Check it out: there's a new animated Star Blazers movie that's been out in Japan for almost a month!
It goes by Star Blazers: Rebirth in English and Space Battleship Yamato in Japanese.
I encourage you to check out parts 2 and 3 of this promo. Go for the clips from the new movie and original show, stay for the evolving conversation between the cartoony comic relief dad and son--no Japanese needed. Now all I need is the movie to come to the States--with subtitles!
Oh, and there's also a live-action movie starring SMAP's Kimutaku coming out late this year:
The last 5 minutes of that teaser put me in the mood for the theme song of the show my brother, father, and I used to get up at 6 am to watch when I was a kid!
Here it is in Japanese:
Here's are 2 earlier Japanese versions:
Once more, with subs:
There's even a "nose flute" version out on teh intertubes. Now if only I could find a veggie instrument version!
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Monday, January 4, 2010
On the Rookie of the Year Races on the LPGA and LET
The fact that 4 of my 9 frontrunners for LPGA Rookie of the Year honors can also be contending for LET ROY adds another wrinkle to both races. Azahara Munoz, Pernilla Lindberg, Maria Hernandez, and Mariajo Uribe will have to think long and hard about how they put together their 2010 worldwide schedules. As I explained over at Waggle Room,
To add another plot twist here, Munoz and Hernandez may feel pressure to compete in the LET's Spanish events, given that they take place in their home country and were announced as TBAs (sorry, TBCs). But if the Open de Espana Femenino is actually scheduled against the U.S. Women's Open, there's very little chance they'll choose it, unless by chance they haven't qualified for the Open in the States. So there'll be even more pressure on them to play in the Madrid Ladies Masters sometime in September. The earlier it's scheduled, the more likely they'll be to skip the Safeway, Canadian Women's Open, and NW Arkansas event on the LPGA to keep their travel to a minimum. And if it's in late September, they're likely to skip the Navistar, particularly if they aren't in the LPGA's top 50 and haven't qualified for its Asian swing--no problem for them, as they have the LET's own Asian swing to fall back on. Except that then they're talking about playing only about 14 LPGA events in 2010, which means they could probably kiss LPGA ROY goodbye.
Amazingly, the LET has no events scheduled in Sweden in 2010, so Lindberg doesn't have to deal with the same pressure from her home country as Munoz and Hernandez do--not to mention Beatriz Recari, as well. With only 1 French LET event besides Evian, Gwladys Nocera also has less pressure than the Spaniards, while Marianne Skarpnord has none, as there are also no LET events in Norway in 2010. So Nocera could conceivably get away with just skipping the LPGA's NW Arkansas event to play in the Open de France Feminin and otherwise focus on the LPGA, playing on the LET only when there are no conflicts and travel isn't insane. And Uribe, Lindberg, and Skarpnord could play the bare minimum on the LET that makes sense to them (and keeps the first 2 in the running in that ROY race).
Bottom line: so much depends on how the LPGA and LET rookies play in the 1st half of the season on both tours. Anna Nordqvist won LET ROY playing in only 6 events in 2009, but I can't see anyone who plays in fewer than 8 having a legitimate chance in 2010, unless they play phenomenally at the Evian Masters and Women's British Open. The time to reassess your worldwide schedule is after those events: do you concentrate on making the LPGA's top 50, qualifying for their Asian swing, and giving yourself a chance in their ROY race? Or do you focus on winning LET ROY and pretty much forget the LPGA until the Tour Championship? Or do you try to figure out how to stay alive in both ROY races somehow?
How the top 4 LPGA-LET members with a chance to win ROY on both tours answer these questions will have a big impact on the outcome of of both races.
They’ll definitely need to play the 3 New Zealand/Australia LET events in late February and early March (assuming none have qualified for the HSBC Women’s Champions event) and can play 3-5 LET events in May-early June, depending on whether they want to skip the Bell Micro and/or the Shoprite on the LPGA, then will have to decide how long to stay on the LET after the LPGA’s European swing ends in early August (probably for at least 2 events, as they wouldn’t even have to leave the British Isles, but it could be as many as 7 in a row through early October), and finally would have to decide which tour’s Asian swing to play (assuming they will have made the top 50 on the LPGA money list to qualify for theirs).
I’m thinking that those LET rookies with only partial LPGA status--Mallory Blackwelder, Alison Walshe, and Dewi Claire Schreefel--may have the advantage in the LET ROY race as a result. They can concentrate almost exclusively on the LET and won’t have to deal with as much transcontinental travel. Same for Diana D’Alessio, Hannah Jun, Jeehae Lee, and Mollie Fankhauser....
Back to the LPGA ROY, my point is that Blumenherst and Harigae have a built-in advantage on any of their 4 top competitors who have a real shot at LET ROY. On the other hand, if any of them do well enough on the LET not to have to skip any LPGA events to stay in the LET ROY race, then those players have an advantage on Blumenherst and Harigae, b/c they don’t have to do stop and start golfing....
To add another plot twist here, Munoz and Hernandez may feel pressure to compete in the LET's Spanish events, given that they take place in their home country and were announced as TBAs (sorry, TBCs). But if the Open de Espana Femenino is actually scheduled against the U.S. Women's Open, there's very little chance they'll choose it, unless by chance they haven't qualified for the Open in the States. So there'll be even more pressure on them to play in the Madrid Ladies Masters sometime in September. The earlier it's scheduled, the more likely they'll be to skip the Safeway, Canadian Women's Open, and NW Arkansas event on the LPGA to keep their travel to a minimum. And if it's in late September, they're likely to skip the Navistar, particularly if they aren't in the LPGA's top 50 and haven't qualified for its Asian swing--no problem for them, as they have the LET's own Asian swing to fall back on. Except that then they're talking about playing only about 14 LPGA events in 2010, which means they could probably kiss LPGA ROY goodbye.
Amazingly, the LET has no events scheduled in Sweden in 2010, so Lindberg doesn't have to deal with the same pressure from her home country as Munoz and Hernandez do--not to mention Beatriz Recari, as well. With only 1 French LET event besides Evian, Gwladys Nocera also has less pressure than the Spaniards, while Marianne Skarpnord has none, as there are also no LET events in Norway in 2010. So Nocera could conceivably get away with just skipping the LPGA's NW Arkansas event to play in the Open de France Feminin and otherwise focus on the LPGA, playing on the LET only when there are no conflicts and travel isn't insane. And Uribe, Lindberg, and Skarpnord could play the bare minimum on the LET that makes sense to them (and keeps the first 2 in the running in that ROY race).
Bottom line: so much depends on how the LPGA and LET rookies play in the 1st half of the season on both tours. Anna Nordqvist won LET ROY playing in only 6 events in 2009, but I can't see anyone who plays in fewer than 8 having a legitimate chance in 2010, unless they play phenomenally at the Evian Masters and Women's British Open. The time to reassess your worldwide schedule is after those events: do you concentrate on making the LPGA's top 50, qualifying for their Asian swing, and giving yourself a chance in their ROY race? Or do you focus on winning LET ROY and pretty much forget the LPGA until the Tour Championship? Or do you try to figure out how to stay alive in both ROY races somehow?
How the top 4 LPGA-LET members with a chance to win ROY on both tours answer these questions will have a big impact on the outcome of of both races.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
On the LPGA's Class of 2010
The 1st LPGA rookies of the new decade, the class of 2010, have made it to the big leagues in, shall we say, interesting times. And in response, many of them are taking interesting approaches to their 2010 schedules. Here's my 1st attempt to project what this will mean to the coming season's Rookie of the Year race.
Simply the Best
[high priority status, fantastic records]
Amanda Blumenherst: The medalist at LPGA Q-School may well have been the NCCA Player of the Decade, when you look closely at Ryan Herrington's nominees. Although she didn't rock the Futures Tour in the 6 events that she entered last season (finishing 30th on their money list), she played solidly in the LPGA events she got into via sponsor exemptions, even coming off a relatively down year at Duke in her senior season. She's 1 of many rookies this year that have me thinking that recent NCAA grads may make a much bigger splash on the LPGA than most of their recent predecessors did early in their careers.
Azahara Munoz: Also making Herrington's All-Decade list, this Arizona State grad already has an LET win under her belt and finished T5 at LPGA Q-School, so she'll be 1 of many players dividing her time between 2 tours in 2010. Given how many gaps there are in the LPGA's schedule, she could actually have an advantage on Blumenherst if she stays sharp and builds up momentum on the LET. She has a great chance to outdo Anna Nordqvist and win ROY on both tours this coming season.
Pernilla Lindberg: Even with big let-downs at LPGA and LET Q-Schools, where she finished T16 and T23, respectively, she's already a step ahead of where fellow Annika protege Anna Nordqvist was heading into her rookie season. Another legitimate threat for a double ROY, she played 10 events on the Futures Tour in 2009, finishing 11th on the money list and garnering the lowest scoring average on tour.
The Contenders
[high priority status, very good records]
Marianne Skarpnord: A 2-time winner on the LET, she was 1 of only 4 players to break the 200K-Euro barrier on their money list in 2009. And she followed it up with a T2 at LPGA Q-School. Looks like she made a quantum leap in 2008 and hasn't looked back; I wonder if, like fellow Norwegian Suzann Pettersen, she had to fight through some early injury problems?
Gwladys Nocera: A legitimate LET superstar, she broke 70 3 times in LPGA Q-School, including twice on the last marathon day, to secure T16. She hasn't often played her best off the LET, but strong performances at the Solheim Cup and during the LET's Asian swing suggests she may have reached a new level.
Mina Harigae: Yes, I know she rocked the Futures Tour, winning 3 events, finishing 1st on their money list, and declining her battlefield promotion to rest and prepare for the 2010 LPGA season. But her stats were not nearly as impressive as Vicky Hurst's were in 2008 and I think it's harder for precision players to make the transition to LPGA competition as opposed to a bomber like Hurst--plus, Harigae didn't even make the top 15 in driving accuracy or greens in regulation in '09, so it's not like she was even an exceptional precision player on the FT. Hence, while only Pernilla Lindberg had a lower scoring average than she did in FT play, I'm not expecting her to be a serious factor in the ROY race--but I'm open to being pleasantly surprised. If she improves her ballstriking in the offseason and putts like she did in '09 on the FT (despite hitting greens at a rate below 69.5%, she made birdies at a rate of 3.30 per round), she could surprise on the upside.
Maria Hernandez: The 2009 NCAA Player of the Year in women's golf had a little bit of a struggle adjusting to competition on the Futures Tour, finishing 85th on their money list in only 6 events, but she roared back at the end of the year, finishing T5 at the LPGA's Q-School and T8 at the LET's.
Mariajo Uribe: Yet another Spanish-speaker with dual LPGA-LET membership, this Colombian superstar finished T12 at LPGA Q-School and 3rd at the LET's. Plus she's a friend and former UCLA teammate of Tiffany Joh's, so I'll be rooting for her in 2010.
Beatriz Recari: She won on the LET in August and finished 22nd on their money list, making 2009 the best season of her 4 as a professional. Her stats weren't quite as impressive as Skarpnord's, but there's nothing like experience.
Quantum Leap Candidates
[high priority status, question marks]
Misun Cho: Won twice on the Futures Tour in 2009, finishing 3rd on their money list, she's a classic precision player, hitting over 86% of her fairways and 81% of her greens, but she'll need to improve her birdie rate (3.10) if she wants to contend on the LPGA.
Jean Reynolds: She played the Stacy Lewis role in the U.S. Women's Open this past season, but doesn't have Lewis's game. Still, making 3.40 birdies per round, hitting over 74% of her greens in regulation, winning twice, and finishing 2nd behind Harigae on the Futures Tour in '09 are good signs for her on the LPGA in '10.
Il Hee Lee: Happy Fan, the founder of Seoul Sisters.com, characterized her as a 2nd- or 3rd-tier KLPGA player. Beth Ann Baldry noted that she turned 21 on December 13th. That's all I've heard about her. She beat Christi Cano for the last spot in Category 11 in a 3-hole playoff, so we know she can handle pressure.
Lisa Meldrum: This Canadian surprised me at LPGA Q-School by finishing T5; I guess her win and 15th-place finish on the Futures Tour money list in '09 were no flukes, but her 2.77 birdie rate doesn't inspire confidence for her future on the LPGA in 2010.
Lucy Kim: She played on the Futures Tour as Moon Su, according to Baldry. She finished 59th on their money list in a nearly-full schedule this past season, so I'm not expecting much from her on the LPGA in 2010, despite her T12 finish at Q-School and 76.1% greens in regulation rate on the FT (2nd to Cho).
Katie Kempter: I'll be rooting for this English major from the University of Denver, but her T2 finish at LPGA Q-School took me completely by surprise and my expectations are pretty low for her in the coming season.
On the Bottom Looking Up
[mid priority status but how many events will they really get into?]
Paola Moreno (#230 on the priority status list): I was surprised that she played so few Futures Tour events (7) this year, but she did well to finish 39th on their money list. I was quite surprised to see that she didn't enter LET Q-School after finishing T22 on the LPGA's. Looks like there are many more Futures Tour events in her future, at least for next season.
Dewi Claire Schreefel (#241): Having won once on the Futures Tour and finished 10th on their money list, she's yet another LPGA rookie with dual membership on the LET (she finished 7th at their Q-School thanks to a pair of closing 69s), but she may well be making the LPGA her "other" tour in 2010.
Alison Walshe (#240): Having gotten full membership on the LET thanks to a T19 finish at their Q-School, this Ireland-born American will get plenty of opportunities to explore her European roots in 2010.
Whitney Wade (#237): Even though she won once on the Futures Tour, Song Yi Choi knocked her down to the 6th spot on their money list in their final event of the season (where Choi had ended in 2008, ironically enough).
Christine Song (#239): She finished 8th on the Futures Tour money list, but didn't stand out in any single statistical category.
Gerina Mendoza (#236): Look for her to improve on her 12th-place standing on the 2009 Futures Tour money list in 2010. Her T30 finish at Q-School was just good enough to knock Libby Smith down to Category 20 on the priority status list. Golfgal's rooting for her to make the most of her early LPGA opportunities. She averaged over 257 yards off the tee on the FT in '09, so she has the power to play with the big girls.
Nannette Hill (#232): I only knew her as a fellow New Yorker and teammate of Cheyenne Woods at Wake Forest before she finished T22 at LPGA Q-School. Now I'm eager to see how she does on the Futures Tour and the few LPGA events she gets into in 2010.
Tanya Dergal (#234): Yet another Spanish speaker in this year's rookie class, she joined Hill at T22 in Q-School; let's see if she makes more of her LPGA opportunities than fellow Mexicans Violeta Retamoza and Sophia Sheridan made of theirs.
Cathryn Bristow (#233): This top New Zealand amateur tied Dergal for 22nd at Q-School.
Adrienne White (#235): She also joined the big group at T22 in Q-School. Beyond that, I know nothing about this Canadian.
On the Outside Looking In
[low priority status; lots of Monday qualifiers for this bunch, when they choose to attempt to compete on the LPGA, that is]
Mallory Blackwelder (#333): Got full LET status with a T16 at their Q-School in December, so we'll be seeing a lot more of her on the other side of the Atlantic than this side.
Jane Chin (#332): We'll be seeing a lot more of this 2009 NCAA Player of the Year contender on the Futures Tour in 2010 than on the LPGA; I guarantee she improves on last season's 88th-place finish on their money list, as she played only 8 events there this past season.
Cindy LaCrosse (#330): Finished 31st on the Futures Tour money list in 11 events in 2009, so should join those ahead of her on this list as FT front-runners and may be able to take advantage of having a fuller schedule there in 2010 than many others with partial LPGA status.
[Update 1 (1/5/10, 10:44 pm): Hound Dog just ranked the 30 greatest rookie seasons on the LPGA. If anyone in the '10 rookie class makes the top 10, I'll be very impressed--and surprised.]
[Update 2 (1/12/10, 1:14 am): Here's the 1st set of the LPGA's mini-profiles of the rookies, covering Blackwelder, Blumenherst, Bristow, Chin, Cho, and Dergal.]
[Update 3 (1/15/10, 7:25 am): Here's how Hound Dog ranks his top 15 among the '10ers. He's right to call me out on my diss of precision players in my comments on Harigae; what I should have emphasized more is her room for improvement on the precision front.]
[Update 4 (1/19/10, 3:29 pm): Here are LPGA.com's profiles of Harigae through LaCrosse.]
[Update 5 (1/28/10, 5:35 pm): Here are profiles of Lee through Munoz from LPGA.com and a revised rookie preseason ranking from Hound Dog.]
[Update 6 (2/2/10, 1:20 am): Regular commenter courtgolf will be interested in the profile of Jean Reynolds up at LPGA.com--the only American between Nocera and Skarpnord in this segment!]
[Update 7 (2/8/10, 10:54 pm): Here are Song through White on LPGA.com.]
Simply the Best
[high priority status, fantastic records]
Amanda Blumenherst: The medalist at LPGA Q-School may well have been the NCCA Player of the Decade, when you look closely at Ryan Herrington's nominees. Although she didn't rock the Futures Tour in the 6 events that she entered last season (finishing 30th on their money list), she played solidly in the LPGA events she got into via sponsor exemptions, even coming off a relatively down year at Duke in her senior season. She's 1 of many rookies this year that have me thinking that recent NCAA grads may make a much bigger splash on the LPGA than most of their recent predecessors did early in their careers.
Azahara Munoz: Also making Herrington's All-Decade list, this Arizona State grad already has an LET win under her belt and finished T5 at LPGA Q-School, so she'll be 1 of many players dividing her time between 2 tours in 2010. Given how many gaps there are in the LPGA's schedule, she could actually have an advantage on Blumenherst if she stays sharp and builds up momentum on the LET. She has a great chance to outdo Anna Nordqvist and win ROY on both tours this coming season.
Pernilla Lindberg: Even with big let-downs at LPGA and LET Q-Schools, where she finished T16 and T23, respectively, she's already a step ahead of where fellow Annika protege Anna Nordqvist was heading into her rookie season. Another legitimate threat for a double ROY, she played 10 events on the Futures Tour in 2009, finishing 11th on the money list and garnering the lowest scoring average on tour.
The Contenders
[high priority status, very good records]
Marianne Skarpnord: A 2-time winner on the LET, she was 1 of only 4 players to break the 200K-Euro barrier on their money list in 2009. And she followed it up with a T2 at LPGA Q-School. Looks like she made a quantum leap in 2008 and hasn't looked back; I wonder if, like fellow Norwegian Suzann Pettersen, she had to fight through some early injury problems?
Gwladys Nocera: A legitimate LET superstar, she broke 70 3 times in LPGA Q-School, including twice on the last marathon day, to secure T16. She hasn't often played her best off the LET, but strong performances at the Solheim Cup and during the LET's Asian swing suggests she may have reached a new level.
Mina Harigae: Yes, I know she rocked the Futures Tour, winning 3 events, finishing 1st on their money list, and declining her battlefield promotion to rest and prepare for the 2010 LPGA season. But her stats were not nearly as impressive as Vicky Hurst's were in 2008 and I think it's harder for precision players to make the transition to LPGA competition as opposed to a bomber like Hurst--plus, Harigae didn't even make the top 15 in driving accuracy or greens in regulation in '09, so it's not like she was even an exceptional precision player on the FT. Hence, while only Pernilla Lindberg had a lower scoring average than she did in FT play, I'm not expecting her to be a serious factor in the ROY race--but I'm open to being pleasantly surprised. If she improves her ballstriking in the offseason and putts like she did in '09 on the FT (despite hitting greens at a rate below 69.5%, she made birdies at a rate of 3.30 per round), she could surprise on the upside.
Maria Hernandez: The 2009 NCAA Player of the Year in women's golf had a little bit of a struggle adjusting to competition on the Futures Tour, finishing 85th on their money list in only 6 events, but she roared back at the end of the year, finishing T5 at the LPGA's Q-School and T8 at the LET's.
Mariajo Uribe: Yet another Spanish-speaker with dual LPGA-LET membership, this Colombian superstar finished T12 at LPGA Q-School and 3rd at the LET's. Plus she's a friend and former UCLA teammate of Tiffany Joh's, so I'll be rooting for her in 2010.
Beatriz Recari: She won on the LET in August and finished 22nd on their money list, making 2009 the best season of her 4 as a professional. Her stats weren't quite as impressive as Skarpnord's, but there's nothing like experience.
Quantum Leap Candidates
[high priority status, question marks]
Misun Cho: Won twice on the Futures Tour in 2009, finishing 3rd on their money list, she's a classic precision player, hitting over 86% of her fairways and 81% of her greens, but she'll need to improve her birdie rate (3.10) if she wants to contend on the LPGA.
Jean Reynolds: She played the Stacy Lewis role in the U.S. Women's Open this past season, but doesn't have Lewis's game. Still, making 3.40 birdies per round, hitting over 74% of her greens in regulation, winning twice, and finishing 2nd behind Harigae on the Futures Tour in '09 are good signs for her on the LPGA in '10.
Il Hee Lee: Happy Fan, the founder of Seoul Sisters.com, characterized her as a 2nd- or 3rd-tier KLPGA player. Beth Ann Baldry noted that she turned 21 on December 13th. That's all I've heard about her. She beat Christi Cano for the last spot in Category 11 in a 3-hole playoff, so we know she can handle pressure.
Lisa Meldrum: This Canadian surprised me at LPGA Q-School by finishing T5; I guess her win and 15th-place finish on the Futures Tour money list in '09 were no flukes, but her 2.77 birdie rate doesn't inspire confidence for her future on the LPGA in 2010.
Lucy Kim: She played on the Futures Tour as Moon Su, according to Baldry. She finished 59th on their money list in a nearly-full schedule this past season, so I'm not expecting much from her on the LPGA in 2010, despite her T12 finish at Q-School and 76.1% greens in regulation rate on the FT (2nd to Cho).
Katie Kempter: I'll be rooting for this English major from the University of Denver, but her T2 finish at LPGA Q-School took me completely by surprise and my expectations are pretty low for her in the coming season.
On the Bottom Looking Up
[mid priority status but how many events will they really get into?]
Paola Moreno (#230 on the priority status list): I was surprised that she played so few Futures Tour events (7) this year, but she did well to finish 39th on their money list. I was quite surprised to see that she didn't enter LET Q-School after finishing T22 on the LPGA's. Looks like there are many more Futures Tour events in her future, at least for next season.
Dewi Claire Schreefel (#241): Having won once on the Futures Tour and finished 10th on their money list, she's yet another LPGA rookie with dual membership on the LET (she finished 7th at their Q-School thanks to a pair of closing 69s), but she may well be making the LPGA her "other" tour in 2010.
Alison Walshe (#240): Having gotten full membership on the LET thanks to a T19 finish at their Q-School, this Ireland-born American will get plenty of opportunities to explore her European roots in 2010.
Whitney Wade (#237): Even though she won once on the Futures Tour, Song Yi Choi knocked her down to the 6th spot on their money list in their final event of the season (where Choi had ended in 2008, ironically enough).
Christine Song (#239): She finished 8th on the Futures Tour money list, but didn't stand out in any single statistical category.
Gerina Mendoza (#236): Look for her to improve on her 12th-place standing on the 2009 Futures Tour money list in 2010. Her T30 finish at Q-School was just good enough to knock Libby Smith down to Category 20 on the priority status list. Golfgal's rooting for her to make the most of her early LPGA opportunities. She averaged over 257 yards off the tee on the FT in '09, so she has the power to play with the big girls.
Nannette Hill (#232): I only knew her as a fellow New Yorker and teammate of Cheyenne Woods at Wake Forest before she finished T22 at LPGA Q-School. Now I'm eager to see how she does on the Futures Tour and the few LPGA events she gets into in 2010.
Tanya Dergal (#234): Yet another Spanish speaker in this year's rookie class, she joined Hill at T22 in Q-School; let's see if she makes more of her LPGA opportunities than fellow Mexicans Violeta Retamoza and Sophia Sheridan made of theirs.
Cathryn Bristow (#233): This top New Zealand amateur tied Dergal for 22nd at Q-School.
Adrienne White (#235): She also joined the big group at T22 in Q-School. Beyond that, I know nothing about this Canadian.
On the Outside Looking In
[low priority status; lots of Monday qualifiers for this bunch, when they choose to attempt to compete on the LPGA, that is]
Mallory Blackwelder (#333): Got full LET status with a T16 at their Q-School in December, so we'll be seeing a lot more of her on the other side of the Atlantic than this side.
Jane Chin (#332): We'll be seeing a lot more of this 2009 NCAA Player of the Year contender on the Futures Tour in 2010 than on the LPGA; I guarantee she improves on last season's 88th-place finish on their money list, as she played only 8 events there this past season.
Cindy LaCrosse (#330): Finished 31st on the Futures Tour money list in 11 events in 2009, so should join those ahead of her on this list as FT front-runners and may be able to take advantage of having a fuller schedule there in 2010 than many others with partial LPGA status.
[Update 1 (1/5/10, 10:44 pm): Hound Dog just ranked the 30 greatest rookie seasons on the LPGA. If anyone in the '10 rookie class makes the top 10, I'll be very impressed--and surprised.]
[Update 2 (1/12/10, 1:14 am): Here's the 1st set of the LPGA's mini-profiles of the rookies, covering Blackwelder, Blumenherst, Bristow, Chin, Cho, and Dergal.]
[Update 3 (1/15/10, 7:25 am): Here's how Hound Dog ranks his top 15 among the '10ers. He's right to call me out on my diss of precision players in my comments on Harigae; what I should have emphasized more is her room for improvement on the precision front.]
[Update 4 (1/19/10, 3:29 pm): Here are LPGA.com's profiles of Harigae through LaCrosse.]
[Update 5 (1/28/10, 5:35 pm): Here are profiles of Lee through Munoz from LPGA.com and a revised rookie preseason ranking from Hound Dog.]
[Update 6 (2/2/10, 1:20 am): Regular commenter courtgolf will be interested in the profile of Jean Reynolds up at LPGA.com--the only American between Nocera and Skarpnord in this segment!]
[Update 7 (2/8/10, 10:54 pm): Here are Song through White on LPGA.com.]
Saturday, January 2, 2010
The LPGA's Top Rivalries: Generation Gaps
Let's start setting up the LPGA's 2010 season by extending my looks at the careers of the LPGA's rookie classes of 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009 out and back to examine how the tour's last 6 generations stack up. To keep it simple, I'll check out the career money list and wins/majors totals for the top players in the 4 older generations and use the wider variety of results stats for the players in the 2 younger generations that I've already generated. That way I keep the focus on the Sorenstam Era (1994-2008) and the overlapping Ochoa Era (2003-present) and the players active for the majority of their career in one or both of them. [Note: those players (and their stats) in [square brackets] have retired.]
1994-1996: The Sorenstam Generation
[Note: *=includes non-member win.]
[1. Annika Sorenstam (1994) $22.57M (#1), 72/10]
2. Karrie Webb (1996) $15.27M (#2), 36*/7
3. Lorie Kane (1996) $6.72M (#15), 4/0
4. Pat Hurst (1995) $6.53M (#16), 6/1
5. Catriona Matthew (1995) $5.98M (#19), 3/1
6. Wendy Ward (1996) $4.49M (#37), 4/0
7. Carin Koch (1995) $4.41M (#38), 2/0
Ward passed Koch, Matthew got her 1st major, and Hurst continued to close on Kane. Other than that, not much movement in '09, even with Webb's 36th win.
1997-1999: The Pak Generation
1. Se Ri Pak (1998) $10.60M (#5), 24/5
2. Cristie Kerr (1997) $10.46M (#6), 12/1
3. Mi Hyun Kim (1999) $8.38M (#10), 8/0
4. Rachel Hetherington (1997) $5.69M (#24), 8/0
5. Sophie Gustafson (1998) $5.34M (#28), 5/0
6. Laura Diaz (1999) $4.98M (#32), 2/0
7. Maria Hjorth (1998) $4.76M (#34), 3/0
8. Karen Stupples (1999) $3.21M (#55), 2/1
If Kerr hadn't let those 2 majors slip through her fingers on the final 9 in '09, she'd have passed Pak on the career money list. Between Kim's slow recovery from her knee surgery 2 winters ago and current maternity leave (she gave birth in November), it's looking more and more like she's going to have to settle for #3 in her generation. Meanwhile, Gustafson opened up some distance on Hjorth while her rival was on maternity leave and will make up more ground on Hetherington early next season as her rival recovers from a severely broken right ankle from a holiday skateboarding accident.
2000-2002: Seoul Sisters
1. Jeong Jang (2000) $6.17M (#17), 2/1
2. Hee-Won Han (2001) $6.09M (#18), 6/0
3. Grace Park (2000) $5.31M (#30), 6/1
4. Angela Stanford (2001) $4.91M (#33), 4/0
5. Candie Kung (2002) $4.49M (#36), 4/0
6. Natalie Gulbis (2002) $3.97M (#40), 1/0
7. Gloria Park (2000) $3.24M (#54), 2/0
Between surgery for Jeong (wrist) and Park (hip) and Han's continuing new mom status, we may have to start calling Stanford and Kung honorary Seoul Sisters.
2003-2005: The Ochoa Generation
1. Lorena Ochoa (2003) $14.69M (#3), 27/2
2. Paula Creamer (2005) $6.97M (#13), 8/0
3. Suzann Pettersen (2003) $5.31M (#31), 6/1
4. Christina Kim (2003) $3.48M (#47), 2/0
5. Stacy Prammanasudh (2003) $2.96M (#60), 2/0
6. Meena Lee (2005) $2.74M (#69), 2/0
7. Brittany Lincicome (2005) $2.61M (#73), 3/1
8. Shi Hyun Ahn (2004) $2.45M (#78), 1*/0
9. Young Kim (2003) $2.36M (#83), 1/0
10. Katherine Hull (2004) $2.07M (#95), 1/0
11. Lindsey Wright (2004) $1.98M (#101), 0/0
Prammanasudh's worst LPGA season and Wright's best mean that the bottom of the top of this generation is very tightly bunched, while the gaps between the top 4 stayed relatively stable. It's worth noting that Ochoa's "off" season netted her more wins (3) than most players get in their careers and that it takes the next 10 players in her generation to match her career total.
2006-2008: Young Guns
[Note: *=non-member win (not counted toward other stats).]
STARTS/MAJORS/WINS/TOP 3s/TOP 10s/TOP 20s/WDs/DQs/MCs/FINISHES (RATE)
1. Seon Hwa Lee (2006), $3.64M (#43), 112/0/4/11/28/53/2/0/9/101 (.902)
2. Ai Miyazato (2006), $3.25M (#53), 91/0/1/8/30/44/1/0/13/77 (.846)
3. Ya Ni Tseng (2008), $3.05M (#58), 54/1/2/12/24/38/0/0/2/52 (.963)
4. Morgan Pressel (2006), $2.78M (#65), 98/1/2/9/28/46/0/0/12/86 (.878)
5. Jee Young Lee (2006), $2.70M (#70), 104/0/1*/7/27/54/5/0/8/91 (.875)
6. In-Kyung Kim (2007), $2.47M (#76), 77/0/2/7/22/34/0/0/13/64 (.831)
7. Na Yeon Choi (2008), $2.44M (#79), 53/0/2/8/20/35/0/0/0/53 (1.000)
8. Julieta Granada (2006), $2.21M (#89), 100/0/1/5/10/22/0/1/36/63 (.630)
9. Brittany Lang (2006), $2.19M (#90), 107/0/0/6/24/44/0/0/23/84 (.785)
10. Angela Park (2007), $2.11M (#92), 73/0/0/8/18/25/3/0/11/59 (.808)
11. Eun-Hee Ji (2007), $2.10M (#93), 56/1/2/5/15/22/0/3/7/46 (.821)
12. Song-Hee Kim (2007), $2.09M (#94), 69/0/0/5/19/31/0/0/15/54 (.783)
13. Inbee Park (2007), $1.79M (#110), 76/1/1/3/11/19/1/1/19/55 (.724)
14. Sun Young Yoo (2006), $1.67M (#114), 104/0/0/3/13/31/1/0/20/83 (.798)
15. Ji Young Oh (2007), $1.39M (#132), 76/0/2/2/8/17/0/0/21/55 (.724)
16. Kristy McPherson (2007), $1.30M (#139), 68/0/0/3/12/21/0/0/17/51 (.750)
17. Hee Young Park (2008), $1.14M (#160), 53/0/0/2/10/17/0/0/12/41 (.774)
18. Kyeong Bae (2006), $1.09M (#166), 95/0/0/2/9/16/4/0/27/64 (.674)
19. Teresa Lu (2006), $1.03M (#175), 91/0/0/1/6/20/1/0/21/69 (.758)
20. Meaghan Francella (2006), $.92M (#193), 74/0/1/1/6/14/0/0/28/46 (.622)
21. Jane Park (2007), $.89M (#202), 57/0/0/3/6/11/4/0/10/43 (.754)
22. Momoko Ueda (2008), $.83M (#211), 37/0/1*/1/5/12/0/0/6/31 (.838)
Bae, McPherson, Park, and Lu were the latest additions to this generation's Million Dollar Club, while those in the 20s on this list aren't far from joining them. Tseng, Choi, and Ji are the only younger players on pace to outdo Seon Hwa Lee, although Ji is suffering from a post-Open hangover. With 22 wins among these players in this generation, they already compare well to the top players in the Ochoa generation (27 wins excluding Ochoa) and the Seoul Sisters generation (25). It'll be interesting to see who, if any, break out with multiple multiple-win seasons in the 1st half of the new decade.
2009-2011: New Blood
[Note: *=non-member win; **=includes 3 non-member wins (not counted toward other stats).]
STARTS/MAJORS/WINS/TOP 3s/TOP 10s/TOP 20s/WDs/DQs/MCs/FINISHES (RATE)
1. Ji-Yai Shin (2009), $1.81M (#109), 25/1*/6**/7/12/19/1/0/1/23 (.920)
2. Michelle Wie (2009), $918.7K (#195), 19/0/1/5/8/10/1/0/1/17 (.895)
3. Anna Nordqvist (2009), $871.4K (#205), 17/1/2/2/5/10/0/0/0/17 (1.000)
4. M.J. Hur (2009), $445.0K (#283), 22/0/1/1/2/6/1/0/9/12 (.545)
5. Mika Miyazato (2009), $336.5K (#318), 22/0/0/0/3/4/0/0/6/16 (.727)
6. Vicky Hurst (2009), $305.8K (#330), 21/0/0/0/3/7/0/0/4/17 (.810)
7. Stacy Lewis (2009), $298.4K (#335), 23/0/0/0/2/4/0/0/7/16 (.696)
8. Haeji Kang (2009), $148.0K (#428), 16/0/0/0/1/1/0/0/6/10 (.625)
9. Shiho Oyama (2009), $122.5K (#444), 16/0/0/0/1/1/0/0/9/7 (.438)
10. Chella Choi (2009), $100.8K (#473), 17/0/0/0/0/1/0/0/6/11 (.647)
Once Miyazato, Hurst, Lewis, and Oyama get their LPGA sea legs under them, the '09ers could end up being the best LPGA class ever. Note that Shin has already caught Pat Hurst, Grace Park, and Suzann Pettersen in wins and majors.
[Update 1 (6:21 am): Interesting to see how many of Ryan Herrington's all-decade team from the NCAA have already made it onto this list--and how long it took some of them to make that transition from amateur to professional golf. Wonder if those not on this list can/will get there.]
1994-1996: The Sorenstam Generation
[Note: *=includes non-member win.]
[1. Annika Sorenstam (1994) $22.57M (#1), 72/10]
2. Karrie Webb (1996) $15.27M (#2), 36*/7
3. Lorie Kane (1996) $6.72M (#15), 4/0
4. Pat Hurst (1995) $6.53M (#16), 6/1
5. Catriona Matthew (1995) $5.98M (#19), 3/1
6. Wendy Ward (1996) $4.49M (#37), 4/0
7. Carin Koch (1995) $4.41M (#38), 2/0
Ward passed Koch, Matthew got her 1st major, and Hurst continued to close on Kane. Other than that, not much movement in '09, even with Webb's 36th win.
1997-1999: The Pak Generation
1. Se Ri Pak (1998) $10.60M (#5), 24/5
2. Cristie Kerr (1997) $10.46M (#6), 12/1
3. Mi Hyun Kim (1999) $8.38M (#10), 8/0
4. Rachel Hetherington (1997) $5.69M (#24), 8/0
5. Sophie Gustafson (1998) $5.34M (#28), 5/0
6. Laura Diaz (1999) $4.98M (#32), 2/0
7. Maria Hjorth (1998) $4.76M (#34), 3/0
8. Karen Stupples (1999) $3.21M (#55), 2/1
If Kerr hadn't let those 2 majors slip through her fingers on the final 9 in '09, she'd have passed Pak on the career money list. Between Kim's slow recovery from her knee surgery 2 winters ago and current maternity leave (she gave birth in November), it's looking more and more like she's going to have to settle for #3 in her generation. Meanwhile, Gustafson opened up some distance on Hjorth while her rival was on maternity leave and will make up more ground on Hetherington early next season as her rival recovers from a severely broken right ankle from a holiday skateboarding accident.
2000-2002: Seoul Sisters
1. Jeong Jang (2000) $6.17M (#17), 2/1
2. Hee-Won Han (2001) $6.09M (#18), 6/0
3. Grace Park (2000) $5.31M (#30), 6/1
4. Angela Stanford (2001) $4.91M (#33), 4/0
5. Candie Kung (2002) $4.49M (#36), 4/0
6. Natalie Gulbis (2002) $3.97M (#40), 1/0
7. Gloria Park (2000) $3.24M (#54), 2/0
Between surgery for Jeong (wrist) and Park (hip) and Han's continuing new mom status, we may have to start calling Stanford and Kung honorary Seoul Sisters.
2003-2005: The Ochoa Generation
1. Lorena Ochoa (2003) $14.69M (#3), 27/2
2. Paula Creamer (2005) $6.97M (#13), 8/0
3. Suzann Pettersen (2003) $5.31M (#31), 6/1
4. Christina Kim (2003) $3.48M (#47), 2/0
5. Stacy Prammanasudh (2003) $2.96M (#60), 2/0
6. Meena Lee (2005) $2.74M (#69), 2/0
7. Brittany Lincicome (2005) $2.61M (#73), 3/1
8. Shi Hyun Ahn (2004) $2.45M (#78), 1*/0
9. Young Kim (2003) $2.36M (#83), 1/0
10. Katherine Hull (2004) $2.07M (#95), 1/0
11. Lindsey Wright (2004) $1.98M (#101), 0/0
Prammanasudh's worst LPGA season and Wright's best mean that the bottom of the top of this generation is very tightly bunched, while the gaps between the top 4 stayed relatively stable. It's worth noting that Ochoa's "off" season netted her more wins (3) than most players get in their careers and that it takes the next 10 players in her generation to match her career total.
2006-2008: Young Guns
[Note: *=non-member win (not counted toward other stats).]
STARTS/MAJORS/WINS/TOP 3s/TOP 10s/TOP 20s/WDs/DQs/MCs/FINISHES (RATE)
1. Seon Hwa Lee (2006), $3.64M (#43), 112/0/4/11/28/53/2/0/9/101 (.902)
2. Ai Miyazato (2006), $3.25M (#53), 91/0/1/8/30/44/1/0/13/77 (.846)
3. Ya Ni Tseng (2008), $3.05M (#58), 54/1/2/12/24/38/0/0/2/52 (.963)
4. Morgan Pressel (2006), $2.78M (#65), 98/1/2/9/28/46/0/0/12/86 (.878)
5. Jee Young Lee (2006), $2.70M (#70), 104/0/1*/7/27/54/5/0/8/91 (.875)
6. In-Kyung Kim (2007), $2.47M (#76), 77/0/2/7/22/34/0/0/13/64 (.831)
7. Na Yeon Choi (2008), $2.44M (#79), 53/0/2/8/20/35/0/0/0/53 (1.000)
8. Julieta Granada (2006), $2.21M (#89), 100/0/1/5/10/22/0/1/36/63 (.630)
9. Brittany Lang (2006), $2.19M (#90), 107/0/0/6/24/44/0/0/23/84 (.785)
10. Angela Park (2007), $2.11M (#92), 73/0/0/8/18/25/3/0/11/59 (.808)
11. Eun-Hee Ji (2007), $2.10M (#93), 56/1/2/5/15/22/0/3/7/46 (.821)
12. Song-Hee Kim (2007), $2.09M (#94), 69/0/0/5/19/31/0/0/15/54 (.783)
13. Inbee Park (2007), $1.79M (#110), 76/1/1/3/11/19/1/1/19/55 (.724)
14. Sun Young Yoo (2006), $1.67M (#114), 104/0/0/3/13/31/1/0/20/83 (.798)
15. Ji Young Oh (2007), $1.39M (#132), 76/0/2/2/8/17/0/0/21/55 (.724)
16. Kristy McPherson (2007), $1.30M (#139), 68/0/0/3/12/21/0/0/17/51 (.750)
17. Hee Young Park (2008), $1.14M (#160), 53/0/0/2/10/17/0/0/12/41 (.774)
18. Kyeong Bae (2006), $1.09M (#166), 95/0/0/2/9/16/4/0/27/64 (.674)
19. Teresa Lu (2006), $1.03M (#175), 91/0/0/1/6/20/1/0/21/69 (.758)
20. Meaghan Francella (2006), $.92M (#193), 74/0/1/1/6/14/0/0/28/46 (.622)
21. Jane Park (2007), $.89M (#202), 57/0/0/3/6/11/4/0/10/43 (.754)
22. Momoko Ueda (2008), $.83M (#211), 37/0/1*/1/5/12/0/0/6/31 (.838)
Bae, McPherson, Park, and Lu were the latest additions to this generation's Million Dollar Club, while those in the 20s on this list aren't far from joining them. Tseng, Choi, and Ji are the only younger players on pace to outdo Seon Hwa Lee, although Ji is suffering from a post-Open hangover. With 22 wins among these players in this generation, they already compare well to the top players in the Ochoa generation (27 wins excluding Ochoa) and the Seoul Sisters generation (25). It'll be interesting to see who, if any, break out with multiple multiple-win seasons in the 1st half of the new decade.
2009-2011: New Blood
[Note: *=non-member win; **=includes 3 non-member wins (not counted toward other stats).]
STARTS/MAJORS/WINS/TOP 3s/TOP 10s/TOP 20s/WDs/DQs/MCs/FINISHES (RATE)
1. Ji-Yai Shin (2009), $1.81M (#109), 25/1*/6**/7/12/19/1/0/1/23 (.920)
2. Michelle Wie (2009), $918.7K (#195), 19/0/1/5/8/10/1/0/1/17 (.895)
3. Anna Nordqvist (2009), $871.4K (#205), 17/1/2/2/5/10/0/0/0/17 (1.000)
4. M.J. Hur (2009), $445.0K (#283), 22/0/1/1/2/6/1/0/9/12 (.545)
5. Mika Miyazato (2009), $336.5K (#318), 22/0/0/0/3/4/0/0/6/16 (.727)
6. Vicky Hurst (2009), $305.8K (#330), 21/0/0/0/3/7/0/0/4/17 (.810)
7. Stacy Lewis (2009), $298.4K (#335), 23/0/0/0/2/4/0/0/7/16 (.696)
8. Haeji Kang (2009), $148.0K (#428), 16/0/0/0/1/1/0/0/6/10 (.625)
9. Shiho Oyama (2009), $122.5K (#444), 16/0/0/0/1/1/0/0/9/7 (.438)
10. Chella Choi (2009), $100.8K (#473), 17/0/0/0/0/1/0/0/6/11 (.647)
Once Miyazato, Hurst, Lewis, and Oyama get their LPGA sea legs under them, the '09ers could end up being the best LPGA class ever. Note that Shin has already caught Pat Hurst, Grace Park, and Suzann Pettersen in wins and majors.
[Update 1 (6:21 am): Interesting to see how many of Ryan Herrington's all-decade team from the NCAA have already made it onto this list--and how long it took some of them to make that transition from amateur to professional golf. Wonder if those not on this list can/will get there.]
Friday, January 1, 2010
New Year's 1853: Ojamajo Doremi Style
Yup, Doremi, Onpu, Aiko, and Hazuki are taking care of Hana-chan in a period drama:
Have a not-so-very ojamajo 2010!
Have a not-so-very ojamajo 2010!
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