Happy Birthday, Onechan!

It's great to be 5!



Here are some happy birthday wishes from your favorite characters.

Onpu:



Doremi:



Plus a little Yes! Ojamajo Doremi 5:

Momoko Golf Lab...?

If anyone can figure out what Momoko Golf Lab is supposed to be about, please let me know. So far all I get about it is that it's produced some weird youtube videos featuring Momoko Ueda's swing in slow motion, such as this one:



And this one:



This one features some kind of technology that tracks where she's looking:



Is this footage for commercials, behind-the-scenes views of the making of a video game, Sony opening up a game improvement shop for Momo-chan, or just what it seems: pretty pictures of a pretty girl with a pretty swing, to vaguely ominous music? I'm at a loss.

On the 2009 JLPGA and LET Schedules

The Daily Yomiuri has the news: the 2009 JLPGA schedule will be down 3 events and 110 million yen from this year's. For the English version, you can thank the JLPGA's Mi-Jeong Jeon, who posted it over at Seoul Sisters.com.

Meanwhile, the LET recently announced that its total purse for 2009 is the largest in tour history. By my count, though, they have lost 1 individual event from their 2008 schedule.

When I have more time, I'll consider some of the implications for players like Ji-Yai Shin, Ai Miyazato, Momoko Ueda, and Shiho Oyama, along with the many European players who also have dual memberships, when it comes to putting their 2009 schedules together.

Meet Jeehae Lee

Speaking of wonder girls, the good people at Seoul Sisters.com have made a Futures Tour press release by Lisa Mickey introducing Jeehae Lee widely available. She's a Yale graduate who's fluent in Korean, Chinese, and English. And speaking of the Futures Tour, its members did pretty darn well at the LPGA's Q-School. Lee is only the 2nd-biggest surprise from last week, however. France's own Jeanne Cho-Hunicke, who came in next-to-last on the LPGA money list in '08 and did horribly at the FT Q-School, came out of nowhere to get Category 11 status. Lee and Cho-Hunicke will get their pick of events in '09. Good luck to them!

[Update 1 (2:41 pm): Dave Andrews has more on Lee.]

[Update 2 (5:00 pm): If Lee has a good '09, look for the Yale alumni office to come knocking on her door!]

[Update 3 (1/14/09, 8:10 pm): Ah, Yale is already courting her!]

[Update 4 (2/2/09, 2:21 am): Beth Ann Baldry profiles Lee.]

Hannah Yun to Turn Pro When She Turns 17

Dave Andrews reports that Hannah Yun will be playing full-time on the Futures Tour in 2009. Good for her, even if she hasn't assumed the privileges of MH authorship just quite yet. Look for her to battle FT Q-School medalist Hannah Jun down the stretch on many Sundays in 2009. Wouldn't it be cool if Yun were the 1st player to take advantage of the LPGA's new battlefield promotion rule and play the LPGA under Category 13 after her 3rd win on the FT?