There's still time to join in the LPGA Prognostication Derby! If you're looking to find out what other people are thinking, check out the following sites.
hubdub.com asks 3 questions:
Who will top the 2009 LPGA money list?
Where will Michelle Wie finish on the 2009 LPGA money list?
Will Michelle Wie win a LPGA tour event in 2009?
easyodds.com compiles the betting lines on the 2009 LPGA money list leader race.
GolfWRX.com has a discussion thread on the Rookie of the Year race. MyLPGA.com has one on the Player of the Year race.
The easiest ways to post your top 30 predictions for 2009 are to do a fanshot or fanpost over at Hound Dog LPGA or list them over at the Seoul Sisters.com discussion board. Good luck!
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
2009 LPGA Preview: Mostly Harmless Sleepers and Wild Cards
Having essentially extended my projected LPGA top 30 to a top 50 the last 2 posts, I still believe there are more players with a chance to crack the top 30 in 2009. Here's my list of top sleepers and wild cards for 2009 (excluding players who are expecting like Maria Hjorth, Catriona Matthew, Mhairi McKay, and Gloria Park):
1. Anja Monke: one of the hottest players in the world at the very end of the '08 season; can she sustain her momentum in '09?
2. Sarah Lee: great in '07, hurt in '08...back in '09?
3. Sandra Gal: had better stats than results in her rookie season...is she due for a super sophomore campaign?
4. Juli Inkster: can the Hall of Famer close out her fantastic career with a successful stretch run heading into her last Solheim Cup?
5. Laura Davies: does she have those last 2 LPGA wins in her? or could she get into the LPGA Hall of Fame the quick way, with a win in a major?
6. Pat Hurst: why not a repeat of her million-dollar '06 season in '09?
7. Young Kim: has the swing to contend any week...
8. Shi Hyun Ahn: always plays a limited schedule, but if she keeps putting as well as she has...
9. Kyeong Bae: a birdie machine her 1st 2 seasons; was '08 a blip?
10. Giulia Sergas: one of the best Euros on tour...poised for a quantum leap in '09?
11. Alena Sharp: she's got some up-and-coming competition for best Canadian on tour--how will she respond?
12. H.J. Choi: a real fighter...
13. Grace Park: wouldn't you love to see her come back in '09 from her back troubles? [Update (9:36 am): The rumor mill is cranking on her pre-season preparations over at Seoul Sisters.com!]
14. Rachel Hetherington: another great player from earlier in the decade who's struggled in recent years...end of the line or time for a comeback?
15. Carin Koch: another one of the elite from a few years back and another mom on tour who showed signs of her former greatness in '08.
16. Helen Alfredsson: speaking of comebacks, as long as her back stays healthy, why shouldn't she continue her brilliant (if rather inconsistent) play and remain one of the toughest closers on tour in '09?
17. Mika Miyazato: wouldn't it be cool for the other Miyazato from Okinawa to have a great 1st season as a pro and validate her skipping the JLPGA, unlike most of her cohort of up-and-coming Japanese stars?
18. M.J. Hur: her only problem was closing strong on Sundays in '08 on the Futures Tour; would love to be the Angela Park of the rookie class....
19. Mindy Kim: won 3x on the FT in '08, so could surprise in '09 in the big leagues...
20. Brittany Lincicome: reached depths in '08 few golf writers (or bloggers, for that matter) would have believed at the end of '07; why not a comeback in '09?
21. Jennifer Rosales: her official story is that injuries have hurt her game the last several years; fighting for her card in '09....
22. Aree Song: she's been fighting a serious illness the last couple of years--it would be awesome to see her come back!
23. Louise Stahle: the former LET rookie of the year has full playing privileges on the LPGA in '09--is she finally ready for prime time?
24. Na On Min: fantastic '07 with limited starts, but struggled in '08...
25. Reilley Rankin: always seems to be threatening to break through, but still hasn't quite yet....
26. Birdie Kim: showed some signs of life in '08; aims to avoid "Korean Hilary Lunke" tag....
27. Ashleigh Simon: will she finally come into her own in '09, now that she has full LPGA playing privileges?
28. Charlotte Mayorkas: is she ready to break through in '09?
29. Moira Dunn: I'm hoping my childhood friend will keep her card for '10!
30. Anna Rawson: come on--you would have been watching for her, even if I didn't put her on this list, right? it'll be interesting to see how her 1st full year on the LPGA turns out....
1. Anja Monke: one of the hottest players in the world at the very end of the '08 season; can she sustain her momentum in '09?
2. Sarah Lee: great in '07, hurt in '08...back in '09?
3. Sandra Gal: had better stats than results in her rookie season...is she due for a super sophomore campaign?
4. Juli Inkster: can the Hall of Famer close out her fantastic career with a successful stretch run heading into her last Solheim Cup?
5. Laura Davies: does she have those last 2 LPGA wins in her? or could she get into the LPGA Hall of Fame the quick way, with a win in a major?
6. Pat Hurst: why not a repeat of her million-dollar '06 season in '09?
7. Young Kim: has the swing to contend any week...
8. Shi Hyun Ahn: always plays a limited schedule, but if she keeps putting as well as she has...
9. Kyeong Bae: a birdie machine her 1st 2 seasons; was '08 a blip?
10. Giulia Sergas: one of the best Euros on tour...poised for a quantum leap in '09?
11. Alena Sharp: she's got some up-and-coming competition for best Canadian on tour--how will she respond?
12. H.J. Choi: a real fighter...
13. Grace Park: wouldn't you love to see her come back in '09 from her back troubles? [Update (9:36 am): The rumor mill is cranking on her pre-season preparations over at Seoul Sisters.com!]
14. Rachel Hetherington: another great player from earlier in the decade who's struggled in recent years...end of the line or time for a comeback?
15. Carin Koch: another one of the elite from a few years back and another mom on tour who showed signs of her former greatness in '08.
16. Helen Alfredsson: speaking of comebacks, as long as her back stays healthy, why shouldn't she continue her brilliant (if rather inconsistent) play and remain one of the toughest closers on tour in '09?
17. Mika Miyazato: wouldn't it be cool for the other Miyazato from Okinawa to have a great 1st season as a pro and validate her skipping the JLPGA, unlike most of her cohort of up-and-coming Japanese stars?
18. M.J. Hur: her only problem was closing strong on Sundays in '08 on the Futures Tour; would love to be the Angela Park of the rookie class....
19. Mindy Kim: won 3x on the FT in '08, so could surprise in '09 in the big leagues...
20. Brittany Lincicome: reached depths in '08 few golf writers (or bloggers, for that matter) would have believed at the end of '07; why not a comeback in '09?
21. Jennifer Rosales: her official story is that injuries have hurt her game the last several years; fighting for her card in '09....
22. Aree Song: she's been fighting a serious illness the last couple of years--it would be awesome to see her come back!
23. Louise Stahle: the former LET rookie of the year has full playing privileges on the LPGA in '09--is she finally ready for prime time?
24. Na On Min: fantastic '07 with limited starts, but struggled in '08...
25. Reilley Rankin: always seems to be threatening to break through, but still hasn't quite yet....
26. Birdie Kim: showed some signs of life in '08; aims to avoid "Korean Hilary Lunke" tag....
27. Ashleigh Simon: will she finally come into her own in '09, now that she has full LPGA playing privileges?
28. Charlotte Mayorkas: is she ready to break through in '09?
29. Moira Dunn: I'm hoping my childhood friend will keep her card for '10!
30. Anna Rawson: come on--you would have been watching for her, even if I didn't put her on this list, right? it'll be interesting to see how her 1st full year on the LPGA turns out....
Thursday, January 29, 2009
2009 LPGA Preview: The Mostly Harmless Not-Quite-Top 30
Here's who it hurt the most to leave out of my top 30 in the LPGA Prognostication Derby:
1. Stacy Prammanasudh
2. Karen Stupples
3. Katherine Hull
4. Laura Diaz
5. Inbee Park
6. Vicky Hurst
7. Meena Lee
8. Hee Young Park
9. Ji Young Oh
10. Sun Young Yoo
11. Allison Fouch
12. Natalie Gulbis
13. Nicole Castrale
14. Kristy McPherson
15. Teresa Lu
16. Lindsey Wright
17. Sophie Gustafson
18. Se Ri Pak
19. Minea Blomqvist
20. Louise Friberg
I wouldn't be at all surprised if more than half these players finished in the top 30. I expect the gap between the #30 and #50 player on the money list to continue to narrow in 2009.
1. Stacy Prammanasudh
2. Karen Stupples
3. Katherine Hull
4. Laura Diaz
5. Inbee Park
6. Vicky Hurst
7. Meena Lee
8. Hee Young Park
9. Ji Young Oh
10. Sun Young Yoo
11. Allison Fouch
12. Natalie Gulbis
13. Nicole Castrale
14. Kristy McPherson
15. Teresa Lu
16. Lindsey Wright
17. Sophie Gustafson
18. Se Ri Pak
19. Minea Blomqvist
20. Louise Friberg
I wouldn't be at all surprised if more than half these players finished in the top 30. I expect the gap between the #30 and #50 player on the money list to continue to narrow in 2009.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
2009 LPGA Preview: The Mostly Harmless Top 30
One year ago today, I posted a ranked list of who I thought had the best chance to become the LPGA Player of the Year in 2008. Having done only all right then, I'm giving it another try and joining Mulligan Stu, Hound Dog, and Bill Jempty today. Anyone else want in on the LPGA Prognostication Derby? There's still time!
1. Lorena Ochoa
2. Paula Creamer
3. Ji-Yai Shin
4. Seon Hwa Lee
5. Ya Ni Tseng
6. Suzann Pettersen
7. Na Yeon Choi
8. Jee Young Lee
9. Cristie Kerr
10. Amy Yang
11. In-Kyung Kim
12. Morgan Pressel
13. Mi Hyun Kim
14. Eun-Hee Ji
15. Jeong Jang
16. Ai Miyazato
17. Angela Park
18. Jane Park
19. Hee-Won Han
20. Stacy Lewis
21. Karrie Webb
22. Song-Hee Kim
23. Momoko Ueda
24. Christina Kim
25. Angela Stanford
26. Brittany Lang
27. Shanshan Feng
28. Shiho Oyama
29. Candie Kung
30. Michelle Wie
Tomorrow: Those it hurt me the most to leave off this list.
1. Lorena Ochoa
2. Paula Creamer
3. Ji-Yai Shin
4. Seon Hwa Lee
5. Ya Ni Tseng
6. Suzann Pettersen
7. Na Yeon Choi
8. Jee Young Lee
9. Cristie Kerr
10. Amy Yang
11. In-Kyung Kim
12. Morgan Pressel
13. Mi Hyun Kim
14. Eun-Hee Ji
15. Jeong Jang
16. Ai Miyazato
17. Angela Park
18. Jane Park
19. Hee-Won Han
20. Stacy Lewis
21. Karrie Webb
22. Song-Hee Kim
23. Momoko Ueda
24. Christina Kim
25. Angela Stanford
26. Brittany Lang
27. Shanshan Feng
28. Shiho Oyama
29. Candie Kung
30. Michelle Wie
Tomorrow: Those it hurt me the most to leave off this list.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Best Blogs on Women's Golf: Seoul Sisters
I can't tell you how excited I am that Happy Fan, founder of the Seoul Sisters web site, magazine, and discussion board, has begun blogging at Seoul Sisters. Eric is the English-speaking authority on the KLPGA and has closely followed the Se Ri Pak effect on the LPGA for most of this decade. With all due respect to the other top bloggers on women's golf that I'll be discussing over the next several weeks, I'm ranking him right after Hound Dog based on his blog's promise from the record he had built up over the years, not to mention his first 3 days of posting. Over those 10 posts detailing his rationales for his 2008 awards, Eric has topped most every recap of last season that I've seen.
Want the definitive profile of Ji-Yai Shin, his 2008 Player of the Year? Let's just say he outdid his capsule bio of her and easily matched his best previous articles on her.
How about a thoughtful critique of the LPGA's language policy? There's a lot the LPGA could learn from in that post. And the one joining me in blasting the singling out of Eun-Hee Ji's post-victory verbal performance as the catalyst for the now-rescinded policy, too.
Want to know who will be starring on the KLPGA after Ji-Yai Shin's departure? You should--expect Hee Kyung Seo, He Yong Choi, and So Yeon Ryu to play outside Korea more often in coming years and do quite well.
Want to know more about LPGA rookies not named Wie, Lewis, Shin, Oyama, or Hurst? If M.J. Hur or Mindy Kim exceed expectations in '09, Eric will have played amateur Nostradamus successfully for the 2nd year in a row.
There's more there and more to come. Here's hoping Eric decides to participate in the LPGA Prognostication Derby this season, pays close attention to the fantastic Korean players on the JLPGA, continues to look globally for up-and-coming talent of Korean descent, and throws in a few posts on Seoul Brothers Anthony Kim and Danny Lee over the course of the year.
Want the definitive profile of Ji-Yai Shin, his 2008 Player of the Year? Let's just say he outdid his capsule bio of her and easily matched his best previous articles on her.
How about a thoughtful critique of the LPGA's language policy? There's a lot the LPGA could learn from in that post. And the one joining me in blasting the singling out of Eun-Hee Ji's post-victory verbal performance as the catalyst for the now-rescinded policy, too.
Want to know who will be starring on the KLPGA after Ji-Yai Shin's departure? You should--expect Hee Kyung Seo, He Yong Choi, and So Yeon Ryu to play outside Korea more often in coming years and do quite well.
Want to know more about LPGA rookies not named Wie, Lewis, Shin, Oyama, or Hurst? If M.J. Hur or Mindy Kim exceed expectations in '09, Eric will have played amateur Nostradamus successfully for the 2nd year in a row.
There's more there and more to come. Here's hoping Eric decides to participate in the LPGA Prognostication Derby this season, pays close attention to the fantastic Korean players on the JLPGA, continues to look globally for up-and-coming talent of Korean descent, and throws in a few posts on Seoul Brothers Anthony Kim and Danny Lee over the course of the year.
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