin all bogeyed 1 to fall to E.]
[Update 28 (7:32 am): Amelia Lewis doubled 1 to fall back to E. Now 6 players under par.]
[Update 29 (7:34 am): Here's a crazy thought. Laura Davies is "only" +5 with 7 to go. If she goes on a closing birdie barrage, she could win this thing and earn those last 2 points she needs to make it into the LPGA Hall of Fame!]
[Update 30 (7:39 am): Hull bogeys 2. Now only 5 over par.]
[Update 31 (7:41 am): Ahn doubles 1 to drop to -1.]
[Update 32 (7:42 am): Creamer bogeys 9 to post 35 and drop to +3. Talley still has only under-par round on front.]
[Update 33 (7:44 am): Mozo posts 4th 74 of day. Pornanong Phatlum "only" +3 with 2 to play.]
[Update 34 (7:46 am): Disaster Watch continues. 45 for Ariya on front. 81 for Lin.]
[Update 35 (7:49 am): Phatlum birdies 17 to move to +2. Can she get low round of the day with birdie or better on 18?]
[Update 36 (7:50 am): 80 for Sarah Kemp a tough end to 2 weeks of pretty darn good golf.]
[Update 37 (7:51 am): Pettersen doubles 1 to fall to -1.]
[Update 38 (7:52 am): Granada doubles 2 to fall to E. Only 4 under par now.]
[Update 39 (7:59 am): Here's the leaderboard as ESPN's coverage starts:
Inbee Park -4 through 1
Shanshan Feng -3 through 1
Sun-Ju Ahn and Suzann Pettersen -1 through 1
Amy Yang E through 4
Julieta Granada E through 2
Time to talk to the ladies in Japan!]
[Update 40 (8:10 am): Phatlum shoots 5th 74 of the day and is leader in the clubhouse at +8.]
[Update 41 (8:11 am): Talley bogeys 16 to move to +7, 2-up on Hall for low amateur.]
[Update 42 (8:13 am): Nordqvist +1 on the day with 3 to play, +6 overall.]
[Update 43 (8:14 am): Davies +2 on her day with 4 to play, +5 overall.]
[Update 44 (8:15 am): Creamer E on her day with 6 to play, +3 overall.]
[Update 45 (8:18 am): Talley birdies 17 to move to +6!]
[Update 46 (8:19 am): Inbee pulls 6-foot par save on 2 to fall to -3.]
[Update 47 (8:19 am): Great approach by Ahn on 3 after 3 doubles in a row dating back to her penalty on 18 yesterday.]
[Update 48 (8:21 am): Ji-Yai Shin birdies 9 to post 36 on front, +3 overall.]
[Update 49 (8:22 am): Jessica Korda fights back after double on 2 with birdie on 7 to post 36 on front. +2 overall.]
[Update 50 (8:25 am): Carlota Ciganda birdies 2 of her last 4 holes to match Phatlum with 74/+8 finish. Co-leader in clubhouse!]
[Update 51 (8:27 am): Sergas +2/+7 heading into 18.]
[Update 52 (8:30 am): Great lag by Inbee on 3. Stays at -3]
[Update 53 (8:32 am): Pettersen misses birdie chance. Still 2 back. Nobody else under par outside final group.]
[Update 54 (8:33 am): Recari erased her double on 5 with birdies on 6 and 7. +1.]
[Update 54 (8:34 am): 73 by Talley is low round of the day, just as her 34 on the front has been low round there. She's low amateur and leader in the clubhouse at +6.]
[Update 55 (8:36 am): Laura Davies birdies 15 to move to +1/+4!]
[Update 56 (8:40 am): Another pull from Park. She's now +2/-2.]
[Update 57 (8:40 am): Nice sandie by Pettersen. 1 back.]
[Update 58 (8:41 am): 74 by Sergas tied for 2nd-best round of the day, but at +7 she's 1 behind Talley.]
[Update 59 (8:42 am): Dammit. Dame Laura Davies bogeyed 16. +2/+5.]
[Update 60 (8:44 am): Ji-Yai Shin bounced back from a triple on 11 with a birdie on 12. She's now tied with Davies at +5.]
[Update 61 (8:45 am): Sweet birdie by Feng on 5 gets her within 1 of Park. Watch out for Gwladys Nocera. Her 36 on front puts her at +1 for the week, but she's in rough on 10.]
[Update 62 (8:46 am): Creamer's got to make something happen on last 4 holes. She's E on day, +3 overall.]
[Update 63 (8:49 am): Nocera missed long par chance at 10. +2/+2.]
[Update 64 (8:50 am): Amelia Lewis leaves eagle putt on 6 in heart, 6 inches shy. Good birdie, though.]
[Update 65 (8:51 am): Creamer bogeys 15 to drop to +1/+4.]
[Update 66 (8:52 am): Anna Nordqvist birdies 18 for low round of the day, a 72 that leaves her at +5. We have a new leader in the clubhouse!]
[Update 67 (8:54 am): Great bounce for Feng on approach on par-5 6th.]
[Update 68 (8:55 am): Korda bogeys 12 to go to +2/+3.]
[Update 69 (8:57 am): Side-door birdie for Feng for 2nd in a row. Tied at -2 with Park for lead.]
[Update 70 (8:58 am): Birdie for Ahn gets her back to E, only 2 off lead!]
[Update 71 (8:59 am): Great approach on 9 by Beatriz Recari!]
[Update 72 (9:00 am): Great 3-wood by Park allows her to hit 6th in 2.]
[Update 73 (9:02 am): Davies needs to birdie 18 to be solo leader in clubhouse.]
[Update 74 (9:03 am): Angela Stanford birdies 11 to go back to +2/+2.]
[Update 75 (9:04 am): Nice lag on eagle try by Inbee! Good bunker shot from Feng a hole ahead.]
[Update 76 (9:05 am): Pettersen's putt from valley to left of 6 comes up about 20 feet short.]
[Update 77 (9:06 am): Mo Martin's solid 36 on front leaves her at E with 9 holes to go. Great birdie putt by Pettersen!]
[Update 78 (9:08 am): Feng missed par save on 7. Park birdies 6 to take solo lead at -3. Pettersen -2. Feng -1. Martin E after side-door par on 10. Ahn also E.]
[Update 79 (9:09 am): Great approach by Pettersen on 7!]
[Update 80 (9:10 am): Nocera bogeys 11, Korda bogeys 13, Creamer bogeys 16--all 2nd in a row. Too late for these kinds of mistakes.]
[Update 81 (9:13 am): Erina Hara's 75 makes her low Japanese golfer in the clubhouse at +7. Rikako Morita at +6 with 6 to play, Ai Miyazato having terrible day, +9 through 11 and +10 overall.]
[Update 82 (9:15 am): Pettersen missed another birdie attempt. Martin hits 11 in regulation. Ahn hits 8 in regulation.]
[Update 83 (9:15 am): Park cans pressure putt to save par on 7.]
[Update 84 (9:17 am): Charley Hull hanging tough, but bogeys 9 to drop to +3/+2.]
[Update 85 (9:18 am): Nice 2-putt for Martin on 11, which she 4-putted yesterday.]
[Update 86 (9:19 am): Korda birdies 14 to get back to +2/+3. Great lag on 8 by Ahn.]
[Update 87 (9:21 am): Mika Miyazato +7 in last 10 holes after going -4 over previous 40.]
[Update 88 (9:22 am): Mina Harigae hangs in there for 75 to finish at +9. She's having a pretty good 2014!]
[Update 89 (9:24 am): Pettersen chunked her wedge on 8, just like she did on 5, both times after great drives. Frustrating!]
[Update 90 (9:26 am): Great shot by Hull from effectively 225 yards out!]
[Update 91 (9:28 am): Davies birdied 18 for a 73 that leaves her at +4. New leader in clubhouse!]
[Update 92 (9:31 am): Bogey on 8 by Park drops her back to -2. Let's see if Rikako Morita at +6 can make a move over the last 4 holes.]
[Update 93 (9:32 am): Pettersen's putt for par pulled badly from 3 feet. She's now -1 with Feng. Mo Martin looking good at E with 6 to go.]
[Update 94 (9:33 am): Morita birdies 15 to go to +5 for the week!]
[Update 95 (9:37 am): Creamer goes bogey-bogey-double to go +5 over last 9 holes after fighting back to +2 for the week.]
[Update 96 (9:42 am): Fantastic approaches by Pettersen and Park on 9.]
[Update 97 (9:43 am): Stanford bogeyed 14 to drop to +3 on the week. Coming back to Davies!]
[Update 98 (9:45 am): Huge 9-foot birdie attempt for Inbee on 9 for 36. Can she do it? Bang!]
[Update 99 (9:46 am): Nice birdie by Granada on 10. She's +4 on day, +2 overall.]
[Update 100 (9:55 am): Martin +1 with 4 to play.]
[Update 101 (9:57 am): Azahara Munoz finished birdie-birdie for 75 to join Nordqvist at +5. Davies still leader in clubhouse with only 12 players ahead of her.]
[Update 101 (9:58 am): Clutch par save by Stanford on 15 keeps her at +3 for the week.]
[Update 102 (9:59 am): Inbee goes from bad to worse in heavy stuff left on #10!]
[Update 103 (10:03 am): Julieta Granada's ball was blown almost in a circle on 11 green.]
[Update 104 (10:05 am): Inbee got out of the heavy stuff to front of #10 green, but left 100-footer 15 feet short right for bogey.]
[Update 105 (10:06 am): Great save by Granada! Now Amelia Lewis's ball appeared to move on 11.]
[Update 106 (10:08 am): Inbee's putt got stopped by the wind and she has a tester for double. Pettersen babied her par putt. Now E.]
[Update 107 (10:09 am): Nice bogey save by Amelia Lewis on 11. Park stopped her putt for double at end of backswing! Then she makes it. Now -1, tied with Feng for lead.]
[Update 108 (10:12 am): Davies now in top 10!]
[Update 109 (10:13 am): Korda now tied with her at +4 after bogeying 17.]
[Update 110 (10:17 am): Feng didn't set putter on ground when ball moved and then makes 7-foot par save on 11.]
[Update 111 (10:18 am): Great shot by Stacy Lewis on 14. Can she get something going from +4?]
[Update 112 (10:19 am): Great approach by Pettersen on 11! Great par save by Granada on 12!]
[Update 113 (10:23 am): More evidence (as if it's needed!) that it's tough out there: 80 by Chella Choi and 79s by Ji-Yai Shin and Jenny Shin today!]
[Update 114 (10:25 am): Wind blowing Inbee's chip on 11 farther away. Korda hits 18's back fringe in 2. Can become leader in clubhouse with 1- or 2-putt.]
[Update 115 (10:27 am): Rikako Morita was trying to become leader in clubhouse herself but she took a triple on 17. Meanwhile, Park misses par save on 11.]
[Update 116 (10:27 am): Great lag on 12 by Feng.]
[Update 117 (10:29 am): Park loses lead with bogey on 11. Ahn doubles 12 to fall to +4. Korda birdies 18 with fantastic 12-footer to finish at +3. Mo Martin +1 with 2 to play.]
[Update 118 (10:32 am): HUGE birdie by Julieta Granada at 13! She's now +1.]
[Update 119 (10:34 am): Awesome bunker shot from Inbee on 12!]
[Update 120 (10:39 am): Nice par saves by Inbee and Suzann on 12. Great approach by Shanshan on 13.]
[Update 121 (10:43 am): Nice approach on 17 by Martin. Great wedge from behind the 14th green by Julieta Granada. Good par by Feng on 13.]
[Update 122 (10:46 am): Another money putt by Granada! Great par!]
[Update 123 (10:47 am): Nice green in reg from Shanshan on 14. Also by Inbee on 13.]
[Update 124 (10:49 am): Nice birdie by Stanford on 18 to join Korda at +3. 75 makes her co-leader in clubhouse.]
[Update 125 (10:50 am): How tough was it out there today? Ai Miyazato shot an 83 and Lydia Ko an 80!]
[Update 126 (10:51 am): Erina Hara at +7 ends up being low Japanese golfer in field.]
[Update 127 (10:53 am): Terrific chipped hybrid by Pettersen on 13. Good par putt by Feng on 14. Great birdie from 20 feet on 13 by Park! Now tied for lead!]
[Update 128 (10:54 am): Pettersen's bogey save dives at end, taps corner, doesn't fall. Double moves her to +2.]
[Update 129 (10:56 am): Mo Martin broke the ESPN feed as she rolled ball onto green in 2 and hit flagstick at speed it could have dropped! Eagle putt coming up!]
[Update 130 (11:01 am): Martin sinks eagle to tie Feng and Park for lead! What a last hole--what a finish! Her 72 is tied for low round of the day!]
[Update 131 (11:04 am): Gotta give credit to Marina Alex for sinking that birdie putt right before Mo made her eagle. Great +4 finish for her this week!]
[Update 132 (11:10 am): Too bad for Amelia Lewis to take that triple on 15. Feng sticks approach on 15.]
[Update 133 (11:12 am): Somehow I missed Julieta's bogey on 15. Anyway, maybe having someone to chase rather than not fall back to as leader in clubhouse will motivate last groups differently.]
[Update 134 (11:13 am): Tentative stroke on 4-foot birdie try by Feng on 15 keeps Martin tied for lead. Huge miss.]
[Update 135 (11:15 am): 83s wild for Japanese golfers today. Ayako Uehara and Miki Saiki matched Ai-sama's disastrous finish, Saiki with a walkoff 9. Ugh.]
[Update 136 (11:20 am): Missed Inbee's bogey on 14. She's now E. Great interview with Mo by BBC!]
[Update 137 (11:27 am): Somehow Pettersen ended up in heavy stuff after 2nd shot on 15 and had to chop out to front of green. Inbee was in great position and hit a great wedge on her 3rd shot, but hit her birdie putt through the break. Pars for both. Still 1 and 3 back of Martin and Feng. Meanwhile, Shanshan pulled her approach on 16 and hit chip 10 feet left of pin.]
[Update 138 (11:32 am): Feng misses par save to right. Martin is alone under par.]
[Update 139 (11:37 am): More big final round numbers from big names. So Yeon Ryu and Beatriz Recari 79. Stacy Lewis and Charley Hull 78. Gwladys Nocera 77. Eun-Hee Ji 76. How great was Martin's 72?! What a different finish this would have been without her walkoff eagle!]
[Update 140 (11:38 am): Bad 3-putts by Granada on 15 and 16 take a win out of the question for her. How did Pettersen's wedge not drop?! Wind blowing in right direction.... Not gonna happen.]
[Update 141 (11:41 am): Feng plays smart layup on 17. Needs to get a wedge to the right level. Good birdie try by Inbee on 16, but also hit it through the break.]
[Update 142 (11:43 am): Pettersen needs to make an eagle and a birdie to catch Martin. Let's see if she can do what she did on moving day!]
[Update 143 (11:45 am): Pettersen put it in the higher rough to the right. Inbee needs to go -2 over her last 2 to pass Martin. Crunch time!]
[Update 144 (11:47 am): Looks to me like Shanshan is standing over her putts a little longer than usual and looking up during downstroke a little. Not a good birdie try on 17.]
[Update 145 (11:47 am): Feng needs to match Martin's walkoff eagle to beat her. Birdie to tie.]
[Update 146 (11:48 am): Good lie but bad angle from right side on 17 for Park's approach.]
[Update 147 (11:50 am): 80 by Amy Yang today. Good drives by Sun-Ju and Shanshan on 18.]
[Update 148 (11:52 am): Pettersen runs her 2nd on 17 into front-right bunker.]
[Update 149 (11:53 am): Tough finish for Amelia Lewis, ends up with 80 to finish at +6. Park's approach bounds past pin. Now she has to deal with edge of tier on her birdie try.]
[Update 150 (11:54 am): Great shot from Pettersen from bunker gives her an uphill birdie try from about 8 feet.]
[Update 151 (11:56 am): Ahn misses 18 to right. Feng has 209 in. Catches front-right bunker.]
[Update 152 (11:57 am): Park misses 20-footer a few inches to right.]
[Update 153 (11:58 am): Side-door birdie for Pettersen brings her within 2 of Martin.]
[Update 154 (11:59 am): Park makes par putt. Needs eagle to win, birdie to tie.]
[Update 155 (12:01 pm): Feng's sand shot checks up on her. 15 feet or so short. Perfect drive by Pettersen on 18, but Park missed hers into heavy stuff right.]
[Update 156 (12:03 pm): Feng put a good stroke on it, but missed 2 inches left. She can't win.]
[Update 157 (12:04 pm): Ahn misses birdie putt to finish with a 79. Shanshan finishes at E.]
[Update 158 (12:08 pm): Inbee had trouble even identifying ball. Hung up in grass short of bunker. Pettersen has 191 to front with left-to-right helping wind.]
[Update 159 (12:09 pm): Another front-right bunker for Pettersen.]
[Update 160 (12:12 pm): Inbee had to chop out from a bad lie and put it in same bunker as Pettersen. 79 by Sun-Ju Ahn, 78 by Stacy Lewis. How great is Martin's 72 looking?!]
[Update 161 (12:14 pm): Pettersen goes 1st from raked area. Puts it 3 feet left of pin, but never had a chance. Now it's Inbee's turn from pristine part of trap. Not even close. Martin wins!!!!!!]
[Update 162 (12:15 pm): Another great interview from Martin.]
[Update 163 (12:21 pm): Pettersen birdied to tie Feng for 2nd, 1 shot back of Martin. Both shot 75s. Inbee ended up with a 77 to finish 2 back.]
[Update 164 (12:22 pm): Great to see T-Joh so happy for Mo!]
[Update 165 (12:26 pm): Who would have thought Mo would be the American to make it 3 in a row for the USA in LPGA majors?! Congrats!!!]
[Update 166 (12:29 pm): I never saw this coming, I'll tell you that. I had Martin 27th among those without an LPGA victory at the start of this season and didn't even put her in my top 40 of those without an LPGA major. Amazing!]
[Update 167 (1:21 pm): With her victory, Martin moves from #77 to #28 on my list of best performers in LPGA majors since 2000.]
[Update 168 (1:28 pm): Mo-linkage via Tony Jesselli, Shane Bacon, and I'm sure more coming!]
[Update 169 (3:38 pm): Stephanie Wei interviewed Martin and Feng.]
[Update 170 (6:47 pm): Martin gets the Golf Babes treatment!]
[Update 1 (6:20 am): Anna Nordqvist opened bogey-double, but has been -1 since. Nomura is -2 over her last 13 holes and bogey-free since her awful start. So there are some scoring opportunities out there in the middle of the round. As usual, the par-5 6th is giving up a fair number of birdies.]
[Update 2 (6:24 am): Talley parred 9 for the 1st 34 of the day. Chella Choi made a rare par on 1 but followed it up with a triple on 2. Ilhee Lee came in with a 79 and Austin Ernst with a 78.]
[Update 3 (6:25 am): Mika Miyazato is E through 6, making her -4 over her last 40 holes.]
[Update 4 (6:28 am): Alena Sharp already has 2 birdies on the back, but also a bogey and a double, so she needs a birdie on 18 for the 1st even-par round of the day.]
[Update 5 (6:30 am): 27-hole leader Ayako Uehara is +4 through her 1st 5 holes today, bringing her to +7 for the week.]
[Update 6 (6:32 am): Suwannapura is +6 over her last 9 holes. She hasn't been able to follow up on her opening birdie as of yet.]
[Update 7 (6:33 am): Sharp doubled 18 for a 75. Still waiting for that 1st E round of the day. Ayaka Watanabe is +1 with 3 holes to go.]
[Update 8 (6:38 am): Par Watch continues. Mikan bogeyed 7 to drop to +1. Talley bogeyed 10 to fall to E. Lee-Anne Pace is E through 8.]
[Update 9 (6:41 am): Disaster Watch continues. Beth Allen shot an 85, Vikki Laing an 80, Christina Kim a 77.]
[Update 10 (6:42 am): Paula Creamer is E through 5. Rikako Morita started bogey-birdie.]
[Update 11 (6:50 am): Man, Pace bogeyed 9 for a 36. Thought she'd have the 3rd 35 of the day on the front!]
[Update 12 (6:52 am): Creamer has 2 birdies in a row and is -1 through 6. Only 7th player of the day to make back-to-back birdies thus far!]
[Update 13 (6:53 am): 2 of her predecessors did it on 6 and 7, so maybe Creamer can be the 1st to make it 3 in a row!]
[Update 14 (6:55 am): Nomura hung in there for a 76 after going +6 over her 1st 3 holes. Jee Young Lee shot a birdieless 79.]
[Update 15 (6:57 am): Mikan doubles 8 to go to +3 on her day. Xiyu Lin took an 8 on that hole and there have been plenty of doubles there already.]
[Update 16 (6:59 am): Talley bogeyed 11, too. Now +1 on her day. Only 3 shots up on Georgia Hall for low amateur. Hall has 2 birdies in a row with only the 18th left to play.]
[Update 17 (7:02 am): Giulia Sergas has birdied 10 and 11 to fight back to +1 on her day. Pace has bogeyed 9 and 10 to drop to +2. Nordqvist now only +1 through 10 after +3 start on 1st 2 holes. Creamer still only player under par thus far in her final round.]
[Update 18 (7:05 am): I picked Lydia Ko to win this week. She's bogeyed her 1st 3 holes in a row to fall to +4.]
[Update 19 (7:07 am): So Yeon Ryu pars 1 to stay at -1. Still 13 players under par.]
[Update 20 (7:10 am): Dori Carter posts 77. Only 1 golfer has broken 75 thus far today!]
[Update 21 (7:13 am): Alison Walshe matches Lexi's 75. Chella Choi +5 through her 1st 4 holes.]
[Update 22 (7:13 am): Georgia Hall and Ayaka Watanabe match Derrey's 74 for low rounds of the day thus far!]
[Update 23 (7:17 am): Belen Mozo "only" +3 with 17 and 18 to play. Can she make like Ji Young Oh on the last 2 holes and get the low round of the day?]
[Update 24 (7:19 am): Ko got off her 3-hole bogey train. Morita is on one right now.]
[Update 25 (7:22 am): Hall finished at +9. Talley is +6 with 5 to go. Low am within reach....]
[Update 26 (7:25 am): Ryu doubles 2 to drop to +1 on the week. Hull's par on 1 keeps it at 7 golfers under par right now.]
[Update 27 (7:27 am): Amy Yang doubled 1 to drop to +1. Stacy Lewis, Eun-Hee Ji, Beatriz Recari, Gwladys Nocera, and Mo Martin all bogeyed 1 to fall to E.]
[Update 28 (7:32 am): Amelia Lewis doubled 1 to fall back to E. Now 6 players under par.]
[Update 29 (7:34 am): Here's a crazy thought. Laura Davies is "only" +5 with 7 to go. If she goes on a closing birdie barrage, she could win this thing and earn those last 2 points she needs to make it into the LPGA Hall of Fame!]
[Update 30 (7:39 am): Hull bogeys 2. Now only 5 over par.]
[Update 31 (7:41 am): Ahn doubles 1 to drop to -1.]
[Update 32 (7:42 am): Creamer bogeys 9 to post 35 and drop to +3. Talley still has only under-par round on front.]
[Update 33 (7:44 am): Mozo posts 4th 74 of day. Pornanong Phatlum "only" +3 with 2 to play.]
[Update 34 (7:46 am): Disaster Watch continues. 45 for Ariya on front. 81 for Lin.]
[Update 35 (7:49 am): Phatlum birdies 17 to move to +2. Can she get low round of the day with birdie or better on 18?]
[Update 36 (7:50 am): 80 for Sarah Kemp a tough end to 2 weeks of pretty darn good golf.]
[Update 37 (7:51 am): Pettersen doubles 1 to fall to -1.]
[Update 38 (7:52 am): Granada doubles 2 to fall to E. Only 4 under par now.]
[Update 39 (7:59 am): Here's the leaderboard as ESPN's coverage starts:
Inbee Park -4 through 1
Shanshan Feng -3 through 1
Sun-Ju Ahn and Suzann Pettersen -1 through 1
Amy Yang E through 4
Julieta Granada E through 2
Time to talk to the ladies in Japan!]
[Update 40 (8:10 am): Phatlum shoots 5th 74 of the day and is leader in the clubhouse at +8.]
[Update 41 (8:11 am): Talley bogeys 16 to move to +7, 2-up on Hall for low amateur.]
[Update 42 (8:13 am): Nordqvist +1 on the day with 3 to play, +6 overall.]
[Update 43 (8:14 am): Davies +2 on her day with 4 to play, +5 overall.]
[Update 44 (8:15 am): Creamer E on her day with 6 to play, +3 overall.]
[Update 45 (8:18 am): Talley birdies 17 to move to +6!]
[Update 46 (8:19 am): Inbee pulls 6-foot par save on 2 to fall to -3.]
[Update 47 (8:19 am): Great approach by Ahn on 3 after 3 doubles in a row dating back to her penalty on 18 yesterday.]
[Update 48 (8:21 am): Ji-Yai Shin birdies 9 to post 36 on front, +3 overall.]
[Update 49 (8:22 am): Jessica Korda fights back after double on 2 with birdie on 7 to post 36 on front. +2 overall.]
[Update 50 (8:25 am): Carlota Ciganda birdies 2 of her last 4 holes to match Phatlum with 74/+8 finish. Co-leader in clubhouse!]
[Update 51 (8:27 am): Sergas +2/+7 heading into 18.]
[Update 52 (8:30 am): Great lag by Inbee on 3. Stays at -3]
[Update 53 (8:32 am): Pettersen misses birdie chance. Still 2 back. Nobody else under par outside final group.]
[Update 54 (8:33 am): Recari erased her double on 5 with birdies on 6 and 7. +1.]
[Update 54 (8:34 am): 73 by Talley is low round of the day, just as her 34 on the front has been low round there. She's low amateur and leader in the clubhouse at +6.]
[Update 55 (8:36 am): Laura Davies birdies 15 to move to +1/+4!]
[Update 56 (8:40 am): Another pull from Park. She's now +2/-2.]
[Update 57 (8:40 am): Nice sandie by Pettersen. 1 back.]
[Update 58 (8:41 am): 74 by Sergas tied for 2nd-best round of the day, but at +7 she's 1 behind Talley.]
[Update 59 (8:42 am): Dammit. Dame Laura Davies bogeyed 16. +2/+5.]
[Update 60 (8:44 am): Ji-Yai Shin bounced back from a triple on 11 with a birdie on 12. She's now tied with Davies at +5.]
[Update 61 (8:45 am): Sweet birdie by Feng on 5 gets her within 1 of Park. Watch out for Gwladys Nocera. Her 36 on front puts her at +1 for the week, but she's in rough on 10.]
[Update 62 (8:46 am): Creamer's got to make something happen on last 4 holes. She's E on day, +3 overall.]
[Update 63 (8:49 am): Nocera missed long par chance at 10. +2/+2.]
[Update 64 (8:50 am): Amelia Lewis leaves eagle putt on 6 in heart, 6 inches shy. Good birdie, though.]
[Update 65 (8:51 am): Creamer bogeys 15 to drop to +1/+4.]
[Update 66 (8:52 am): Anna Nordqvist birdies 18 for low round of the day, a 72 that leaves her at +5. We have a new leader in the clubhouse!]
[Update 67 (8:54 am): Great bounce for Feng on approach on par-5 6th.]
[Update 68 (8:55 am): Korda bogeys 12 to go to +2/+3.]
[Update 69 (8:57 am): Side-door birdie for Feng for 2nd in a row. Tied at -2 with Park for lead.]
[Update 70 (8:58 am): Birdie for Ahn gets her back to E, only 2 off lead!]
[Update 71 (8:59 am): Great approach on 9 by Beatriz Recari!]
[Update 72 (9:00 am): Great 3-wood by Park allows her to hit 6th in 2.]
[Update 73 (9:02 am): Davies needs to birdie 18 to be solo leader in clubhouse.]
[Update 74 (9:03 am): Angela Stanford birdies 11 to go back to +2/+2.]
[Update 75 (9:04 am): Nice lag on eagle try by Inbee! Good bunker shot from Feng a hole ahead.]
[Update 76 (9:05 am): Pettersen's putt from valley to left of 6 comes up about 20 feet short.]
[Update 77 (9:06 am): Mo Martin's solid 36 on front leaves her at E with 9 holes to go. Great birdie putt by Pettersen!]
[Update 78 (9:08 am): Feng missed par save on 7. Park birdies 6 to take solo lead at -3. Pettersen -2. Feng -1. Martin E after side-door par on 10. Ahn also E.]
[Update 79 (9:09 am): Great approach by Pettersen on 7!]
[Update 80 (9:10 am): Nocera bogeys 11, Korda bogeys 13, Creamer bogeys 16--all 2nd in a row. Too late for these kinds of mistakes.]
[Update 81 (9:13 am): Erina Hara's 75 makes her low Japanese golfer in the clubhouse at +7. Rikako Morita at +6 with 6 to play, Ai Miyazato having terrible day, +9 through 11 and +10 overall.]
[Update 82 (9:15 am): Pettersen missed another birdie attempt. Martin hits 11 in regulation. Ahn hits 8 in regulation.]
[Update 83 (9:15 am): Park cans pressure putt to save par on 7.]
[Update 84 (9:17 am): Charley Hull hanging tough, but bogeys 9 to drop to +3/+2.]
[Update 85 (9:18 am): Nice 2-putt for Martin on 11, which she 4-putted yesterday.]
[Update 86 (9:19 am): Korda birdies 14 to get back to +2/+3. Great lag on 8 by Ahn.]
[Update 87 (9:21 am): Mika Miyazato +7 in last 10 holes after going -4 over previous 40.]
[Update 88 (9:22 am): Mina Harigae hangs in there for 75 to finish at +9. She's having a pretty good 2014!]
[Update 89 (9:24 am): Pettersen chunked her wedge on 8, just like she did on 5, both times after great drives. Frustrating!]
[Update 90 (9:26 am): Great shot by Hull from effectively 225 yards out!]
[Update 91 (9:28 am): Davies birdied 18 for a 73 that leaves her at +4. New leader in clubhouse!]
[Update 92 (9:31 am): Bogey on 8 by Park drops her back to -2. Let's see if Rikako Morita at +6 can make a move over the last 4 holes.]
[Update 93 (9:32 am): Pettersen's putt for par pulled badly from 3 feet. She's now -1 with Feng. Mo Martin looking good at E with 6 to go.]
[Update 94 (9:33 am): Morita birdies 15 to go to +5 for the week!]
[Update 95 (9:37 am): Creamer goes bogey-bogey-double to go +5 over last 9 holes after fighting back to +2 for the week.]
[Update 96 (9:42 am): Fantastic approaches by Pettersen and Park on 9.]
[Update 97 (9:43 am): Stanford bogeyed 14 to drop to +3 on the week. Coming back to Davies!]
[Update 98 (9:45 am): Huge 9-foot birdie attempt for Inbee on 9 for 36. Can she do it? Bang!]
[Update 99 (9:46 am): Nice birdie by Granada on 10. She's +4 on day, +2 overall.]
[Update 100 (9:55 am): Martin +1 with 4 to play.]
[Update 101 (9:57 am): Azahara Munoz finished birdie-birdie for 75 to join Nordqvist at +5. Davies still leader in clubhouse with only 12 players ahead of her.]
[Update 101 (9:58 am): Clutch par save by Stanford on 15 keeps her at +3 for the week.]
[Update 102 (9:59 am): Inbee goes from bad to worse in heavy stuff left on #10!]
[Update 103 (10:03 am): Julieta Granada's ball was blown almost in a circle on 11 green.]
[Update 104 (10:05 am): Inbee got out of the heavy stuff to front of #10 green, but left 100-footer 15 feet short right for bogey.]
[Update 105 (10:06 am): Great save by Granada! Now Amelia Lewis's ball appeared to move on 11.]
[Update 106 (10:08 am): Inbee's putt got stopped by the wind and she has a tester for double. Pettersen babied her par putt. Now E.]
[Update 107 (10:09 am): Nice bogey save by Amelia Lewis on 11. Park stopped her putt for double at end of backswing! Then she makes it. Now -1, tied with Feng for lead.]
[Update 108 (10:12 am): Davies now in top 10!]
[Update 109 (10:13 am): Korda now tied with her at +4 after bogeying 17.]
[Update 110 (10:17 am): Feng didn't set putter on ground when ball moved and then makes 7-foot par save on 11.]
[Update 111 (10:18 am): Great shot by Stacy Lewis on 14. Can she get something going from +4?]
[Update 112 (10:19 am): Great approach by Pettersen on 11! Great par save by Granada on 12!]
[Update 113 (10:23 am): More evidence (as if it's needed!) that it's tough out there: 80 by Chella Choi and 79s by Ji-Yai Shin and Jenny Shin today!]
[Update 114 (10:25 am): Wind blowing Inbee's chip on 11 farther away. Korda hits 18's back fringe in 2. Can become leader in clubhouse with 1- or 2-putt.]
[Update 115 (10:27 am): Rikako Morita was trying to become leader in clubhouse herself but she took a triple on 17. Meanwhile, Park misses par save on 11.]
[Update 116 (10:27 am): Great lag on 12 by Feng.]
[Update 117 (10:29 am): Park loses lead with bogey on 11. Ahn doubles 12 to fall to +4. Korda birdies 18 with fantastic 12-footer to finish at +3. Mo Martin +1 with 2 to play.]
[Update 118 (10:32 am): HUGE birdie by Julieta Granada at 13! She's now +1.]
[Update 119 (10:34 am): Awesome bunker shot from Inbee on 12!]
[Update 120 (10:39 am): Nice par saves by Inbee and Suzann on 12. Great approach by Shanshan on 13.]
[Update 121 (10:43 am): Nice approach on 17 by Martin. Great wedge from behind the 14th green by Julieta Granada. Good par by Feng on 13.]
[Update 122 (10:46 am): Another money putt by Granada! Great par!]
[Update 123 (10:47 am): Nice green in reg from Shanshan on 14. Also by Inbee on 13.]
[Update 124 (10:49 am): Nice birdie by Stanford on 18 to join Korda at +3. 75 makes her co-leader in clubhouse.]
[Update 125 (10:50 am): How tough was it out there today? Ai Miyazato shot an 83 and Lydia Ko an 80!]
[Update 126 (10:51 am): Erina Hara at +7 ends up being low Japanese golfer in field.]
[Update 127 (10:53 am): Terrific chipped hybrid by Pettersen on 13. Good par putt by Feng on 14. Great birdie from 20 feet on 13 by Park! Now tied for lead!]
[Update 128 (10:54 am): Pettersen's bogey save dives at end, taps corner, doesn't fall. Double moves her to +2.]
[Update 129 (10:56 am): Mo Martin broke the ESPN feed as she rolled ball onto green in 2 and hit flagstick at speed it could have dropped! Eagle putt coming up!]
[Update 130 (11:01 am): Martin sinks eagle to tie Feng and Park for lead! What a last hole--what a finish! Her 72 is tied for low round of the day!]
[Update 131 (11:04 am): Gotta give credit to Marina Alex for sinking that birdie putt right before Mo made her eagle. Great +4 finish for her this week!]
[Update 132 (11:10 am): Too bad for Amelia Lewis to take that triple on 15. Feng sticks approach on 15.]
[Update 133 (11:12 am): Somehow I missed Julieta's bogey on 15. Anyway, maybe having someone to chase rather than not fall back to as leader in clubhouse will motivate last groups differently.]
[Update 134 (11:13 am): Tentative stroke on 4-foot birdie try by Feng on 15 keeps Martin tied for lead. Huge miss.]
[Update 135 (11:15 am): 83s wild for Japanese golfers today. Ayako Uehara and Miki Saiki matched Ai-sama's disastrous finish, Saiki with a walkoff 9. Ugh.]
[Update 136 (11:20 am): Missed Inbee's bogey on 14. She's now E. Great interview with Mo by BBC!]
[Update 137 (11:27 am): Somehow Pettersen ended up in heavy stuff after 2nd shot on 15 and had to chop out to front of green. Inbee was in great position and hit a great wedge on her 3rd shot, but hit her birdie putt through the break. Pars for both. Still 1 and 3 back of Martin and Feng. Meanwhile, Shanshan pulled her approach on 16 and hit chip 10 feet left of pin.]
[Update 138 (11:32 am): Feng misses par save to right. Martin is alone under par.]
[Update 139 (11:37 am): More big final round numbers from big names. So Yeon Ryu and Beatriz Recari 79. Stacy Lewis and Charley Hull 78. Gwladys Nocera 77. Eun-Hee Ji 76. How great was Martin's 72?! What a different finish this would have been without her walkoff eagle!]
[Update 140 (11:38 am): Bad 3-putts by Granada on 15 and 16 take a win out of the question for her. How did Pettersen's wedge not drop?! Wind blowing in right direction.... Not gonna happen.]
[Update 141 (11:41 am): Feng plays smart layup on 17. Needs to get a wedge to the right level. Good birdie try by Inbee on 16, but also hit it through the break.]
[Update 142 (11:43 am): Pettersen needs to make an eagle and a birdie to catch Martin. Let's see if she can do what she did on moving day!]
[Update 143 (11:45 am): Pettersen put it in the higher rough to the right. Inbee needs to go -2 over her last 2 to pass Martin. Crunch time!]
[Update 144 (11:47 am): Looks to me like Shanshan is standing over her putts a little longer than usual and looking up during downstroke a little. Not a good birdie try on 17.]
[Update 145 (11:47 am): Feng needs to match Martin's walkoff eagle to beat her. Birdie to tie.]
[Update 146 (11:48 am): Good lie but bad angle from right side on 17 for Park's approach.]
[Update 147 (11:50 am): 80 by Amy Yang today. Good drives by Sun-Ju and Shanshan on 18.]
[Update 148 (11:52 am): Pettersen runs her 2nd on 17 into front-right bunker.]
[Update 149 (11:53 am): Tough finish for Amelia Lewis, ends up with 80 to finish at +6. Park's approach bounds past pin. Now she has to deal with edge of tier on her birdie try.]
[Update 150 (11:54 am): Great shot from Pettersen from bunker gives her an uphill birdie try from about 8 feet.]
[Update 151 (11:56 am): Ahn misses 18 to right. Feng has 209 in. Catches front-right bunker.]
[Update 152 (11:57 am): Park misses 20-footer a few inches to right.]
[Update 153 (11:58 am): Side-door birdie for Pettersen brings her within 2 of Martin.]
[Update 154 (11:59 am): Park makes par putt. Needs eagle to win, birdie to tie.]
[Update 155 (12:01 pm): Feng's sand shot checks up on her. 15 feet or so short. Perfect drive by Pettersen on 18, but Park missed hers into heavy stuff right.]
[Update 156 (12:03 pm): Feng put a good stroke on it, but missed 2 inches left. She can't win.]
[Update 157 (12:04 pm): Ahn misses birdie putt to finish with a 79. Shanshan finishes at E.]
[Update 158 (12:08 pm): Inbee had trouble even identifying ball. Hung up in grass short of bunker. Pettersen has 191 to front with left-to-right helping wind.]
[Update 159 (12:09 pm): Another front-right bunker for Pettersen.]
[Update 160 (12:12 pm): Inbee had to chop out from a bad lie and put it in same bunker as Pettersen. 79 by Sun-Ju Ahn, 78 by Stacy Lewis. How great is Martin's 72 looking?!]
[Update 161 (12:14 pm): Pettersen goes 1st from raked area. Puts it 3 feet left of pin, but never had a chance. Now it's Inbee's turn from pristine part of trap. Not even close. Martin wins!!!!!!]
[Update 162 (12:15 pm): Another great interview from Martin.]
[Update 163 (12:21 pm): Pettersen birdied to tie Feng for 2nd, 1 shot back of Martin. Both shot 75s. Inbee ended up with a 77 to finish 2 back.]
[Update 164 (12:22 pm): Great to see T-Joh so happy for Mo!]
[Update 165 (12:26 pm): Who would have thought Mo would be the American to make it 3 in a row for the USA in LPGA majors?! Congrats!!!]
[Update 166 (12:29 pm): I never saw this coming, I'll tell you that. I had Martin 27th among those without an LPGA victory at the start of this season and didn't even put her in my top 40 of those without an LPGA major. Amazing!]
[Update 167 (1:21 pm): With her victory, Martin moves from #77 to #28 on my list of best performers in LPGA majors since 2000.]
[Update 168 (1:28 pm): Mo-linkage via Tony Jesselli, Shane Bacon, and I'm sure more coming!]
[Update 169 (3:38 pm): Stephanie Wei interviewed Martin and Feng.]
[Update 170 (6:47 pm): Martin gets the Golf Babes treatment!]
Friday, April 18, 2014
LPGA LOTTE Championship Wednesday and Thursday: Best and Worst of Times in Hawaii
There's a Dickensian feel to the LPGA LOTTE Championship this year. With the winds up Wednesday and down Thursday, most of the field were able to improve their scores in a big way. Leader Angela Stanford exemplifies one such extreme. She struggled her way to a 3-birdie, 3-bogey 72 in the 1st round, then exploded in the 2nd with 5 birdies in a row on the front and 3 on the back to post the low round of the week and move to -8. But Stanford's 8-shot improvement--which put her 1-up on a resurgent Michelle Wie (70-67) and 2-up on Inbee Park (70-68), So Yeon Ryu (68-70), Cristie Kerr (72-66), and Hyo Joo Kim (68-70)--was not even close to the biggest of the week.
That belonged to Jimin Kang, who bounced back from an opening 80 that was lowlighted by a walkoff double with a 2nd-round 65 that was highlighted by a 5-hole birdie train to begin her day. Others who made heroic efforts to make the cut, which fell at +4, included Jaye Marie Green (80-68), Amelia Lewis (77-66), Pernilla Lindberg (78-69), Seon Hwa Lee (78-70), and Ryann O'Toole (77-69).
Given the scale of the bouncebacks most in the field engineered yesterday, those who moved backwards have to feel even worse. Ai Miyazato continued to hit the ball solidly and putt terribly (27 greens in regulation, 67 putts, 3 birdies in 36 holes), missing the cut at a tournament she won 2 years ago and finished in the top 10 in last year. Anna Nordqvist made 4 birdies late on the front to claw her way back to +1, but then she doubled 10 and bogeyed 14 to put herself right near the cut line. How did the 2-time winner this season respond? By finishing birdie-double-quad to end up with a 44 on the back and a +9 total for the week. Heck, even those who improved a great deal, like Jeong Jang (78-71), Paz Echeverria (78-71), Sei Young Kim (77-72), Belen Mozo (77-72), Jane Rah (77-72), and Perrine Delacour (77-72), came up just short of making it into the weekend. Others who will be taking their troubles to the beach include such big names as Mika Miyazato, Hee Kyung Seo, Brittany Lincicome, Brittany Lang, Lorie Kane, Pat Hurst, Karen Stupples, and Laura Diaz.
Back towards the top of the leaderboard, the volatility of the 1st 2 rounds means that players like Hall of Famer Se Ri Pak (68-71), global young guns Ha Na Jang (70-69) and Harukyo Nomura (73-67), and even those who made more modest improvements like Morgan Pressel (73-69), Chella Choi (74-68), Caroline Hedwall (75-68), and Gerina Piller (75-68) are by no means out of this one. I was also pleased to see Tiffany Joh move on up to -3, disappointed that Ayako Uehara backed up her 7-birdie 69 Wednesday with a 1-birdie 74 Thursday, and glad to see my old golfing buddy Moira Dunn hang on to make the cut on the number.
Let's face it: golf can be a cruel game to try to make your living at. The key is to give yourself a shot at playing another day. You never know when you're going to go low. Can't wait to see who does it on the LPGA's Friday moving day today!
Sunday, March 30, 2014
AXA Ladies Sunday: 20-Year-Old Ayaka Watanabe Secures 1st JLPGA Victory with Birdie-Birdie-Eagle Finish
For most of the day today at the AXA Ladies, the final pairing and the entire final round looked like a victory lap for 28-year-old Saiki Fujita. Her 2-shot lead on 20-year-old Ayaka Watanabe through 36 holes had grown to 5 by the time the final pairing reached the 4th tee and even a double bogey on the 356-yard par-4 6th--her 1st blemish since Friday, bringing her total to 1 bogey, 1 double, and 1 eagle for the week--only seemed to spur her on to even better golf, as she birdied her next 3 holes in a row to post a 33 on the front anyway.
So what if Watanabe bounced back with 2 late birdies to return to -8 or Bo-Mee Lee birdied 3 of her last 4 holes on the front to move to -9? Fujita was -13 and cruising, with a gigantic 8-shot lead on hometown hero and 18-year-old Asuka Kashiwabara to boot. And after matching Watanabe's and Kashiwabara's birdies on the 178-yard par-3 13th, Fujita's lead was 5 on Lee and Watanabe and 8 on Kashiwabara with only 5 holes left to play. The only question seemed to be whether she'd get her 1st win in almost 3 years with 3 straight 67s or not.
But then Fujita bogeyed the 379-yard par 4 14th even as Kashiwabara birdied it and she lead Lee and Watanabe by 4 with 4 to play and Kashiwabara by 6.
And then she bogeyed the 388-yard par-4 15th right after Lee had birdied it. Now it was only 2 on Lee with 3 to play, but at least it was still 3 on Watanabe and 5 on Kashiwabara, right?
Wrong. Watanabe and Kashiwabara cut it to 2 and 4, respectively, with matching birdies on the 162-yard par-3 16th. Then Watanabe followed it up with another birdie, this time on the 383-yard par-4 17th, to pull within 1 of Fujita and pass Lee, who had bogeyed it just minutes earlier to fall 3 shots off the pace. So the only player Fujita had to worry about as they came to the tee of the 505-yard par 5 was Watanabe. All Fujita had to do was birdie it to secure her 6th career JLPGA victory.
Instead, she bogeyed it. And Watanabe eagled it! Watanabe had turned a 5-shot deficit into 2-shot victory in a mere 5 holes! Now that's how to make your 1st-ever JLPGA victory memorable!
What makes Watanabe's win even more impressive is that she had missed the cut badly the week before at the T-Point Ladies. Just 8 days later, she joined the youth movement that's been redefining the JLPGA the last couple of years. And she leaped to the 2nd spot on the 2014 JLPGA money list:
1. Onnarin Sattayabanphot ￥24.11M
Amazing!]
[Update 2 (11:26 pm): This video covers the entire final hole plus the aftermath. Thanks to my anonymous commenter for both links!]
So what if Watanabe bounced back with 2 late birdies to return to -8 or Bo-Mee Lee birdied 3 of her last 4 holes on the front to move to -9? Fujita was -13 and cruising, with a gigantic 8-shot lead on hometown hero and 18-year-old Asuka Kashiwabara to boot. And after matching Watanabe's and Kashiwabara's birdies on the 178-yard par-3 13th, Fujita's lead was 5 on Lee and Watanabe and 8 on Kashiwabara with only 5 holes left to play. The only question seemed to be whether she'd get her 1st win in almost 3 years with 3 straight 67s or not.
But then Fujita bogeyed the 379-yard par 4 14th even as Kashiwabara birdied it and she lead Lee and Watanabe by 4 with 4 to play and Kashiwabara by 6.
And then she bogeyed the 388-yard par-4 15th right after Lee had birdied it. Now it was only 2 on Lee with 3 to play, but at least it was still 3 on Watanabe and 5 on Kashiwabara, right?
Wrong. Watanabe and Kashiwabara cut it to 2 and 4, respectively, with matching birdies on the 162-yard par-3 16th. Then Watanabe followed it up with another birdie, this time on the 383-yard par-4 17th, to pull within 1 of Fujita and pass Lee, who had bogeyed it just minutes earlier to fall 3 shots off the pace. So the only player Fujita had to worry about as they came to the tee of the 505-yard par 5 was Watanabe. All Fujita had to do was birdie it to secure her 6th career JLPGA victory.
Instead, she bogeyed it. And Watanabe eagled it! Watanabe had turned a 5-shot deficit into 2-shot victory in a mere 5 holes! Now that's how to make your 1st-ever JLPGA victory memorable!
What makes Watanabe's win even more impressive is that she had missed the cut badly the week before at the T-Point Ladies. Just 8 days later, she joined the youth movement that's been redefining the JLPGA the last couple of years. And she leaped to the 2nd spot on the 2014 JLPGA money list:
1. Onnarin Sattayabanphot ￥24.11M
2. Ayaka Watanabe ￥20.91M
3. Rikako Morita ￥20.42M
3. Rikako Morita ￥20.42M
4. Yuki Ichinose ￥15.25M
5. Erina Hara ￥12.35M
6. Bo-Mee Lee ￥11.89M
7. Saiki Fujita ￥10.45M
8. Mami Fukuda ￥9.53M
9. Miki Sakai ￥9.17M
9. Miki Sakai ￥9.17M
10. Asako Fujimoto ￥8.51M
11. Ji-Yai Shin ￥8.04M
11. Ji-Yai Shin ￥8.04M
12. Bo-Bae Song ￥6.91M
13. Mamiko Higa ￥6.88M
14. Airi Saitoh ￥6.67M
15. Sun-Ju Ahn ￥6.49M
Rui Kitada, whose bogey-free 69 enabled her to catch Kashiwabara in a tie for 4th at -8, is in the next spot after Ahn, while Asako Fujimoto and Erina Hara, who finished in T7 at -6 (1 shot behind Lala Anai and 1 ahead of defending champion Natsuka Hori) bring the total to 9 Japanese players at 26 or younger in the top 15 of the money list--and 7 under 25! One of them, Okinawa's own Mamiko Higa, will be defending her title next week at the Yamaha Ladies. The KLPGA's Hyo-Joo Kim will be one of the visiting players in the field. Let's see if a Korean young gun can stop the Japanese young guns from running wild in the early stages of 2014.
[Update 1 (11:10 pm): You have to watch this video of Watanabe's finish! Her birdie on 17 came from an awesome approach from a fairway bunker and her eagle was a chip-in!
[Update 1 (11:10 pm): You have to watch this video of Watanabe's finish! Her birdie on 17 came from an awesome approach from a fairway bunker and her eagle was a chip-in!
Amazing!]
[Update 2 (11:26 pm): This video covers the entire final hole plus the aftermath. Thanks to my anonymous commenter for both links!]
Saturday, February 8, 2014
Cheyenne Woods Your 36-Hole Co-Leader and 54-Hole Leader on the LET Down Under!
Cheyenne Woods has gone 69-67-71 in the 1st 3 rounds of the Volvik RACV Ladies Masters to take a 1-shot lead on 2nd-round co-leader Stacy Lee Bregman, a 2-shot lead on amateur sensation Minjee Lee, and a 3-shot lead on Trish Johnson and Camilla Lennarth into the final round.
In a crazy week during which Karrie Webb got DQed after the 2nd round, former world #1 and recent TLPGA winner Ya Ni Tseng is hanging with LET standouts Lee-Anne Pace and Melissa Reid 12 shots off the pace, other 2014 winners like Jessica Korda (-4), Joanna Klatten (-4), and Mi Hyang Lee (-1) are tiny dots in Woods's rear-view mirror, expected contenders like Gwladys Nocera (-4), Caroline Hedwall (-2), and Chella Choi (-1) are also back in the pack, and other much-heralded young golfers like Minsun Kim (-6), Xi Yu Lin (-5), Charley Hull (-4), and Kyu-Jung Baek (-3) are hardly any closer to the lead, Woods has been a birdie machine, making 17 of them already this week, with 7 coming in a roller-coaster round today. Oh yeah, and she eagled the long par-4 1st hole yesterday, too. Could this be her week to break through for her 1st professional victory?
Given that 63s have been the final-round winning scores the last 2 ALPG events, this is no time to be handing Woods the trophy. But wouldn't it be cool if she grabbed it tomorrow?
In a crazy week during which Karrie Webb got DQed after the 2nd round, former world #1 and recent TLPGA winner Ya Ni Tseng is hanging with LET standouts Lee-Anne Pace and Melissa Reid 12 shots off the pace, other 2014 winners like Jessica Korda (-4), Joanna Klatten (-4), and Mi Hyang Lee (-1) are tiny dots in Woods's rear-view mirror, expected contenders like Gwladys Nocera (-4), Caroline Hedwall (-2), and Chella Choi (-1) are also back in the pack, and other much-heralded young golfers like Minsun Kim (-6), Xi Yu Lin (-5), Charley Hull (-4), and Kyu-Jung Baek (-3) are hardly any closer to the lead, Woods has been a birdie machine, making 17 of them already this week, with 7 coming in a roller-coaster round today. Oh yeah, and she eagled the long par-4 1st hole yesterday, too. Could this be her week to break through for her 1st professional victory?
Given that 63s have been the final-round winning scores the last 2 ALPG events, this is no time to be handing Woods the trophy. But wouldn't it be cool if she grabbed it tomorrow?
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Mi Hyang Lee Closes with 63 to Take NZ Open by 1 Shot over Lydia Ko
Mi Hyang Lee started her final round an hour and 20 minutes before the last group in the ISPS Handa New Zealand Open teed off, a full 8 shots behind 2nd-round leader Anya Alvarez, 6 shots behind Lydia Ko, and 5 shots behind Beth Allen. But after following up an eagle on the par-5 2nd hole with 7 birdies between the 5th and 16th holes and posting a bogey-free 63, she stood at -9 with 21 golfers still on the course.
In the end, only 4 of them had a legitimate shot at passing her: after Hyun Soo Kim got it to -6 but tripled the par-4 15th, after KLPGA Rookie of the Year favorite Kyu-Jung Baek fell from -5 to -3 on a birdieless 74, the only player outside the final group with even an outside shot at beating Lee was 1st-round co-leader Seonwoo Bae. Here's how all of her lead chase pack fared:
In the end, only 4 of them had a legitimate shot at passing her: after Hyun Soo Kim got it to -6 but tripled the par-4 15th, after KLPGA Rookie of the Year favorite Kyu-Jung Baek fell from -5 to -3 on a birdieless 74, the only player outside the final group with even an outside shot at beating Lee was 1st-round co-leader Seonwoo Bae. Here's how all of her lead chase pack fared:
- Bae birdied 3 of her 1st 4 holes but still ended up with a 37 on the front--thanks to a double bogey on the 350-yard par-4 3rd and bogeys on 6 and 9--to fall to -4. Even though she birdied her 1st 2 holes on the back to give herself a shot, her bogey-free 33 on the back just wasn't low enough to catch Lee.
- Allen was stuck in neutral on the front, offsetting her 2 birdies with 2 bogeys to stay at -5, but she roared into contention with 4 birdies in her 1st 6 holes on the back. However, she went par-bogey-bogey over her final 3 holes to finish 2 back.
- Alvarez birdied 2 of her 1st 7 holes to get to -10, but fell to -8 after going bogey-bogey-birdie-bogey. She then failed to make a birdie the rest of the way and ended up 2 shots behind Lee when she suffered a walkoff bogey.
- Ko followed up an opening bogey with birdies on 2, 4, and 10 to get to -8, but she bogeyed the 350-yard par-4 13th and could make only 1 birdie the rest of the way to fall 1 shot shy of a playoff with Lee.
In short, everyone in the final pairing came to the last tee needing a birdie to force a playoff, and none of them could find one.
Lee wasn't the only player to go low today: Sarah-Jane Smith's bogey-free 65 vaulted her into T6 with Bree Arthur (66) and Marion Ricordeau (68) at -5, while Nikki Campbell's 68 tied her for 9th with Hyun Soo Kim at -4 and 67s by Lorie Kane and Stacy Lee Bregman allowed them to catch Baek, Charley Hull, Marta Silva Zamora, amateur Jing Yan, and Jessica Speechley at -3 (T11). But the day belonged to the golfer who was most recently ranked 11th in her LPGA Class of 2012. It just goes to show that someone whose previous best finish as a professional was her September 2012 Symetra Classic victory on the LPGA's developmental tour has it in her to be beat one of the best players in the world on any given Sunday. Let's hope the Super Bowl is as exciting as this finish was!
[Update 1 (2/3/14, 5:31 am: Lee gets the Golf Babes treatment!]
[Update 1 (2/3/14, 5:31 am: Lee gets the Golf Babes treatment!]
Saturday, December 7, 2013
Pornanong Phatlum Chases Down Stacy Lewis with Closing 66 in Dubai
Pornanong Phatlum fired a 7-birdie 66 in the final round of the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters to turn a 2-shot deficit after 54 holes on Stacy Lewis into a 1-shot victory, her 2nd on the LET. Lewis appeared to have the tournament in hand through the 1st 10 holes, making 4 birdies and no bogeys to get to -15, but she played her last 8 holes in +1 and couldn't match Phatlum's 2 birdies to close out her round (and 4 in her last 6 holes overall) to catch and then pass the recent world #1.
It's huge win for the up-and-coming Phatlum, who recently got profiled over at Fairway and Forehands, where bangkokbobby noted that she finished the LPGA season strong with 2-straight top 5 finishes. And it's another difficult defeat for Lewis, who had come into the final round having taken a 54-hole lead into the winner's circle in 5 of her previous 6 attempts over the previous 2 seasons. It shows how difficult it is in women's golf today, whoever you are, to turn great play into victories.
I mean, how often do you finish at -14, 7 shots ahead of your next closest competitor (in this case, another up-and-comer, Carlota Ciganda)? Or 9 shots ahead of your next closest competitor (Diane Luna)? Or 11 shots head of Shanshan Feng, who won the Titleholders, and Laura Davies, who needs no introduction? Or 12 ahead of Euro wunderkind Charley Hull?
And not win.
The bottom line is, whether you win or not, you need to take the positives from the experience, use the lessons learned for your training and preparation, and use them your next time out. I'll bet Pornanong and Stacy can't wait for the 2014 season to start!
[Update 1 (11:24 am): Here's the LET's story!]
[Update 2 (12/9/13, 7:38 pm): Here's bangkokbobby's!]
It's huge win for the up-and-coming Phatlum, who recently got profiled over at Fairway and Forehands, where bangkokbobby noted that she finished the LPGA season strong with 2-straight top 5 finishes. And it's another difficult defeat for Lewis, who had come into the final round having taken a 54-hole lead into the winner's circle in 5 of her previous 6 attempts over the previous 2 seasons. It shows how difficult it is in women's golf today, whoever you are, to turn great play into victories.
I mean, how often do you finish at -14, 7 shots ahead of your next closest competitor (in this case, another up-and-comer, Carlota Ciganda)? Or 9 shots ahead of your next closest competitor (Diane Luna)? Or 11 shots head of Shanshan Feng, who won the Titleholders, and Laura Davies, who needs no introduction? Or 12 ahead of Euro wunderkind Charley Hull?
And not win.
The bottom line is, whether you win or not, you need to take the positives from the experience, use the lessons learned for your training and preparation, and use them your next time out. I'll bet Pornanong and Stacy can't wait for the 2014 season to start!
[Update 1 (11:24 am): Here's the LET's story!]
[Update 2 (12/9/13, 7:38 pm): Here's bangkokbobby's!]
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
LPGA Q-School Day 1: Jaye Marie Green Sets Pace with 62 as 21 Golfers Break 70
The LPGA is pulling out all the stops publicizing this year's Stage III Qualifying Tournament--the final stage of Q-School, as it's more commonly known--with a great profile of Stage II medalist Amy Anderson, a fine wrap story on Jaye Marie Green's amazing 62 and other round 1 highlights, and loads of video (starting with a Green interview).
There's good reason for all the hoopla. The overall quality of the field and level of competition are probably as strong as they've ever been. As I discussed yesterday, there are a host of current and former LPGA members fighting to stay on or return to the big leagues, so many that it's going to be difficult for all but the best prospects--many of whom already have years of experience on other tours, from the LET to the Symetra Tour to the ALPG--to make their way into the Class of 2014. True, there are no clear can't-miss stars or super-hot young prospects, as Lydia Ko has already achieved membership via her non-member wins and even Lee-Anne Pace (an LET leader for years) will have to prove herself against this field. But the number of players who can rightfully expect to earn a card is much larger than the number of quality cards available (20). And that gap is much larger than you'd typically see in a normal Q-School.
Case in point: even with her 62, Green has only a 4-shot lead on 4-time LPGA winner Seon Hwa Lee and the multitalented Tiffany Joh. Over 72 holes, that's a mere 1 stroke per round difference.
Case in point: with 66 players shooting par or better, 47 going under par, and 21 breaking 70, a lot of big names have put themselves behind the 8-ball.
The following are in deep trouble heading into the 2nd round:
The following have dug themselves a decent-sized hole to start climbing out of:
That's 32 players who in the old system would have been feeling pretty comfortable, but they can't rest on their laurels this week. With so many players capable of going low, this week is going to be more like a typical LPGA tournament than a typical Q-School.
That said, this is still Q-School, so it's not like I expect you'll need to be -15 just to squeak into the top 20 when all 90 holes have been played. But I wouldn't be at all surprised if you needed to be double digits under par to be in the hunt on the final 9. Let's see who can get there!
[Update 2 (10:02 pm): Here are the top pairings for round 2:
Hills Course, 1st tee, 9:40 am: Hannah Yun (68), Amy Anderson (68), Maiya Tanaka (70)
Hills Course, 1st tee, 9:50 am: Jaye Marie Green (62), Jordan Hardy (70), Inhong Lim (72)
Hills Course, 1st tee, 9:30 am: Pinrath Loomboonruang (68), Mi Rim Lee (69), Marta Silva (73)
Jones Course, 1st tee, 9:40 am: Victoria Tanco (68), Caroline Westrup (69), Dotti Ardina (74)
Hills Course, 10th tee, 8:30 am: Tiffany Joh (66), Brittany Altomare (71), Jackie Stoelting (71)
Hills Course, 1st tee, 9:30 am: Seon Hwa Lee (66), Maude-Aimee Leblanc (71), Lindy Duncan (72)
Hills Course, 1st tee, 8:30 am: Line Vedel (67), Madeleine Sheils (71), Tracy Stanford (72)
Hills Course, 1st tee, 8:20 am: Mitsuki Katahira (69), Jennifer Kirby (71), Julia Boland (71)
Hills Course, 10th tee, 9:10 am: Kathleen Ekey (67), Babe Liu (71), Jean Reynolds (73)
Hills Course, 10th tee, 8:40 am: Xiyu Lin (69), Stacey Keating (72), Mallory Blackwelder (73)
It'll be interesting to see who can take advantage of the Jones Course tomorrow and who among those that already did can master the Hills Course!]
There's good reason for all the hoopla. The overall quality of the field and level of competition are probably as strong as they've ever been. As I discussed yesterday, there are a host of current and former LPGA members fighting to stay on or return to the big leagues, so many that it's going to be difficult for all but the best prospects--many of whom already have years of experience on other tours, from the LET to the Symetra Tour to the ALPG--to make their way into the Class of 2014. True, there are no clear can't-miss stars or super-hot young prospects, as Lydia Ko has already achieved membership via her non-member wins and even Lee-Anne Pace (an LET leader for years) will have to prove herself against this field. But the number of players who can rightfully expect to earn a card is much larger than the number of quality cards available (20). And that gap is much larger than you'd typically see in a normal Q-School.
Case in point: even with her 62, Green has only a 4-shot lead on 4-time LPGA winner Seon Hwa Lee and the multitalented Tiffany Joh. Over 72 holes, that's a mere 1 stroke per round difference.
Case in point: with 66 players shooting par or better, 47 going under par, and 21 breaking 70, a lot of big names have put themselves behind the 8-ball.
The following are in deep trouble heading into the 2nd round:
- 80 (+8): Junthima Gulyanamitta
- 79 (+7): Lauren Doughtie
- 78 (+6): Kelly Shon
- 77 (+5): Cheyenne Woods, Eunjung Yi, Jane Rah
The following have dug themselves a decent-sized hole to start climbing out of:
- 76 (+4): Yueer Cindy Feng, Kristie Smith, Jenny Suh (runner-up at Stage II), Esther Choe, Laura Gonzalez Escallon
- 75 (+3): Lee-Anne Pace, Jennifer Song, Brianna Do, Ginger Howard, Kim Welch
- 74 (+2): Birdie Kim, Louise Friberg, Rebecca Artis
That's 19 names right there, none of whom would have been surprises to get their 2014 LPGA cards if you had put me in hibernation until the end of Q-School and told me the results upon awakening me. They're not out of it yet, but they'll need to break 70 at least once and, for some, multiple times now to bounce back from their slow or worse starts.
Case in point: the old Q-School model of play conservative, try to stay near par, and let your competitors shoot themselves in the foot won't fly anymore.
The following avoided hurting themselves but couldn't quite keep pace with the leaders:
- 73 (+1): Frances Bondad, Stephanie Na, Cathryn Bristow, Marta Silva, Jean Reynolds, Natalie Sheary
- 72 (E): Lorie Kane, Ashleigh Simon, Joanna Klatten, Meaghan Francella, Lindy Duncan
- 71 (-1): Maria Hernandez, Silvia Cavalleri, Maude-Aimee Leblanc, Brittany Altomare
- 70 (-2): Reilley Rankin, Michelle Shin, Megan McChrystal, Katy Harris
The following got off to very good starts:
- 69 (-3): Mitsuki Katahira, Xiyu Lin, Carlie Yadloczky, Caroline Westrup
- 68 (-4): Hannah Yun, Victoria Tanco, Amy Anderson, Pinrath Loomboonruang
- 67 (-5): Harukyo Nomura, Line Vedel, Kathleen Ekey, Nicole Jeray, Megan Grehan
That said, this is still Q-School, so it's not like I expect you'll need to be -15 just to squeak into the top 20 when all 90 holes have been played. But I wouldn't be at all surprised if you needed to be double digits under par to be in the hunt on the final 9. Let's see who can get there!
[Update 2 (10:02 pm): Here are the top pairings for round 2:
Hills Course, 1st tee, 9:40 am: Hannah Yun (68), Amy Anderson (68), Maiya Tanaka (70)
Hills Course, 1st tee, 9:50 am: Jaye Marie Green (62), Jordan Hardy (70), Inhong Lim (72)
Hills Course, 1st tee, 9:30 am: Pinrath Loomboonruang (68), Mi Rim Lee (69), Marta Silva (73)
Jones Course, 1st tee, 9:40 am: Victoria Tanco (68), Caroline Westrup (69), Dotti Ardina (74)
Hills Course, 10th tee, 8:30 am: Tiffany Joh (66), Brittany Altomare (71), Jackie Stoelting (71)
Hills Course, 1st tee, 9:30 am: Seon Hwa Lee (66), Maude-Aimee Leblanc (71), Lindy Duncan (72)
Hills Course, 1st tee, 8:30 am: Line Vedel (67), Madeleine Sheils (71), Tracy Stanford (72)
Hills Course, 1st tee, 8:20 am: Mitsuki Katahira (69), Jennifer Kirby (71), Julia Boland (71)
Hills Course, 10th tee, 9:10 am: Kathleen Ekey (67), Babe Liu (71), Jean Reynolds (73)
Hills Course, 10th tee, 8:40 am: Xiyu Lin (69), Stacey Keating (72), Mallory Blackwelder (73)
It'll be interesting to see who can take advantage of the Jones Course tomorrow and who among those that already did can master the Hills Course!]
Monday, November 4, 2013
LPGA Rookie of the Year Race Scenarios
With the top 6 rookies on the LPGA--Caroline Masson, Moriya Jutanugarn, Ayako Uehara, Chie Arimura, Austin Ernst, and Lisa McCloskey--all playing in the Mizuno Classic, Ward Clayton reminds us that the points breakdown for Rookie of the Year is much more generous than for any of the other LPGA points races (say, for Player of the Year or to make the Solheim Cup)--and hence the race is much closer than it may appear.
With a win worth 150 points, a runner-up finish worth 80, the next 3 spots worth 5 fewer points each, 6th through 10th worth 3 fewer points each, 11th through 20th worth 2 fewer points each, and 21st through 40th worth 1 fewer point each, with everyone else making the cut earning 5 points (so that 5th is worth 65 points, 10th is worth 50, 20th 30, 25th 25, 30th 20, 40th 10, and 41st+ 5), Masson can lose her lead to a few of those chasing her and open the door to many in her lead chase pack with a finish of 41st place or worse this week.
Masson's 26-point lead on Jutanugarn can be erased in the following scenarios:
With a win worth 150 points, a runner-up finish worth 80, the next 3 spots worth 5 fewer points each, 6th through 10th worth 3 fewer points each, 11th through 20th worth 2 fewer points each, and 21st through 40th worth 1 fewer point each, with everyone else making the cut earning 5 points (so that 5th is worth 65 points, 10th is worth 50, 20th 30, 25th 25, 30th 20, 40th 10, and 41st+ 5), Masson can lose her lead to a few of those chasing her and open the door to many in her lead chase pack with a finish of 41st place or worse this week.
Masson's 26-point lead on Jutanugarn can be erased in the following scenarios:
- Jutanugarn win, any Masson finish
- Jutanugarn 2nd, Masson 9th or worse
- Jutanugarn 3rd, Masson 11th or worse
- Jutanugarn 4th, Masson 13th or worse
- Jutanugarn 5th, Masson 16th or worse
- Jutanugarn 6th, Masson 17th or worse
- Jutanugarn 7th, Masson 19th or worse
- Jutanugarn 8th, Masson 20th or worse
- Jutanugarn 9th, Masson 23rd or worse
- Jutanugarn 10th, Masson 26th or worse
- Jutanugarn 11th, Masson 28th or worse
- Jutanugarn 12th, Masson 30th or worse
- Jutanugarn 13th, Masson 32nd or worse
- Jutanugarn 14th, Masson 34th or worse
- Jutanugarn 15th, Masson 36th or worse
- Jutanugarn 16th, Masson 38th or worse
- Jutanugarn 17th, Masson 40th or worse
By contrast, there's only one way Uehara can pass Masson:
- Uehara win, Masson 7th or worse
If Uehara doesn't win, she'll need a lot of help from Masson. Sure, if Uehara earns a silver and Masson finishes T41 or worse, for instance, Ayako would pull within 15 points of Caroline. However, the worse Uehara finishes and the better Masson finishes, the more pressure there is on Uehara to drop out of the LPGA ROY race. Here's why: if Uehara's Mizuno winnings don't count on the JLPGA money list (which I read somewhere recently but now can't find the source), she'll stay at 51st, one spot out of a guaranteed card for 2014. Now, she's not entered in Lorena's tournament (where Masson is 1st alternate), but has qualified for the CME Titleholders. Meanwhile, on the JLPGA, Uehara also hasn't entered next week's Ito-En Ladies. But to get into the Ricoh Cup, the final JLPGA major of the season, which is contested the week after the Titleholders, she needs to either win on the JLPGA, be in the top 25 on the JLPGA money list, or be ranked in the top 25 of the Rolex Rankings. So if Uehara doesn't win this week and can't enter the Ito-En late, she's going to need to choose between the Daio Paper Elleair Ladies on the JLPGA and the Titleholders on the LPGA. In short, it's looking like the only way Uehara has a chance to get 2013 LPGA ROY and keep her dual membership on the LPGA and JLPGA in 2014 is to win the Mizuno this week. No pressure!
Things are simpler--and strangely enough, a little less pressured this week--for Uehara's fellow LPGA-JLPGA dual member, Chie Arimura, because Arimura has clearly decided to focus on the LPGA in 2014. No matter how she does in the Mizuno, she won't play in enough events on the JLPGA this season to be eligible for a 2014 card. Even if Arimura wins this week, qualifies for and wins the Ricoh, and ends up in the top 50 on the JLPGA money list, she will only have 5 JLPGA starts in 2013, whereas you need 8 to have started in at least 20% of the JLPGA's total number of tournaments (36). So Arimura has this week and the Titleholders to make it to the finish line of the LPGA ROY race in 1st. Here's what has to happen this week for her to have a chance:
- Arimura win, Masson 41st or worse: Arimura pulls within 32 points of Masson
- Arimura runner-up, Masson 41st or worse: Arimura pulls within 102 points of Masson
- Arimura 3rd, Masson 41st or worse: Arimura pulls within 107 points of Masson
- [and so on: Arimura makes up less ground on Masson if she medals and Masson finishes 40th or better (up to 15th--for more details, see below); Arimura also makes up less ground if she finishes 4th or worse, down to 16th, so long as Masson finishes 41st or worse]
Things are even simpler for Ernst and McCloskey: they need to win this week to have a chance to be ROY. Anything but a win eliminates them from the race. Plus they'll need help from Masson. For Ernst, she's eliminated if Masson finishes 5th or better, period. Even if McCloskey wins (and hence qualifies for the Titleholders), all Masson has to do is finish 28th or better to eliminate her.
Let's continue in this vein and see what else Masson has to do this week to eliminate more of her competition from the race. If Masson wins the Mizuno, she clinches ROY; anything else keeps Jutanugarn alive.
Things get a little more complicated with Uehara, who's eliminated in the following scenarios:
- Masson 2nd, Uehara 26th or worse
- Masson 3rd, Uehara 31st or worse
- Masson 4th, Uehara 36th or worse
- Masson 5th, Uehara 41st or worse
If Masson finishes 5th or worse, however, she can't eliminate Uehara. A 5th-place finish for Masson and a 40th-place finish for Uehara means the best Uehara can do is tie Masson (and force a playoff by scoring average if they are tied for 1st), assuming Masson doesn't get into Lorena's tournament. That said, the lower down the leaderboard Uehara finishes, the more likely she is to focus on the JLPGA the rest of 2013, even if Masson doesn't statistically eliminate her.
There are even more ways Masson can knock Arimura out of the ROY race this week:
- Masson 2nd-10th, Arimura 2nd or worse
- Masson 11th-13th, Arimura 3rd or worse
- Masson 14th or 15th, Arimura 4th or worse
- Masson 16th-18th, Arimura 5th or worse
- Masson 19th, Arimura 6th or worse
- Masson 20th-22nd, Arimura 7th or worse
- Masson 23rd-25th, Arimura 8th or worse
- Masson 26th-28th, Arimura 9th or worse
- Masson 29th-31st, Arimura 10th or worse
- Masson 32nd or 33rd, Arimura 11th or worse
- Masson 34th or 35th, Arimura 12th or worse
- Masson 36th or 37th, Arimura 13th or worse
- Masson 38th or 39th, Arimura 14th or worse
- Masson 40th, Arimura 15th or worse
In short, even if Masson plays badly this week, she can still eliminate all her competition except Jutanugarn, because McCloskey and Ernst still need to win to stay alive, while Uehara needs to win or come very close and Arimura needs to finish 16th or better. The better Masson plays, the more of her competition she eliminates this week. A really good week eliminates everyone but Jutanugarn, practically no matter how well they all play.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
How Are the Biggest Names Doing in Stage II of LPGA Q-School?
You can track the leaderboard for Stage II of LPGA Q-School, read the Round 1 and Round 2 overviews, and check out the Round 3 pairings over at LPGA.com. What you can't really get is a sense of who ought to be making it to Stage III based on their past records. That's where I come in! While I don't claim to have encyclopedic knowledge of the field, here's what I expected before the tournament started and how they're actually doing at the halfway point. It should give you a sense of who's performing above, to, and below expectations thus far.
Keep in mind that the top 80 and ties move on, so there's no need for anyone on this list to panic. But you can get a sense of who I'd expect to finish in the top 45 or so by reading on.
Sure Things
Lee-Anne Pace (71-72, T20)
Melissa Reid (73-78, T137)
Cheyenne Woods (73-70, T20)
Cindy Yueer Feng (70-72, T13)
Great Chances
Joanna Klatten (79-70, T115)
Rebecca Artis (70-71, T10)
Kristie Smith (72-71, T20)
Lindy Duncan (73-72, T47)
Lee Lopez (69-75, T34)
Natalie Sheary (78-72, T125)
Good Bets
Isabelle Boineau (73-74, T76)
Amy Anderson (70-66, T1)
Marta Silva (72-71, T20)
Samantha Richdale (73-73, T59)
Caroline Westrup (68-75, T20)
Cathryn Bristow (71-68, T7)
Jean Chua (71-75, T59)
Good Shots
Xiyu Lin (66-71, T3)
Ginger Howard (75-74, T115)
Stefanie Kenoyer (71-74, T47)
Candace Schepperle (77-73, T125)
Jean Reynolds (71-71, T13)
Jenny Suh (68-68, T1)
Madison Pressel (74-70, T34)
Carlie Yadloczky (72-75, T76)
Kelly Shon (75-79, T168)
Jaye Marie Green (75-73, T97)
Brittany Altomare (69-74, T20)
Sally Watson (80-74, T168)
Decent Odds
Line Vedel (69-73, T13)
Benedikte Grotvedt (75-71, T59)
Nannette Hill (74-73, T76)
Stacey Keating (71-71, T13)
Mia Piccio (73-76, T115)
Kirby Dreher (79-76, T175)
Emma de Groot (70-69, T7)
Ki-Shui Liao (77-74, T137)
Mallory Blackwelder (72-70, T13)
Laura Gonzalez Escallon (74-74, T97)
Casey Grice (69-76, T47)
Michelle Shin (78-69, T76)
Pinrath Loomboonruang (73-73, T47)
Babe Liu (70-70, 9th)
Erica Popson (74-70, T34)
Julie Yang (73-73, T59)
Paula Reto (73-71, T34)
Demi Runas (72-73, T47)
Huhs?!
Taylor Collins (67-70, T3)
Dani Holmqvist (68-69, T3)
Maiya Tanaka (70-68, 6th)
Kendra Little (71-71, T13)
Keep in mind that the top 80 and ties move on, so there's no need for anyone on this list to panic. But you can get a sense of who I'd expect to finish in the top 45 or so by reading on.
Sure Things
Lee-Anne Pace (71-72, T20)
Melissa Reid (73-78, T137)
Cheyenne Woods (73-70, T20)
Cindy Yueer Feng (70-72, T13)
Great Chances
Joanna Klatten (79-70, T115)
Rebecca Artis (70-71, T10)
Kristie Smith (72-71, T20)
Lindy Duncan (73-72, T47)
Lee Lopez (69-75, T34)
Natalie Sheary (78-72, T125)
Good Bets
Isabelle Boineau (73-74, T76)
Amy Anderson (70-66, T1)
Marta Silva (72-71, T20)
Samantha Richdale (73-73, T59)
Caroline Westrup (68-75, T20)
Cathryn Bristow (71-68, T7)
Jean Chua (71-75, T59)
Good Shots
Xiyu Lin (66-71, T3)
Ginger Howard (75-74, T115)
Stefanie Kenoyer (71-74, T47)
Candace Schepperle (77-73, T125)
Jean Reynolds (71-71, T13)
Jenny Suh (68-68, T1)
Madison Pressel (74-70, T34)
Carlie Yadloczky (72-75, T76)
Kelly Shon (75-79, T168)
Jaye Marie Green (75-73, T97)
Brittany Altomare (69-74, T20)
Sally Watson (80-74, T168)
Decent Odds
Line Vedel (69-73, T13)
Benedikte Grotvedt (75-71, T59)
Nannette Hill (74-73, T76)
Stacey Keating (71-71, T13)
Mia Piccio (73-76, T115)
Kirby Dreher (79-76, T175)
Emma de Groot (70-69, T7)
Ki-Shui Liao (77-74, T137)
Mallory Blackwelder (72-70, T13)
Laura Gonzalez Escallon (74-74, T97)
Casey Grice (69-76, T47)
Michelle Shin (78-69, T76)
Pinrath Loomboonruang (73-73, T47)
Babe Liu (70-70, 9th)
Erica Popson (74-70, T34)
Julie Yang (73-73, T59)
Paula Reto (73-71, T34)
Demi Runas (72-73, T47)
Huhs?!
Taylor Collins (67-70, T3)
Dani Holmqvist (68-69, T3)
Maiya Tanaka (70-68, 6th)
Kendra Little (71-71, T13)
Monday, September 30, 2013
KLPGA Watch: Hee Kyung Bae Outduels Ha Neul Kim and Soo Jin Yang, Outruns Visiting LPGAers
Check out Seoul Sisters.com for details on the impressive victory of Hee Kyung Bae over on the KLPGA by 3 shots over Ha Neul Kim, 4 over Soo Jin Yang, 9 over Inbee Park and So Yeon Ryu, 17 over Se Ri Pak and Chella Choi, and 18 over Na Yeon Choi. Just like on the JLPGA, the lesser-known player from the home tour beat both her peers and visitors from another tour.
What makes Bae's victory even more interesting--and much like Azahara Munoz's on the LET--is that both wins led to losses by a pair of players we were expecting to play in Stage II of LPGA Q-School. But neither Ha Neul Kim nor Charley Hull's names appear on the preliminary field list any more. Randall Mell has the details on Hull's decision, but of course the only thing that a google search on Kim turns up is a 2012 Korea Times article on why she didn't plan to do Q-School that year. It sure would be nice if the U.S. golf media could catch up with the planet (rather than simply being sporadically transatlantic), but to be fair, even the folks at Seoul Sisters are just speculating as to why Kim changed her mind and the Korean golf media could do a much better job of getting news out in English (as could the KLPGA, for that matter--I mean, my god, they've even chosen a format that doesn't show the url of a link when you mouse over it!).
Bottom line is, there are a lot of great golfers over in Korea. You'd think their sponsors at least would have a stake in helping them get better known outside Korea. So why isn't it happening?
What makes Bae's victory even more interesting--and much like Azahara Munoz's on the LET--is that both wins led to losses by a pair of players we were expecting to play in Stage II of LPGA Q-School. But neither Ha Neul Kim nor Charley Hull's names appear on the preliminary field list any more. Randall Mell has the details on Hull's decision, but of course the only thing that a google search on Kim turns up is a 2012 Korea Times article on why she didn't plan to do Q-School that year. It sure would be nice if the U.S. golf media could catch up with the planet (rather than simply being sporadically transatlantic), but to be fair, even the folks at Seoul Sisters are just speculating as to why Kim changed her mind and the Korean golf media could do a much better job of getting news out in English (as could the KLPGA, for that matter--I mean, my god, they've even chosen a format that doesn't show the url of a link when you mouse over it!).
Bottom line is, there are a lot of great golfers over in Korea. You'd think their sponsors at least would have a stake in helping them get better known outside Korea. So why isn't it happening?
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Miyagi TV Cup Dunlop Ladies Open Saturday: Teresa Lu and Na-Ri Lee, Seeking 1st JLPGA Win, 3-Up on Ai-Miyazato
In a week when JLPGA honchos were setting up a Japanese young guns vs. established stars narrative, and when a former teenage star who was bigger than Tiger Woods in Japan had a share of the lead after 18 holes the day before the 10th anniversary of her breakthrough victory, when most of the top Korean players were taking the week off to prepare for the Japan Women's Open, I don't think anybody expected 2 non-Japanese players who have zero JLPGA wins to share the lead at the Miyagi TV Cup Dunlop Ladies Open at the end of moving day.
But Teresa Lu and Na-Ri Lee both have a great chance to break through at the same tournament Ai Miyazato did 10 years ago today. They sit at -3, Lu thanks to steady golf that kept her there and Lee on the strength of a 3-birdie 70 that brought her there.
And guess who's closest to them after shooting a bogey-free 66, the low round of the week? Not Ai Miyazato, who tied Ji-Woo Lee for most bogeys (4) today among those in the top 10, and is 3 shots back after following up her opening 69 with a 75. Not Rikako Morita, the money-list leader who shot her 2nd-straight 73 to drop back 5 shots off the pace alongside Shiho Oyama, Rui Kitada, Erina Hara, and Erika Kikuchi. Not last week's winner Sakura Yokomine, who followed up her opening 71 with a disastrous 77 to free-fall all the way to +4 with Ayako Uehara and Yuri Fudoh. Not Chie Arimura, who at +6 finds herself tied with Natsuka Hori, 1 shot behind Mamiko Higa, Maiko Wakabayashi, and Miho Mori. Not Yumiko Yoshida or Shinobu Moromizato, who didn't even come close to making the cut. Not even Miki Saiki, who dropped to +1 through 36 holes with a 2-bogey 73.
Nope, it's fellow non-Japanese young gun Esther Lee, who, like Teresa and Na-Ri, is still in search of her 1st win on the JLPGA. The only other golfers under par for the week thus far are veteran Saiki Fujita (69) and young gun Lala Anai (70), who battled their way back to -1, Anai by making 4 birdies in her last 5 holes. Joining Ai-sama at E is Yukari Baba, who fired her 2nd-straight even-par 72.
So with 3 golfers without a JLPGA victory at the top of the pyramid and 20 players within 5 shots of the lead, we have a dramatic set-up for tomorrow's final round. You know whom I'll be rooting for! Ai-sama, gambatte-ne!!!!
But Teresa Lu and Na-Ri Lee both have a great chance to break through at the same tournament Ai Miyazato did 10 years ago today. They sit at -3, Lu thanks to steady golf that kept her there and Lee on the strength of a 3-birdie 70 that brought her there.
And guess who's closest to them after shooting a bogey-free 66, the low round of the week? Not Ai Miyazato, who tied Ji-Woo Lee for most bogeys (4) today among those in the top 10, and is 3 shots back after following up her opening 69 with a 75. Not Rikako Morita, the money-list leader who shot her 2nd-straight 73 to drop back 5 shots off the pace alongside Shiho Oyama, Rui Kitada, Erina Hara, and Erika Kikuchi. Not last week's winner Sakura Yokomine, who followed up her opening 71 with a disastrous 77 to free-fall all the way to +4 with Ayako Uehara and Yuri Fudoh. Not Chie Arimura, who at +6 finds herself tied with Natsuka Hori, 1 shot behind Mamiko Higa, Maiko Wakabayashi, and Miho Mori. Not Yumiko Yoshida or Shinobu Moromizato, who didn't even come close to making the cut. Not even Miki Saiki, who dropped to +1 through 36 holes with a 2-bogey 73.
Nope, it's fellow non-Japanese young gun Esther Lee, who, like Teresa and Na-Ri, is still in search of her 1st win on the JLPGA. The only other golfers under par for the week thus far are veteran Saiki Fujita (69) and young gun Lala Anai (70), who battled their way back to -1, Anai by making 4 birdies in her last 5 holes. Joining Ai-sama at E is Yukari Baba, who fired her 2nd-straight even-par 72.
So with 3 golfers without a JLPGA victory at the top of the pyramid and 20 players within 5 shots of the lead, we have a dramatic set-up for tomorrow's final round. You know whom I'll be rooting for! Ai-sama, gambatte-ne!!!!
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Who Will Be the Next to Enter the LPGA Hall of Fame?
The amazing runs of Ya Ni Tseng, Stacy Lewis, Inbee Park, and Suzann Pettersen have got me thinking about an old Hound Dog LPGA question: who will be the next player to qualify for the LPGA Hall of Fame?
Here are the criteria from LPGA.com:
1. Ya Ni Tseng (23)
2. Cristie Kerr (18)
3. Suzann Pettersen (15)
4. Inbee Park (14)
5. Ji-Yai Shin (13)
6. Stacy Lewis (11)
7. Paula Creamer (10)
8. Na Yeon Choi (9)
8. Ai Miyazato (9) [the only one on this list who doesn't meet criterion #2]
As Tony Jesselli points out and as I expand on, the Player of the Year race is closer than most people imagine. Whereas only 3 golfers are in the running for that HOF point, the Vare Trophy HOF point race is pretty much a complete toss-up. Assuming everyone within a stroke of Suzann Pettersen's 69.700 scoring average now reaches the minimum threshold of 70 rounds (only Ai Miyazato is in real danger of not reaching it, barring disasters for everyone else), a lot can happen in 7 tournaments. True, Pettersen thrives in Asia and her 3 closest pursuers (Lewis, Park, Choi) have pretty darn good records there, as well, but who knows who will get hot and who will go cold?
As for my original question of who will be next, it's hard to imagine that Ya Ni Tseng won't get 4 more points before anyone else on this list, but there are certainly opportunities for Pettersen, Park, and Lewis to make up some serious ground on her while she's still struggling to emerge from her slump. Nor do I see why the colder players on this list (Shin, Creamer, Choi, Miyazato) can't heat up this fall. But if I had to predict who would get in in what order, I'd argue for:
1. Tseng
2. Pettersen
3. Park
4. Shin
And reserve judgment on the rest, although for now I believe Kerr still has a better chance than Lewis to make it....
Basically, though, you never know when injury or burnout or early retirement or pregnancy might interrupt someone's march toward the Hall, or throw her off the tracks entirely. Nothing's a sure thing in golf, that's for sure!
Here are the criteria from LPGA.com:
Check out how quickly Lorena Ochoa qualified in points in Hound Dog's follow-up post--although he couldn't have predicted then that she'd retire so soon, before actually meeting criterion #1! So assuming Laura Davies and Ochoa will either play their way in or be voted in, who are the top candidates for entry right now? Check me on this, but here's how I believe the current points breakdown stands:
- Must be/have been an "active" LPGA Tour member for 10 years:
- Must have won/been awarded at least one of the following - an LPGA major championship, the Vare Trophy or Rolex Player of the Year honors; and
- Must have accumulated a total of 27 points, which are awarded as follows - one point for each LPGA official tournament win, two points for each LPGA major tournament win and one point for each Vare Trophy or Rolex Player of the Year honor earned.
1. Ya Ni Tseng (23)
2. Cristie Kerr (18)
3. Suzann Pettersen (15)
4. Inbee Park (14)
5. Ji-Yai Shin (13)
6. Stacy Lewis (11)
7. Paula Creamer (10)
8. Na Yeon Choi (9)
8. Ai Miyazato (9) [the only one on this list who doesn't meet criterion #2]
As Tony Jesselli points out and as I expand on, the Player of the Year race is closer than most people imagine. Whereas only 3 golfers are in the running for that HOF point, the Vare Trophy HOF point race is pretty much a complete toss-up. Assuming everyone within a stroke of Suzann Pettersen's 69.700 scoring average now reaches the minimum threshold of 70 rounds (only Ai Miyazato is in real danger of not reaching it, barring disasters for everyone else), a lot can happen in 7 tournaments. True, Pettersen thrives in Asia and her 3 closest pursuers (Lewis, Park, Choi) have pretty darn good records there, as well, but who knows who will get hot and who will go cold?
As for my original question of who will be next, it's hard to imagine that Ya Ni Tseng won't get 4 more points before anyone else on this list, but there are certainly opportunities for Pettersen, Park, and Lewis to make up some serious ground on her while she's still struggling to emerge from her slump. Nor do I see why the colder players on this list (Shin, Creamer, Choi, Miyazato) can't heat up this fall. But if I had to predict who would get in in what order, I'd argue for:
1. Tseng
2. Pettersen
3. Park
4. Shin
And reserve judgment on the rest, although for now I believe Kerr still has a better chance than Lewis to make it....
Basically, though, you never know when injury or burnout or early retirement or pregnancy might interrupt someone's march toward the Hall, or throw her off the tracks entirely. Nothing's a sure thing in golf, that's for sure!
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Can You Imagine Any Scenario in Which Inbee Park Should Not Win Player of the Year?
There's an interesting debate going on over in PGA Tour-land over who should be their Player of the Year. There are a couple of main reasons why the LPGA Tour does not tend to engender similar debates. First of all, the LPGA uses a points system, so even when the race has been close close (as when Lorena Ochoa beat Ji-Yai Shin out by a single point in 2009 or when Ya Ni Tseng had only 6 points of separation on Cristie Kerr, 8 on Na Yeon Choi, 9 on Ai Miyazato, and 18 on Ji-Yai Shin the following year), the winner was clear. Second, in most years a dominant player emerges and often repeats (as evidenced by the number of times Annika Sorenstam, Lorena Ochoa, and Ya Ni Tseng have been POY in the 2000s--every year but 2000 [Karrie Webb] and 2012 [Stacy Lewis]), thus making debate pointless.
It seemed like this year was going to be another walk in the park for the eventual winner. Stacy Lewis picked up where she left off last season. But then Inbee Park started winning...and winning...and winning...and winning one major after another. With 6 wins, 3 of them majors, it seems pretty obvious that Inbee would succeed Stacy as the 2013 POY. But then Stacy won the Women's British Open and Suzann Pettersen brought her victory and major totals even with Stacy with 2 wins in the last 2 LPGA events, including the newly-majorized Evian Championship. So now Inbee has 281 POY points, Suzann has 204, and Stacy has 183. In a system where a win earns you 30 points, a runner-up gets you 12, 3rd 9, 4th 7, 5th 6, 6th 5, and so on down to 10th (1 point), Inbee has not clinched POY.
But should she have? Can you imagine any scenario where someone who wins 3 majors and 3 other tournaments in a single season should not be POY? I can't.
[Update 1 (11:47 pm): Ward Clayton over at LPGA.com agrees with me that the POY race is not over, although he sounds a little more sanguine about the possibility of Suzanne or Stacy stealing it on a technicality from Inbee than I'm feeling.]
It seemed like this year was going to be another walk in the park for the eventual winner. Stacy Lewis picked up where she left off last season. But then Inbee Park started winning...and winning...and winning...and winning one major after another. With 6 wins, 3 of them majors, it seems pretty obvious that Inbee would succeed Stacy as the 2013 POY. But then Stacy won the Women's British Open and Suzann Pettersen brought her victory and major totals even with Stacy with 2 wins in the last 2 LPGA events, including the newly-majorized Evian Championship. So now Inbee has 281 POY points, Suzann has 204, and Stacy has 183. In a system where a win earns you 30 points, a runner-up gets you 12, 3rd 9, 4th 7, 5th 6, 6th 5, and so on down to 10th (1 point), Inbee has not clinched POY.
But should she have? Can you imagine any scenario where someone who wins 3 majors and 3 other tournaments in a single season should not be POY? I can't.
[Update 1 (11:47 pm): Ward Clayton over at LPGA.com agrees with me that the POY race is not over, although he sounds a little more sanguine about the possibility of Suzanne or Stacy stealing it on a technicality from Inbee than I'm feeling.]
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Two Titans Fall on JLPGA and KLPGA; Will LET's Caroline Hedwall Be the 3rd?
Just a day after I touted them here at Mostly Harmless, Sun-Ju Ahn failed to win her 3rd consecutive JLPGA event at the Golf5 Ladies and So Yeon Ryu failed to defend her title at the Hanwha Classic on the KLPGA. Yumiko Yoshida outplayed Ahn and beat Miki Saiki in a 4-hole playoff to take her 4th career JLPGA title and move to 2nd place on the JLPGA money list, while Sae Young Kim made 2 approach-shot eagles in her last 10 holes to catch Ryu and beat her on the 1st playoff hole.
So of course I started to get worried about Caroline Hedwall, who I also assumed would win the Helsingborg Open after taking a 4-shot lead into today's final round, and who moreover was the subject of Ruthless Mike's "Solheim bump" post today where he practically awarded her the title. Talk about a double whammy--would the Mostly Harmless jinx add onto or multiply the Ruthless Golf jinx in a perfect storm of bad luck for the Solheim Cup's heroine?
Well, on another tough day when only 3 golfers are under par right now (among them legendary Laura Davies, whose 69 brought her to -2 for the week and solo 5th right now), it just so happens that Rebecca Artis is not only 1 of them, but is putting together the best round of the day. She's -3 through 15 holes, thanks to a 5-hole stretch as she made the turn where she canned 4 birdies, and -8 for the week. Hedwall, meanwhile, is struggling after doubling the 330-yard par-4 5th; with no birdies and a pair of bogeys to start the back, she's fallen from -10 through 54 holes to -6 through 69. That's right--she has 3 holes to make up a 2-shot deficit on the 24-year-old Australian. Let's see what happens!
[Update 1 (9:42 am): Correction, Carin Koch and Marjet Van Der Graaff are also under par today, so that's 4 golfers who might do it today! Artis is playing in the group ahead of Hedwall's and just parred the 16th.]
[Update 2 (9:46 am): Terrible weekend for In-Kyung Kim, who opened the week with a 65 but moved backwards with a 75 yesterday (thanks to a 41 on the back) and is +5 through 17 today.]
[Update 3 (9:47 am): Kim's birdie on 17 was her 1st since the front 9 yesterday!]
[Update 4 (9:49 am): Anna Nordqvist's weekend wasn't anything to write home about, either; she went 73-74 to fall back to E for the week and is currently T6 with Pernilla Lindberg. Meanwhile, Hedwall parred the 16th. 2 down with 2 to play for Sweden's last hope for a native winner.]
[Update 5 (10:03 am): Artis birdied 17 and so did Hedwall. -9 to -7 with only 18 left to play!]
[Update 6 (10:06 am): Add Sophie Sandolo and Pamela Pretswell to the list of sub-par shooters today--6 in all! And Artis is on track for best round of the day....]
[Update 7 (10:16 am): Hold the presses! Artis bogeyed 18. If Hedwall can birdie the par 4, we'll have the 3rd playoff of the day!]
[Update 8 (10:16 am): Hedwall couldn't do it. The 3rd titan of the day falls!]
So of course I started to get worried about Caroline Hedwall, who I also assumed would win the Helsingborg Open after taking a 4-shot lead into today's final round, and who moreover was the subject of Ruthless Mike's "Solheim bump" post today where he practically awarded her the title. Talk about a double whammy--would the Mostly Harmless jinx add onto or multiply the Ruthless Golf jinx in a perfect storm of bad luck for the Solheim Cup's heroine?
Well, on another tough day when only 3 golfers are under par right now (among them legendary Laura Davies, whose 69 brought her to -2 for the week and solo 5th right now), it just so happens that Rebecca Artis is not only 1 of them, but is putting together the best round of the day. She's -3 through 15 holes, thanks to a 5-hole stretch as she made the turn where she canned 4 birdies, and -8 for the week. Hedwall, meanwhile, is struggling after doubling the 330-yard par-4 5th; with no birdies and a pair of bogeys to start the back, she's fallen from -10 through 54 holes to -6 through 69. That's right--she has 3 holes to make up a 2-shot deficit on the 24-year-old Australian. Let's see what happens!
[Update 1 (9:42 am): Correction, Carin Koch and Marjet Van Der Graaff are also under par today, so that's 4 golfers who might do it today! Artis is playing in the group ahead of Hedwall's and just parred the 16th.]
[Update 2 (9:46 am): Terrible weekend for In-Kyung Kim, who opened the week with a 65 but moved backwards with a 75 yesterday (thanks to a 41 on the back) and is +5 through 17 today.]
[Update 3 (9:47 am): Kim's birdie on 17 was her 1st since the front 9 yesterday!]
[Update 4 (9:49 am): Anna Nordqvist's weekend wasn't anything to write home about, either; she went 73-74 to fall back to E for the week and is currently T6 with Pernilla Lindberg. Meanwhile, Hedwall parred the 16th. 2 down with 2 to play for Sweden's last hope for a native winner.]
[Update 5 (10:03 am): Artis birdied 17 and so did Hedwall. -9 to -7 with only 18 left to play!]
[Update 6 (10:06 am): Add Sophie Sandolo and Pamela Pretswell to the list of sub-par shooters today--6 in all! And Artis is on track for best round of the day....]
[Update 7 (10:16 am): Hold the presses! Artis bogeyed 18. If Hedwall can birdie the par 4, we'll have the 3rd playoff of the day!]
[Update 8 (10:16 am): Hedwall couldn't do it. The 3rd titan of the day falls!]
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)