Rooting for Mariajo Uribe at the Olympics

It's hard to believe the Paris Olympics will mark the end of Mariajo Uribe's professional golf career.  In honor of her opening 70, here are a couple of classic posts that explain why she means so much to the Constructivist family, why I'm rooting for her to medal this week, and why, even if she doesn't, she still wins the Mostly Harmless Golfer Gold Medal from onechan (now 20) and imoto (now 18).

• 2010 Wegmans LPGA Championship Moving Day:  Meltdown Averted!
• 2012 Wegmans LPGA Championship Practice Round:  Hello Kitty!

Farewell, Dai-chan: Daisuke Takahashi Retires from Competitive Figure Skating

The Constructivist household is in mourning for the retirement of Daisuke Takahashi from competitive figure skating.  Ever since we found out, I've been asking the Full Metal Archivist to write something celebrating his career, but she's still dealing with the shock of the news and is just too sad to put her feelings into words.  What she has told me has been poetic:  "he flirted with the music, seduced audiences, and challenged judges...he was a shaman on the ice."  So I'll just point you too her April 2010 "Luv Letter" for now.  More on his legacy later!

What a Week!

Anyone following me on twitter knows that I happened to be at my favorite Korean restaurant in Western New York last night when the repeat winner of the Wegmans LPGA Championship happened to drop by.  Smooth as always in the presence of greatness, I stammered out a quiet "Congratulations, Inbee," as she walked by.  She took the time to thank me.  And that was that.

It's sad to think that nobody knows when the LPGA will return to Rochester.  I was so busy chasing golfers yesterday that the only player I got to interview was Mina Harigae, and then only for a couple of minutes after her most frustrating round of the week.  So to all the players I've followed, or interviewed, and sometimes even gotten to know a bit over the last several years in Pittsford--particularly Ai Miyazato, Mika Miyazato, Moira Dunn, Paula Creamer, Morgan Pressel, Tiffany Joh, Danielle Kang, Lizette Salas, Jane Park, Jennifer Song, Na Yeon Choi, In-Kyung Kim, Amy Yang, Momoko Ueda, Chie Arimura, Ayako Uehara, and Harukyo Nomura--thanks for everything you do!  And hope to see you competing in Rochester again soon!

Wegmans LPGA Championship Sunday: Inbee Park Defeats Brittany Lincicome with Clutch Up-and-Down on 1st Playoff Hole

The narrative all week here at the Wegmans LPGA Championship has been that Monroe Golf Club is a bombers' paradise, but in the end the final edition of the tournament in Rochester became a pitch-and-putt contest between defending champion Inbee Park, who made 2 clutch 10 footers in her last 2 holes to get to -11, and Brittany Lincicome, who 3-putted from about 25 feet on the 72nd hole to fall back to that same number and open the door to the former world #1.

They played the 18th again on the first playoff hole, and even though Lincicome outdrove Park by over 50 yards, both players went over the green with their approaches.  Lincicome ended up not far from where she left her 25-footer 6 feet short, while Park had gunned for the pin and rolled to the back-right rough right behind it.  Lincicome hit a good chip, but it released to about 9 feet, while Park cozied hers up within 3 feet.  The previous night, Lincicome had admitted that the key place her nerves show up is on the greens, while Park has been talking down her putting this year but even before she switched putters last week was still among the top 3 in the world on the greens this year on the LPGA.  Long story short:  Lincicome missed.  Park made.  Park defended her title.

More to come!

[Update 1 (7:52 pm):  I spent most of the day following Mina Harigae (16th-18th holes), Jennifer Song (6th-12th), Danielle Kang (10th-18th), and Tiffany Joh and Jane Park (12th-end, back and forth between their 2 groups).  But I did get back to the 17th green in time to see Lydia Ko fail to get up-and-down from the neck on the 17th and watch Inbee pour in her birdie attempt.  I was just to Inbee's right for her drive on 18 and the intensity on her face as she transitioned to her downswing was something to behold.  I couldn't get close to the green, but I saw her par save disappear and heard the crowd's roar an instant later.  I tried to get back to the 18th tee in time to see the 2 players tee off right from near the tee area, but was blocked by the ropes for the short way and had to go the long way around.  Made it within 100 yards of the tee on the right side of the fairway, but by that time Lincicome was ready to drive.]

[Update 2 (7:58 pm):  Brittany came into the interview room while I was typing update #1.  I got to ask her about her thought process after her bogey on the par-5 12th and she gave a fantastic answer.  I hope she continues to play well because she's one of the best interviews on the LPGA.  Totally honest and very thoughtful.]

[Update 3 (8:08 pm):  Last night here in the media room, Pettersen was totally confident and talking about trying to go low on Sunday, Lincicome was totally forthright about how she deals with her emotions and nerves, and Park seemed to be relishing the underdog role, feeding into the narrative that Monroe GC gives long hitters an advantage.  But Sundays in a major are different.  It's a lot harder to swing freely when the tournament is on the line and the further you hit it the further your misses go, too.  In addition, the pressure on and around the greens ratchets up, particularly on Donald Ross greens.  Cases in point:  Pettersen's 41 and Piller's 42 on the front.  It doesn't look from their scorecards that they missed a whole lot of fairways, but they made 7 bogeys and 2 doubles together in the 1st 8 holes.  (Congrats to Gerina, btw, on her husband's win!)  But let's face it, everybody struggled down the stretch.  Azahara Munoz, a straight shooter, got it to -9 and made a fantastic par save on 14 after having to take an unplayable, but finished double-par-bogey.  Lydia Ko, a precision player, got it to -10, but finished with 2 bogeys in a row.  In the end, the player who played the best all week and particularly down the stretch was your winner.]

[Update 4 (8:14 pm):  Shoutout to world #1 Stacy Lewis, who had the low round of the day, a 5-birdie 68, to vault into a tie for 6th with Pettersen, Shanshan Feng, Mirim Lee, and Julieta Granada.  Oh, and add Anna Nordqvist to the list of players who fought their way up the leaderboard only to falter down the stretch.  She was -8 with 4 to play and bogeyed 16 and 17.]

Major News Out of LPGA and USGA

By now you've probably already read about the Kraft Nabisco Championship losing its title sponsor after this April's major is contested and the USGA opening up international sectional qualifying sites for the U.S. Women's Open in England, Japan, Korea, and China.  I see a link between the changes in 2 of the LPGA's biggest majors:  the effect of globalization on the women's professional golf world.

The globalization connection is pretty obvious when it comes to the U.S. Women's Open.  Se Ri Pak's victory there has been legendary in Korea almost since the moment she took off her golf shoes and socks, so I'm curious to see how many entries the Korea site gets.  Golf is growing quickly in China and the number of entries per year will be one good index of its acceleration.  I'm thinking that more Japanese golfers will be willing to give the USWO a try if they don't have to travel to Hawaii or California to do it.  Like the KLPGA, the JLPGA has events on either side of the May 19th qualifier, so it'll be interesting to see how many members of both tours adjust their schedules--and who!  In Europe, there's an LET event in Amsterdam a few days after the USWO qualifier, so it shouldn't interfere with qualifying attempts by more of its members.

But what does the KNC have to do with globalization?  Mike Whan has publicly committed to keeping the KNC at Mission Hills and perpetuating the tradition of the winner's leap into Poppie's Pond, goals I fully endorse (I'd add a 3rd goal of bringing back "Dinah Shore" into the official title of the event, as well).  Perhaps there will be a big-time global sponsor from outside the U.S. who will want to make it happen, either a former LPGA partner like Samsung or Toyota or a new sponsor that wants to be associated with the tournament's LGBTQ-friendly history and traditions (like maybe Subaru?).  But if no international or domestic sponsor (calling State Farm! calling ADT!) steps up to the plate, I'm hoping the LPGA can get creative.  The HSBC Women's Champions event is near-major quality and worthy of an Evian-like upgrade, so there's always the option of convincing HSBC to alternate the LPGA's 1st major of the season between Singapore and Mission Hills.  Another possibility is to hook up with the LET's World Ladies Championship at Mission Hills in China and either alternate sites or link the two events (perhaps by sending better American teams to China and opening up more spots in the LPGA event to LETers).  Or the LPGA could bypass the LET entirely and create a separate relationship with the CGA or CLPGA to alternate Mission Hills sites.  The chance to keep the KNC at Mission Hills while also making it the LPGA's 1st Asian major would be almost as good an outcome as replacing Kraft-Nabisco with a different title sponsor.  Call its the LPGA's 1st transnational major and run with it!

Under Mike Whan, the LPGA has embraced its identity as a truly global golf tour.  The latest major news underscores that identity and gives the tour opportunities to take it to the next level.  Let's see what comes of it!

[Update 1 (3/20/14, 8:15 am): Ruthless Mike has some interesting observations on the KNC and other challenges/opportunities facing Mike Whan and his team!]

The World Is a Big Place Files: Lydia Ko Edition

So it seems Lydia Ko has split with Guy Wilson, her coach of 11 years.  Alarm bells are ringing for Geoff Shackelford, who's already shaping up a story of how IMG and David Leadbetter are about to ruin another young phenom.  But what if this is just about what Ko told New Zealand TV this is about?

With Wilson remaining in New Zealand and unable to join her throughout the 2014 LPGA Tour, the decision was a logical one for Ko.

"I'm going to be away from home and I'm not a player that likes to (not) have my coach out at tournaments, so it doesn't really work, him being here and him coming on the weeks that I'm not playing a tournament," Ko told ONE Sport at the Gulf Ha[r]bour Country Club today.

"That means I'd only see him like 10 times a year and to me that kind of situation didn't work out so that's why I thought it might be better to have a coach based somewhere in the States."

I mean, as Ji-Yai Shin's and Momoko Ueda's recent decisions to focus on the JLPGA make clear, the world is a big place.  Here's how Ko put it to TVNZ:  "Playing on the LPGA Tour it's going to be hard coming back home. Obviously it's so far to get from here to anywhere apart from Australia."  So unless Wilson is willing to uproot himself and move halfway around the world to keep coaching Ko, how can their partnership continue?  Wilson himself sounds a lot more resigned and accepting (or at least diplomatic) in the New Zealand, Australian, and Canadian media than in the U.S. media (although Golfweek has Wilson's complete statement).

Kris Shannon looks at the decision from both sides, calling the split "inevitable" but questioning the timing and possible repercussions on Ko's swing and game: 

Set to spend next season on the LPGA Tour, Ko will be based overseas for much of the year, but she already had a hectic travel schedule during her unprecedented amateur career. 

"I'm sad to hear it because they can do most of the coaching over the phone, with all the videos and different stuff," Lister said. "If [Wilson] was to see her once every three or four months, it would be plenty. She doesn't need somebody every day. 

"I'd be very reluctant to be changing anything with Lydia. She's done pretty damn well with what she's doing, and if it ain't broke don't go and fix it."

Ko herself is well aware of possible pitfalls but hopes to avoid them:

 "It's going to be a huge change. Swing-wise obviously not every coach has the same swing technique but even my parents and I said we don't want huge changes, just little changes, that if someone else saw my swing they wouldn't know that anything's changed. 

"Golf isn't really all about having the perfect swing, it's about getting out there and scoring well as well." 

She remains undaunted by stories about players falling on hard times after changing coaches and insists such speculation does not apply to her situation with Wilson. 

"Not really. I've heard those rumours and Tweets where people say lots of people have left their coaches after they've succeeded and stuff, but to me it's not like I left him because he was a bad coach. 

"It was because that situation, we knew there was going to be a problem. I know it's a change but fingers crossed that nothing bad happens."

The fact is, you never know how changes like these are going to turn out.  I'm reminded of how the size of the planet played a role in Ji-Yai Shin's slow-motion split with her long-time caddie Dean Herden back in 2011.

Bottom line is that it's Ko's career and her decision.  If she's convinced a long-distance relationship won't work for her, better to act on that conviction than draw out the transition.  It seems to me that all outsiders and onlookers can do is wish both Ko and Wilson the best.

[Update 1 (8:57 am):  Stevie Williams, a friend of Wilson's, strongly criticizes Ko's decision.]

[Update 2 (9:09 am):  I can only hope Lydia and her parents each have great Christmas presents for Wilson and that IMG is ponying up serious severance pay for him!]

[Update 3 (9:31 am):  Ladies on Tour notes that Ko's mother was talking about finding a U.S.-based coach at the CME Titleholders.]

[Update 4 (9:51 am):  Brent Kelley has a good overview.  But is nobody else seeing that Lydia mentions Sean Hogan by name in that TVNZ story?]

[Update 5 (11:16 am):  Randall Mell just tweeted:  "Just off phone w/ David Leadbetter, Lydia Ko will work w/ him & Sean Hogan of his staff. 'It's about guiding, not re-inventing the swing.'"]

[Update 6 (11:50 am):  Here's Emily Kay's Steve Williams-centered overview.]

[Update 7 (12:28 pm):  So much for this being a sudden decision.  There was even pre-decision blowback before Thanksgiving in the NZ media.]

[Update 8 (8:03 pm):  Randall Mell covers reaction from Kiwi Nation and statements from David Leadbetter.]

[Update 9 (8:07 pm):  And here's Stephanie Wei's recap.]

Momoko Ueda Announces Departure from LPGA

Just yesterday I speculated that Momoko Ueda might try to limit her LPGA schedule in 2014 to the minimum number of starts required to keep her card for 2015.  So I decided to check out her blog to see if she's said anything recently about her plans for next season.  It turns out she announced just after Thanksgiving that she won't be playing on the LPGA in 2014.  In her announcement, she looked back on her 6 years on the LPGA, explained her decision to focus exclusively on the JLPGA next year, thanked Ai Miyazato, Mika Miyazato, Ayako Uehara, and Shiho Oyama, along with her family, her team, and her fans, and let everyone know that after a brief hibernation she wants to start the spring healthy and go after new dreams and new goals.  She hasn't given up on her goal of winning in the United States, though.  She said that she still intends to win the Kraft Nabisco Championship.

Ueda qualified for the LPGA by winning the Mizuno Classic in 2007 in part because of a super-rare double eagle in the final round.  That year, she won 4 other times on the JLPGA and led the tour's money list.  In the midst of her rookie year on the LPGA the following season, Ueda won twice more on the JLPGA, but followed them up with only 2 more wins in Japan, the AXA Ladies in 2009 and the Mizuno Classic in 2011.  Those 2 Mizuno wins count as LPGA wins, as well, and they're Ueda's only ones in her 6 years on tour.  By my count, Ueda played 107 events as an LPGA member; her only top 3s came from those Mizuno wins and she added only 6 more top 10s.  Even though she made the cut 78.5% of the time on the LPGA and won almost $1.70M, it's clear that her expectations and goals were much higher and that not being close to contention over 90% of the time weighed heavily on her.  She didn't join the LPGA just to make cuts and collect paychecks.  Not long before she turned 27, she decided it was time to play the JLPGA full-time.

So Ueda finishes this phase of her LPGA career ranked 34th among the players who joined the tour since 2005, ranked 6th (as of July) in her rookie class of 2008, and ranked 7th (as of March) among the LPGA's 2-time winners.  Let's see if she can make like Shiho Oyama and fight her way back to being one of Japan's top female golfers again!

Signs o' the GNF: Hayao Miyazaki Retires, Futurama Airs Its Last Episode

Just saw on Japanese TV that Hayao Miyazaki held a press conference to announce his retirement.  At the end, the anime legend told reporters this would be his last public appearance.  Miyazaki's films have meant a lot to the Constructivist family and we're sad to see him go.  But when you leave behind Totoro, Spirited Away, Ponyo, Kiki's Delivery Service, Princess Mononoke, Howl's Moving Castle, Nausicaa, and Studio Ghibli, he'll never really be gone.

Which leads me to the end of Futurama.  I love the way the last episode tunnels back to the first episode and makes the entire series into a long time loop.  Pretty meta way to get at the way all fictional characters end up repeating the same words and actions--and a pretty romantic way to convince us that for Frye and Leela, at least, this would lead to happiness and love rather than despair or boredom.  If I weren't so busy, I'd watch every episode in order as a tribute!

Sophie Gustafson and Amanda Blumenherst Stepping Away from LPGA

As Brent Kelley and Geoff Shackelford have been picking up on Randall Mell's reporting that Amanda Blumenherst and Sophie Gustafson are stepping away from competitive golf, it looks like it's official that the LPGA will have to do without 2 of its most respected and popular players.  At the same time, neither has been playing good golf for some time now.  Except for a pair of T5s early in 2012 and a T13 at the ShopRite, Blumenherst's performances the last year and a half have been nothing to write home about, leading to her falling to #9 in my latest ranking of the Class of 2010.  Gustafson, a 5-time winner on the LPGA, has dropped off the map the last calendar year, falling to #12 in my last ranking of 3-to-6-time winners on tour.

Looking at my last update of the LPGA's top rivalries, I wonder how long it will be before Cristie Kerr and Se Ri Pak are the only golfers from their "generation" to be competing on the LPGA.  Blumenherst is the 3rd player from her rookie class to definitively step away from competitive golf, following Whitney Wade and Jane Chin (who are now coaching).  Unfortunately, their departures are a normal fact of life on the LPGA.  Players reach their mid-20s and reassess their prospects; players reach their late 30s and reassess their priorities.  For every big-name player who makes headlines when she steps away from the spotlight (Annika, Lorena, Grace Park, Mi Hyun Kim), a handful of lesser-known players decide their golf is never going to swing the spotlight toward them.

So as we mourn Gustafson's and Blumenherst's decisions and wish them well in their future endeavors, let's extend the same courtesy to all the unsung players who have tried to make a living and make history on the links.

[Update 1 (9/2/13, 1:41 am):  Whoops, turns out Gustafson will be playing full-time on the LET next season and isn't ruling out a return to the LPGA; neither is Blumenherst, but with her husband in the majors and a baby in the works, we're talking about an extended time away from the LPGA, as well.]

The End of an Era: Mi Hyun Kim Joins Grace Park in Retiring This Year

Read all about Mi Hyun Kim's decision to retire from competitive golf after the Hana Bank Championship over at Seoul Sisters.com.  Between the push of a severe left ankle injury resulting from her huge swing and, no doubt, the pull of motherhood and a new chapter in her life, she's decided it's time to hang up her softspikes this month. 

She was always one of my favorite players on the LPGA--and not just because I'm obligated to pull for short athletes (Spud Webb, Muggsie Bogues, Joe Morris, and so on).  In her prime, she could beat anyone on tour, as her 8 career wins attest.  I'll sure miss seeing and interviewing her at the Wegmans LPGA Championship. Whether her fans will remember her as Kimmee, Peanut, or Super-Peanut remains to be seen, but we'll all treasure the fierce competitiveness, great generosity, and warm spirit she brought to the game.

[Update (10/10/12):  Here's bangkokbobby's tribute to Kim!]

OK, So Now How Long Before Augusta Hosts an LPGA Event?

Let me join in the chorus welcoming Augusta National to the 20th century and to the many voices hoping that they'll decide to enter the 21st before it ends by hosting an LPGA event!  I know, baby steps, but a guy can dream, right?

Manulife Financial LPGA Classic Sunday: Brittany Lang Breaks Through in 4-Way Playoff

The sun came out for the first time all day as Brittany Lang and Hee Kyung Seo approached the 18th green for the 4th time in a row, the last survivors of a 4-way, 3-hole playoff from which Chella Choi and Inbee Park had previously bowed out.  When Lang gutted out a 6-foot sliding downhill-sidehill birdie putt to win the Manulife Financial LPGA Classic, she ensured that the sun will set tonight on the infamous "Duke curse" that purportedly blocked players from Duke University from winning on the LPGA Tour.  And when the sun rises tomorrow, it may start to sink in to Lang that she has joined fellow Texans Angela Stanford and Stacy Lewis as winners in 2012.

As storm clouds were brewing over Grey Silo about 2 and a half hours earlier in the afternoon, it didn't look like Lang would be part of any playoff picture, much less win the tournament.  Park and Seo had been trading birdies all day and each got to -17 at different points early on the back.  Although Lang hadn't made a bogey in her 1st 14 holes, she still found herself 1 shot behind her playing partners when her tee shot found some gnarly left rough while they had put themselves squarely in the 15th fairway.  With the pin tucked behind the front-left trap, she needed to hit a perfect shot just to stay in contention.  Not only did she do it, getting her ball almost pin high about 15 feet to the right on the hole, she followed it up with a fantastic birdie putt to pull even with the leaders.  She gave herself another good look for birdie on 16, but her downhill putt slid by the hole.  After all 3 players parred the 17th, Lang must have been thinking that she needed to make birdie or eagle to have a chance to win the tournament.  Seo had birdied 18 twice before, Park 3 times. Lang had put herself into contention on moving day with a birdie-birdie-eagle finish, so she knew she had it in her.  Plus, with a very accessible pin on the front-right quadrant of the green on this short par 5 and huge cheers from the gigantic crowd surrounding the green erupting every few minutes (it seemed), it was do-or-die time.  Little did anyone expect that Chella Choi, the leader in the clubhouse following her bogey-free 63 that got her to -16 (eclipsing Stacy Lewis's walkoff eagle for a 29 for the back, a 64 for the day, and a -15 total for the week), would have a ghost of a chance to make it into a playoff, but that's what happened when the easy pin to reach from the fairway turned into a nasty hole to try to get the ball to fall into.  Both Seo and Lang had short putts to win the tournament outright with a birdie, and both missed them low.

In the playoff, Seo hit the green in 2 twice in a row, giving herself difficult but makeable 10-foot eagle putts, but she couldn't get either to fall.  Lang stayed alive with birdies on the first 2 playoff holes while first Choi and then Park failed to get up and down from right of the green in 2.  On the third hole, both Seo and Lang put their approach shots in the front-right bunker.  Park's explosion stayed about 10 feet below the hole, while Lang's spun to about 6 feet above it.  After Park's putt wouldn't fall, the stage was set for Lang to get her 1st LPGA win.  As Lang put it after the round, "I was so nervous on that first putt in regulation.  I couldn't see what I really wanted and I just kind of putted up there.  But those two birdie putts to stay in the playoff, I was getting better at being nervous and knowing that just because I was nervous didn't mean I was going to miss it."  And she didn't, winning with her 3rd-straight birdie on the final hole.

As the sun's setting here in Waterloo, I have to hit the road for Hamburg.  Got lots of interviews with a bunch of players today, so look for a lot of material here over the next few days!

Recommended Reading: Happy Fan's Tribute to Grace Park

What with my lovely ladies heading out to Japan tomorrow morning, I haven't had much time for writing lately and I still haven't found the right words to capture my feelings about Grace Park's retirement announcement from the Wegmans LPGA Championship.  Fortunately, the top writer on the KLPGA and the founder of Seoul Sisters.com, Happy Fan, wrote a moving tribute to "Our Grace" over at his blog.  If you've been following the LPGA for less than a decade, his overview of Park's career is required reading.  Even if you were there while she was at her peak, it's still worth a read!

Miho Koga to Retire from JLPGA

Miho Koga, a 12-time winner and 2008 money-list title holder on the JLPGA, announced recently that this will be her last season on tour.  Although she only turned 29 at the end of July, the Kumamoto native has been suffering from a nagging wrist injury since 2009 and has been slipping down JLPGA money lists ever since--plus since last fall she's been a victim of Japan's tabloid media for her rumored relationship with baseball star Darvish Yu.  My guess is that the mental strain of dealing with those kind of intrusions into her private life are playing a much bigger role than any physical issues she may have.

We'll see where Koga ends up on the career money list at the end of this, her 11th season on tour, but right now she's #15, with only 3 players in her generation (Sakura Yokomine, Ji-Hee Lee, and Mi-Jeong Jeon) ahead of her.  She missed her best chance for win #13 in the final round of the Meiji Chocolate Cup in early August; despite opening with a 63, she was overtaken by Shanshan Feng.  Otherwise, it's been pretty much the worst year of her career, with 7 missed cuts in 16 starts and a no-show at the Japan Women's Open this week (whether because she decided not to enter or failed to qualify, I don't know).  At least now we know why she was invited to play with Tiger Woods in that early-November charity match....

Golf Channel, Here I Come!

Today in history, the Constructivist family entered the 21st century. We've had high-speed internet since we got back from Japan but now we have it with Verizon, whose triple play deal means that we also have DirectTV (with a sweet HD DVR) and a home phone (VTec, of course!), plus we went in for a Sony Blu-Ray player (connected to our new 42" plasma Panasonic with the scariest of Monster HDMI cables) to supplement our old Sony DVD-VCR player. Golf Channel, here I come!

Now, some of you may be wondering, "Constructivist, how can you afford your rock and roll lifestyle?" Well, I'm happy to report that I'm starting a serious product placement initiative here at Mostly Harmless (see above). Other than that, I don't have a clue. Anyone out there in Blogaramaville got any ideas?

I'm Back! Miss Me?

Hey all, the move from Dunkirk to Hamburg not only took up much more of my time than I hoped, but also involved a switch in our internet service provider. It turns out the phone line to our new home was damaged while the computer we left in the old home crashed, so we've been cut off from e-civilization far longer than I planned (which was, uh, not at all). Anyway, I'm hoping when I get back home with the last carload of our stuff the problem has been fixed and I can get back to blogging for my hundred or so regular readers! Plus, in just under 2 weeks, we'll be back in TV-land, so I might even get to watch some golf on tv on a fairly regular basis this season. Provided, of course, DirectTV doesn't drop Golf Channel. Anyone know the status of that little corporate dust-up?

"uewo muite arukou" modern style

RIP Satoshi Kon

Just heard the news of Satoshi Kon's passing. After Hayao Miyazaki, he was probably my favorite anime director. From his contribution to the animated sf anthology Memories (1995) to his first feature film Perfect Blue (1997), to his 2 best movies, Millennium Actress (2001) and Tokyo Godfathers (2003), to the tv series Paranoia Agent (2004) and his last film Paprika (2006), he was nearly always pitch-perfect, mystifying, engrossing. He will be missed.

The Lorena-less Rolex Rankings

The new Rolex Rankings are out and Lorena Ochoa is gone. Here's how the top 10 looks now:

1. Ji-Yai Shin (9.29)
2. Ai Miyazato (9.17)
3. Ya Ni Tseng (8.82)
4. Suzann Pettersen (8.41)
5. Cristie Kerr (7.60)
6. Anna Nordqvist (6.88)
7. Karrie Webb (6.57)
8. Michelle Wie (6.52)
9. Na Yeon Choi (5.70)
10. In-Kyung Kim (5.64)

Morgan Pressel's win in Japan moved her up 8 spots to #17 in the rankings (4.30).

[Update 1 (5/13/10, 11:18 am): Thanks to Jay Busbee for reminding me that I called this!]

Tres Marias Championship Preview, Predictions, Pairings

Finally, the Tres Marias Championship is here! In a year with so few tournaments on the LPGA, every single one matters, but of course this one matters more because it could well end up being Lorena Ochoa's last event as an LPGA regular. Like Hound Dog, I'm astounded that there will be no U.S. television coverage. I'll be busting out my unused-since-college Spanish to surf ESPN Deportes to see what video they choose to post. I love the Mojo 6 and all, but CBS had better be doing regular updates on the action in Morelia over the weekend!

Back when this was the Corona Championship and the then-newly-crowned #1 golfer in the world of women's golf failed to win it for the only time in the last 4 years, I made a double in-joke that proved remarkably prescient on two levels (sure, the details were all wrong, but I got the big picture right, you have to admit), so this tournament will always mean something extra to me. Last year's preview gives you a pretty good sense of the results from the year before and the vibe of the tournament: go low early and often. With lots of hills and water, lots can happen, but the winner's probably going to have to average around 68 per round (it's a par-73 course). Keeping in mind that Ai Miyazato's 1st LPGA win came on the hilly Evian Masters track, her solid history at Tres Marias, the pressure on Lorena, and the fact that the hottest female player (Inbee Park) is competing in Japan this week, here's the 12 players I think will separate themselves out from this strong field:

1. Miyazato Ai
2. Pettersen
3. Ochoa
4. Kim Song-Hee
5. Choi Na Yeon
6. Nordqvist
7. Pressel
8. McPherson
9. Kim In-Kyung
10. Wie
11. Yoo
12. Lang

Alts: Prammanasudh, Ward, Hull

With Ji-Yai Shin also playing in Japan this week, Cristie Kerr, Ya Ni Tseng, and Karrie Webb inexplicably sitting this one out, and Jeong Jang, Mi Hyun Kim, Grace Park, and Angela Park still in comeback mode, this is a great opportunity for Miyazato, Pettersen, and Nordqvist to put in a claim on being the next #1. The tournament organizers clearly have a sense of history, as they're pairing Lorena with Ai-sama in the top prime-time quadrant going off the 10th tee in the late morning:

Start Time: 8:36 AM
Jeong Jang
Leta Lindley
Soo-Yun Kang

Start Time: 8:47 AM
Michele Redman
Sun Young Yoo
Liselotte Neumann

Start Time: 8:58 AM
Anna Nordqvist
Sandra Gal
Michelle Wie

Start Time: 9:09 AM
Giulia Sergas
Pat Hurst
Meaghan Francella

Start Time: 9:20 AM
Lorena Ochoa
Ai Miyazato
Natalie Gulbis

Next-best quadrant is going opposite them off the front:

Start Time: 8:36 AM
Christina Kim
Katherine Hull
Grace Park

Start Time: 8:47 AM
Angela Park
In-Kyung Kim
Kristy McPherson

Start Time: 8:58 AM
Hee-Won Han
Juli Inkster
Helen Alfredsson

Start Time: 9:09 AM
Amy Yang
Stacy Prammanasudh
Mi Hyun Kim

Start Time: 9:20 AM
Sherri Steinhauer
Hee Young Park
M.J. Hur

Glad to see Steinhauer back--hope her hips can take the hills! Next-best quadrant goes off the 10th in the early afternoon:

Start Time: 12:10 PM
Laura Diaz
Wendy Ward
Jimin Kang

Start Time: 12:21 PM
Angela Stanford
Lorie Kane
Suzann Pettersen

Start Time: 12:32 PM
Brittany Lincicome
Karine Icher
Na Yeon Choi

Start Time: 12:43 PM
Vicky Hurst
Nicole Castrale
Anna Grzebien

Start Time: 12:54 PM
Becky Morgan
Brandie Burton
Meena Lee

And finally there are a lot of dark horses in the front-side early-afternoon quadrant:

Start Time: 12:10 PM
Kyeong Bae
Morgan Pressel
Eunjung Yi

Start Time: 12:21 PM
Stacy Lewis
Ji Young Oh
Janice Moodie

Start Time: 12:32 PM
Brittany Lang
Mika Miyazato
Louise Friberg

Start Time: 12:43 PM
Se Ri Pak
Candie Kung
Maria Hjorth

Start Time: 12:54 PM
Jane Park
Jee Young Lee
Song-Hee Kim

I'm very curious to see how Moira Dunn (#1, 1:05 pm), Mina Harigae (#1, 1:16 pm), and Pernilla Lindberg (#1, 7:41 am) do this week, along with Lorena's young successors from the Spanish-speaking world, particularly Azahara Munoz (#10, 8:03 am), Mariajo Uribe (#1, 8:03 am), Maria Hernandez (#1, 7:30 am), Tania Elosegui (#10, 1:16 pm), and Beatriz Recari (playing with Moira). Amazingly, both Se Ri Pak and Karen Stupples (playing with Elosegui) are in this event for the 1st time. Erica Blasberg and Diana D'Alessio Monday-qualified with scores of 73 and 74, respectively, so my guess is the course is playing pretty tough.

We'll see if that poses obstacles to Ai-sama's quest to get back in birdie mode and put an end to her mini-slump. Gambare!