Was it only 21 months ago (or so) that Michael Berube retired from blogging? That I wrote this tribute to his unauthorized mock-political party? That I instituted BerubeWatch to track his inevitable return?
Well, hang onto your hats, true believers. Berube's back!
For those who might be tempted to dig through the Mostly Harmless archives and figure out when this pop culture blog became a golf blog, I'll save you some time. You see, the seeds of MH's golfaramamania were, uh, seeded in comments over at Berube's old place. Whenever he'd take a break from his hockey blogging and golf blog, I'd always ask him, "what about the LPGA?" Eventually I figured I'd better fill that void myself. Might have been that time my prediction turned out to be right--and his? Well, not so much.
So, yeah, Michael Berube is to blame for the golf blogging I inflict on less than a hundred people a day. Putting aside the fact that that's a bigger and more regular readership than I ever got for obscure in-jokes and political satires, the only fitting punishment for him is for you to become a regular at his blog and leave him many many comments.
[Update 1 (10/3/08, 12:12 am): Yeesh, not only am I way late with this "news," now I find out I'm not even original with my title.]
[Update 2 (4:24 am): Aaargh, and I forgot to mention that Berube's bloggy return means that Annika Sorenstam will be back on the LPGA in 2011.]
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Japan Women's Open Thursday: It's a Game Called Survival
25th-ranked Esther Lee is off to an early lead in the opening round of the Japan Women's Open after shooting a 4-under-par 68. Barely breaking 70 were Yui Kawahara and Mika Takushima. 16-year-old amateur Kotono Kozuma is only 3 shots back, along with JLPGA regulars Maiko Wakabayashi and So-Hee Kim. Among the big names going out early, Momoko Ueda and Ji-Hee Lee shot 73s, Yuko Mitsuka and Shiho Oyama 74s, Yuri Fudoh and Midori Yoneyama 76s, and Miho Koga and Chie Arimura 77s. Yup, the scoring is generally high. More as more scores come in!
[Update 1 (4:45 am): Mie Nakata joined the big group at -1 (T5), while Nikki Campbell's 70 put her alone in 4th. Rounding out the top 10 at E for the day were Akiko Fukushima, Ai Tanaka, and Yeojinn Kang. The hits just kept coming for the rest of the field. Ai Miyazato, Ayako Uehara and Yuki Ichinose shot 74s (T20), Erina Hara, Bo-Bae Song, Akane Iijima, Yukari Baba, and Ji-Woo Lee 75s (T30), Miki Saiki, Hiroko Yamaguchi, Kaori Higo, and Mayu Hattori 76s (T44), Sakura Yokomine and Shinobu Moromizato 77s (T59), Mi-Jeong Jeon 78 (T72), Tamie Durdin 80 (T89), and Yun-Jye Wei 81 (T96). Yeesh! As the JWO "readerboard" is only in Japanese and the JLPGA tournament site has not yet posted its hole-by-hole ranking, I'll hold off on more for now.]
[Update 2 (8:48 am): OK, here's the leaderboard I'm used to. A few notes on it: Esther Lee's round was the only bogey-free one of the day; Nikki Campbell sandwiched 5 birdies on the front between a bogey on the 1st hole and a double bogey on the 9th, but parred every hole on the back; Ji-Woo Lee eagled the short par 5 6th hole, but shot a 40 on the back; Ai-chan was -2 through 11 but doubled the 12th and made bogeys on the very same holes--the medium-length par 4 15th and short par 5 18th--that Momoko Ueda had birdied to salvage her round; Ayako Uehara was -1 heading into the par-3 14th and tripled it; Yun-Jye Wei went 36-45, with a par on the 10th and a double on the 11th her only non-bogeys of the back. There are many more horror stories than uplifting ones, with birdies seemingly coming less often than doubles or worse the further down the leaderboard you get. If anyone finishes this tournament under par, I'll be amazed!]
[Update 3 (8:56 am): Wow, you'd think Kyodo wire service would try a little harder for a major, wouldn't you?]
[Update 1 (4:45 am): Mie Nakata joined the big group at -1 (T5), while Nikki Campbell's 70 put her alone in 4th. Rounding out the top 10 at E for the day were Akiko Fukushima, Ai Tanaka, and Yeojinn Kang. The hits just kept coming for the rest of the field. Ai Miyazato, Ayako Uehara and Yuki Ichinose shot 74s (T20), Erina Hara, Bo-Bae Song, Akane Iijima, Yukari Baba, and Ji-Woo Lee 75s (T30), Miki Saiki, Hiroko Yamaguchi, Kaori Higo, and Mayu Hattori 76s (T44), Sakura Yokomine and Shinobu Moromizato 77s (T59), Mi-Jeong Jeon 78 (T72), Tamie Durdin 80 (T89), and Yun-Jye Wei 81 (T96). Yeesh! As the JWO "readerboard" is only in Japanese and the JLPGA tournament site has not yet posted its hole-by-hole ranking, I'll hold off on more for now.]
[Update 2 (8:48 am): OK, here's the leaderboard I'm used to. A few notes on it: Esther Lee's round was the only bogey-free one of the day; Nikki Campbell sandwiched 5 birdies on the front between a bogey on the 1st hole and a double bogey on the 9th, but parred every hole on the back; Ji-Woo Lee eagled the short par 5 6th hole, but shot a 40 on the back; Ai-chan was -2 through 11 but doubled the 12th and made bogeys on the very same holes--the medium-length par 4 15th and short par 5 18th--that Momoko Ueda had birdied to salvage her round; Ayako Uehara was -1 heading into the par-3 14th and tripled it; Yun-Jye Wei went 36-45, with a par on the 10th and a double on the 11th her only non-bogeys of the back. There are many more horror stories than uplifting ones, with birdies seemingly coming less often than doubles or worse the further down the leaderboard you get. If anyone finishes this tournament under par, I'll be amazed!]
[Update 3 (8:56 am): Wow, you'd think Kyodo wire service would try a little harder for a major, wouldn't you?]
Reason #4,876 Why the LPGA Is More Interesting than the PGA
Just check the pre-tournament interviews for the Samsung World Championship. You can actually learn something from the players' answers even to the dumbest questions. Like why Ya Ni Tseng owes Lorena Ochoa $100. Why Juli Inkster and Paula Creamer are so tight. Why Inkster should be the next commissioner of the LPGA. Little things like that. Could you imagine Tiger, Vijay, Phil, Sergio, and Kenny being so interesting in a similar situation?
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Venice Wednesday: Who Will Be Left Standing?
Yikes, my comments on the Tuesday scoring and the volatility to come over the next 54 holes were all-too-prescient for a few golfers who have already completed their rounds at the LPGA's Venice sectional Q-School qualifier today. 1st-round leader Moah Chang shot a 79 today on the Bobcat course, falling all the way to T61 right now at +3. Susan Nam followed up her 69 with a 76 to drop from T3 to T35 for now. On the bright side, former KLPGA and LPGA member Yeon Joo Lee bounced back from her 75 with a 68 to pull into the top 10 as of this writing. Of course, not everyone was so volatile over the 1st 36 holes. Showing some good early consistency were the leader in the clubhouse, amateur Jaclyn Sweeney (71-68), and #18 on the Futures Tour money list, Samantha Richdale (72-69).
More when more scores are in!
[Update 1 (10/2/08, 1:09 am): Chang's former co-leader Sunny Oh hung in there with a 72 today to remain at -4 (T69), while Chella Choi's 67 rocketed her into a tie for the lead at -6 with the LET's Beatriz Recari, a Spanish golfer who sits at #52 on their Order of Merit right now, with just over 37,000 euros in 15 events. All of Recari's stats look pretty good except for her scoring average and winnings, which suggest she has the talent to do better than she has thus far but has had some difficulty playing to her potential. Maybe this will be her week--she's the only player in the field to break 70 twice.
Joining Sweeney 1 shot back are the Ladies Asian Golf Tour's #6-ranked player, Hae-Jung Kim (who shot a fine 68) and part-time Futures Tour member, multiple winner in Asia, and #20-ranked player on the LAGT Nontaya Srisawang (who in matching Choi's 67 is looking to repeat her feat from last season of winning a sectional qualifying tournament). Showing some grit today were Pornanong Phatlum, who's won on the LAGT and sits #2 on their money list (she's T22 at E after a 71 yesterday), and Sara Brown, who's one of those upper-mid-level Futures Tour members to watch (she's T27 at +1 after a 72 today). Both are looking for redemption after bad pairs of closing rounds at Mission Hills.
So, with 21 players under par and 32 players at +1 or better, those further down the leaderboard have some work ahead of them. Jenny Suh (74, +2, T33) and Angela Oh (76, +3, T37) probably need just one good round and one decent one, while Natalie Tucker (73, +5, T53), Sunny Park (77, +6, T59), Caroline Larsson (70, +6, T59), and, yes, Leanne Bowditch (72, +6, T59) could use two pretty good ones. The key thing is, they have 2 more rounds left to play. The same can't be said for Shayna Miyajima, Gina Umeck, Christina Lecuyer, Esther Choe, Rebecca Kim, Vanessa Brockett, Aimee Cho, or Kiran Matharu, among many others. Back to the drawing board for them.]
[Update 2 (1:14 am): Hound Dog surveys several other players' results.]
[Update 3 (1:18 am): LPGA.com focuses on the leaders.]
More when more scores are in!
[Update 1 (10/2/08, 1:09 am): Chang's former co-leader Sunny Oh hung in there with a 72 today to remain at -4 (T69), while Chella Choi's 67 rocketed her into a tie for the lead at -6 with the LET's Beatriz Recari, a Spanish golfer who sits at #52 on their Order of Merit right now, with just over 37,000 euros in 15 events. All of Recari's stats look pretty good except for her scoring average and winnings, which suggest she has the talent to do better than she has thus far but has had some difficulty playing to her potential. Maybe this will be her week--she's the only player in the field to break 70 twice.
Joining Sweeney 1 shot back are the Ladies Asian Golf Tour's #6-ranked player, Hae-Jung Kim (who shot a fine 68) and part-time Futures Tour member, multiple winner in Asia, and #20-ranked player on the LAGT Nontaya Srisawang (who in matching Choi's 67 is looking to repeat her feat from last season of winning a sectional qualifying tournament). Showing some grit today were Pornanong Phatlum, who's won on the LAGT and sits #2 on their money list (she's T22 at E after a 71 yesterday), and Sara Brown, who's one of those upper-mid-level Futures Tour members to watch (she's T27 at +1 after a 72 today). Both are looking for redemption after bad pairs of closing rounds at Mission Hills.
So, with 21 players under par and 32 players at +1 or better, those further down the leaderboard have some work ahead of them. Jenny Suh (74, +2, T33) and Angela Oh (76, +3, T37) probably need just one good round and one decent one, while Natalie Tucker (73, +5, T53), Sunny Park (77, +6, T59), Caroline Larsson (70, +6, T59), and, yes, Leanne Bowditch (72, +6, T59) could use two pretty good ones. The key thing is, they have 2 more rounds left to play. The same can't be said for Shayna Miyajima, Gina Umeck, Christina Lecuyer, Esther Choe, Rebecca Kim, Vanessa Brockett, Aimee Cho, or Kiran Matharu, among many others. Back to the drawing board for them.]
[Update 2 (1:14 am): Hound Dog surveys several other players' results.]
[Update 3 (1:18 am): LPGA.com focuses on the leaders.]
Samsung World Championship Preview/Predictions/Pairings
The Samsung World Championship is coming! The Samsung World Championship is coming! As Hound Dog points out in his preview, they've changed sites from Bighorn to Half Moon Bay, so take Golf Observer's performance chart with a grain of salt. Certainly, Lorena Ochoa, Cristie Kerr, and Ji-Yai Shin have to be considered the hottest golfers in this highly-elite field right now, but in addition to Hound Dog's pick Katherine Hull, watch out for Super Sophs Angela Park, Song-Hee Kim, and Eun-Hee Ji. In fact, why don't I just jump to my predictions right now?
1. Shin Ji-Yai
2. Ochoa
3. Kerr
4. Park Angela
5. Tseng
6. Creamer
7. Kim Song-Hee
8. Choi
9. Hull
10. Ji Eun-Hee
11. Sorenstam
12. Lee Seon Hwa
Alts: Pettersen, Webb, Han
May as well justify who I'm not picking rather than who I am! Juli Inkster is a great Hall of Famer who can still win any given week, but she's playing such a reduced schedule this season I just can't see her hanging in there all 4 rounds against the world's best. Helen Alfredsson got hot in mid-summer but I haven't seen much from her since her win at Evian. Angela Stanford won recently and went very low early in the season, but I just don't see her beating the players I picked this week. Jeong Jang's wrist is still a huge question mark--she got off to a good start last week, but played terribly in the next 3 rounds. And Inbee Park has been in a little post-major funk. But you know what? In a field this good, I could end up being almost completely wrong: all 8 players I didn't pick could get top 10s and I wouldn't be all that surprised.
Take a look at the pairings and ask yourself which twosome you'd follow if you could only follow 1 all day:
Think hard. They reshuffle the pairings after every round, so this could be your last chance for any 1 of 'em. World #1/World#1A is the obvious choice, but what about the other pair of Hall of Famers, the fireworks of Tseng/Pettersen, the precision of Creamer/Ji, or the raw talent of Shin/Choi?
As good as these pairings are, I would have done things a bit different. Shin and Kerr should have been paired in the penultimate group as the next-2-most-likely-to-succeed, preceded by the top 2 challengers to Ochoa's reign (Creamer/Pettersen), by the two previous rookies of the year (Lee/Angela Park), the current contenters for the ROY title (Tseng and Choi), the next-best-Super-Soph contenders (Ji/Inbee Park), and finally by nationality (Hull/Webb, Jang/Han) and, uh...ahem...experience (Inkster/Alfredsson). That would have made the pairings even harder to choose between.
The fact that I took 10 minutes to play armchair tournament organizer and come up with my fantasy pairings for the Samsung gives a hint why the LPGA schedule for the rest of the season is so much better than the PGA's. Even though the Tour Championship ended up being a great event, it was tied to a playoff format that would do well to imitate the LPGA's qualifying criteria for and event structure of the soon-to-be-at-least-renamed ADT Championship. Whereas the PGA's Tour Championship announces the end of the season for its top players, freeing them up to play enough European Tour events next season to get involved in the Race for Dubai, the Samsung World Championship kicks off a "fall series" for the LPGA that takes its best players from the west coast across the Pacific to Asia and back, eventually to Florida, for their final showdown of the season. While I don't like seeing so many limited-field- and guaranteed-money-events in this stretch, I can see all the tournaments in it evolving as the Evian Masters has (expanding the field, instituting a cut, and expanding the prize money) over time. And I love the idea of the LPGA's finest taking on Asia's best.
So while I'm psyched Danny Lee is playing close to my home town this week on the PGA, curious about the Venice Q-School qualifier, and pumped for the Japan Women's Open, the Samsung is where it's at!
1. Shin Ji-Yai
2. Ochoa
3. Kerr
4. Park Angela
5. Tseng
6. Creamer
7. Kim Song-Hee
8. Choi
9. Hull
10. Ji Eun-Hee
11. Sorenstam
12. Lee Seon Hwa
Alts: Pettersen, Webb, Han
May as well justify who I'm not picking rather than who I am! Juli Inkster is a great Hall of Famer who can still win any given week, but she's playing such a reduced schedule this season I just can't see her hanging in there all 4 rounds against the world's best. Helen Alfredsson got hot in mid-summer but I haven't seen much from her since her win at Evian. Angela Stanford won recently and went very low early in the season, but I just don't see her beating the players I picked this week. Jeong Jang's wrist is still a huge question mark--she got off to a good start last week, but played terribly in the next 3 rounds. And Inbee Park has been in a little post-major funk. But you know what? In a field this good, I could end up being almost completely wrong: all 8 players I didn't pick could get top 10s and I wouldn't be all that surprised.
Take a look at the pairings and ask yourself which twosome you'd follow if you could only follow 1 all day:
Start Time: 11:50 AM
Ji-Yai Shin
Na Yeon Choi
Start Time: 12:00 PM
Hee-Won Han
Helen Alfredsson
Start Time: 12:10 PM
Juli Inkster
Karrie Webb
Start Time: 12:20 PM
Ya Ni Tseng
Suzann Pettersen
Start Time: 12:30 PM
Paula Creamer
Eun-Hee Ji
Start Time: 12:40 PM
Song-Hee Kim
Angela Park
Start Time: 12:50 PM
Katherine Hull
Jeong Jang
Start Time: 1:00 PM
Inbee Park
Angela Stanford
Start Time: 1:10 PM
Cristie Kerr
Seon Hwa Lee
Start Time: 1:20 PM
Lorena Ochoa
Annika Sorenstam
Think hard. They reshuffle the pairings after every round, so this could be your last chance for any 1 of 'em. World #1/World#1A is the obvious choice, but what about the other pair of Hall of Famers, the fireworks of Tseng/Pettersen, the precision of Creamer/Ji, or the raw talent of Shin/Choi?
As good as these pairings are, I would have done things a bit different. Shin and Kerr should have been paired in the penultimate group as the next-2-most-likely-to-succeed, preceded by the top 2 challengers to Ochoa's reign (Creamer/Pettersen), by the two previous rookies of the year (Lee/Angela Park), the current contenters for the ROY title (Tseng and Choi), the next-best-Super-Soph contenders (Ji/Inbee Park), and finally by nationality (Hull/Webb, Jang/Han) and, uh...ahem...experience (Inkster/Alfredsson). That would have made the pairings even harder to choose between.
The fact that I took 10 minutes to play armchair tournament organizer and come up with my fantasy pairings for the Samsung gives a hint why the LPGA schedule for the rest of the season is so much better than the PGA's. Even though the Tour Championship ended up being a great event, it was tied to a playoff format that would do well to imitate the LPGA's qualifying criteria for and event structure of the soon-to-be-at-least-renamed ADT Championship. Whereas the PGA's Tour Championship announces the end of the season for its top players, freeing them up to play enough European Tour events next season to get involved in the Race for Dubai, the Samsung World Championship kicks off a "fall series" for the LPGA that takes its best players from the west coast across the Pacific to Asia and back, eventually to Florida, for their final showdown of the season. While I don't like seeing so many limited-field- and guaranteed-money-events in this stretch, I can see all the tournaments in it evolving as the Evian Masters has (expanding the field, instituting a cut, and expanding the prize money) over time. And I love the idea of the LPGA's finest taking on Asia's best.
So while I'm psyched Danny Lee is playing close to my home town this week on the PGA, curious about the Venice Q-School qualifier, and pumped for the Japan Women's Open, the Samsung is where it's at!
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