Most Likely to Win (a Lot) in 2010
1. Ai Miyazato (4/0): I've said it before and I'll say it again: she gave herself 13 chances to win on the LPGA and JLPGA in 2009, but could close the deal only at the Evian Masters (her 1st, obviously) and Sankyo Ladies (her 15th). So last season's #4-ranked LPGA player and #6-ranked JLPGA player is my frontrunner for LPGA Player of the Year in 2010. Yup, I'm expecting multiple wins from her on the LPGA this season. And lo and behold, after starting the season 2 for 2, she's now 3 for 5. I'd say she's got some momentum heading into the JLPGA's 1st major, the Salonpas Cup, even if she's also headed for lots of jet lag in the next few weeks. [Update (6/20/10, 9:18 pm): Make that 5 LPGA victories now! Looks like she recovered from jet lag pretty quickly. Wonder if it's time for her to graduate from the "Best w/o a Major" list!]
2. Ji-Yai Shin (6/1): 3 of her wins, including her only major thus far, the Women's British Open, came before she was even an LPGA member, and after the end of her rookie year, she maintained her 3 wins per season rate. I'm wondering what she's capable of when she actually gets comfortable on tour. She's set her sights squarely on LPGA Player of the Year in 2010 and has told the Korean media she plans to play less on the JLPGA. Which means we can expect a minimum of 4 LPGA wins from her in the coming season. Looks like the off-season work that Tim Maitland reported on at the start of the season is paying off already. Last month I predicted, "Now that she's recovered from her intense training, look for her to start winning." Lo and behold, her 4th career JLPGA victory is the 1 that puts her at #1 in the Rolex Rankings!
3. Ya Ni Tseng (3/2): It took her what felt like forever to get her 2nd LPGA win, but she didn't have to wait that long for LPGA win #3 (or major #2). Given that she was riding a 5-event top-10 run into 2010 and is averaging 1 win and $1.55M in winnings per season over the course of her short career--not to mention her convincing defeat of Karrie Webb and Laura Davies down under earlier this season--I'm probably underrating her by putting her this low, but that's what you get for taking an entire week off. She's playing in the Salonopas Cup this week, so let's see how she does playing head-to-head against Ai-sama!
4. Suzann Pettersen (6/1): Just as she had to wait a long time for her 1st win, she had to wait a long time for her 6th. But she convinced me during that drought that she's truly one of the tour's elite players. While I don't see another 5-win season on her horizon, I wouldn't be surprised if she won a couple of tournaments in 2010. Too bad she ran into an Ai-sama buzz saw in Thailand and a Ya Ni chain saw at Mission Hills, but she's playing well enough to win any time she tees it up, as long as she stays healthy.
5. Angela Stanford (4/0): Like Pettersen, her wins have come largely in bunches. She won twice at the end of 2008, when it seemed like she was putting herself in contention every week, then won the opening event of 2009. And even though she's endured a little bit of a drought since then--due in no small part to taking time away from golf to support her mom during her cancer treatments--she improved all her key stats from 2008 to 2009. I wouldn't at all be surprised to see her to become the top American on tour in 2010. She'll have to outdo Cristie Kerr to get there, it's looking like!
6. Seon Hwa Lee (4/0): Although 2009 was a down year for her in wins and winnings, her key performance stats were right around her career norms, which had been good enough to make her a top 5 threat in her 1st 3 seasons on the LPGA. The 2006 Rookie of the Year is still averaging 1 win per season, so watch out for her in 2010. Accustomed to playing 30 events a year, she'll stay sharp when the LPGA's schedule goes dark, thanks to her dual membership on the LPGA and JLPGA. I expect her to win more often there than here, but you never know. So far she's played mch better on the LPGA than JLPGA this season. Let's see if she can turn it around in the Salonpas Cup!
The Contenders
7. Sophie Gustafson (5/0): Even though she remains a mercurial player, she's made the top 30 on the LPGA money list 5 straight seasons and in 2009 topped the LET money list. In 4 of them, her scoring average was below 72 and last year's was the lowest in that period. She definitely has the talent to win any week she tees it up, so even though her inconsistency is her Achilles' heel, she's a blast to watch when she's in contention. Plus, she's shown her commitment to 2010 by committing to play the LET's ANZ Ladies Masters for the 1st time in 6 years. Too bad she started her season so badly on both tours, but her T10 out of the blue at the KNC shows what kind of talent she has. From 1 major to another--she's teeing it up in Japan this week, too.
8. Maria Hjorth (3/0): In 2009, she came back from maternity leave and got stronger as the season progressed, culminating with a silver medal in Korea and ending up with the lowest scoring average of her 12-year career on the LPGA. If she maintains her excellent ballstriking and gets her putter going in 2010, this former English major could write a new chapter in a very solid career to date. She hasn't finished worse than T26 on the LPGA so far this season, but was the victim of the LPGA's harsh penalty for missing a pro-am starting time (even as an alternate), so didn't get a chance to compete in the KNC. I thought she'd "turn that into extra motivation when the LPGA returns to action," and I was right--top 10 at the Tres Marias Championship.
9. Hee-Won Han (6/0): She was averaging a win a year over her 1st 6 seasons and was a fixture on the top 10 of the money list for 4 of them, but since taking a maternity leave in 2007, enduring long separations from her son in 2008, and struggling a bit by her standards in 2009, she's something of a question mark for 2010. Her scoring average last season was the closest to going above 72 since her rookie season in 2001 and she had almost as much trouble finishing in the top 10. But the 2 times she did, she took home bronze medals. If she can improve her ballstriking, particularly her approach shots, in the coming season, she'll be a top 15 player again for sure. But I'm not sure how much time on the range her son will let her have. So far she's made 4 of 5 cuts but hasn't done anything all that special this season just yet.
10. Catriona Matthew (3/1): She took even less time to come back from her maternity leave than Hjorth, winning the Women's British Open in her 2nd event back from giving birth. Let's see what she does with a full season in 2010. It'll be hard to top her Player of the Year award from the LET, but seeing as how she actually came close to striking the ball as well in 2009 as she did in 1999-2005, when she was a consistent top 30 player and sometime top 10 threat, it won't take very big improvements to keep her momentum going. 4 solid starts to her 2010 season, including a T6 and T15 in the 1st 2 U.S.-based events, show she's going to be a player to be reckoned with this season. Plus she gets to return to the site of her exhibition win last season this month--yup, the Brazil event is back!
11. Brittany Lincicome (3/1): As high as I am on everyone else's chances in 2010, I'm skeptical about Lincicome's. Yes, she had the shot of the year in 2009, denying Kristy McPherson her 1st LPGA win and Cristie Kerr her 2nd career major with her walkoff eagle at the KNC. But she's still never broken the 72 barrier in scoring average, never notched more than 5 top 10s in her 5-year LPGA career, and never hit more than 68% of her fairways. When you're as long as she is, a little lost accuracy isn't that big a deal, but Bam Bam hasn't even exceeded a 65% fairway rate since her rookie season. Except for her missed cut in the Kia Classic, she's gotten 3 top 30s so far this season and despite a bad final round got her 1st top 10 at Tres Marias, so she's playing better than I expected from her overall thus far.
12. Candie Kung (4/0): If she could have hung in there on Sunday at the U.S. Women's Open, her 2009 would have been quite different, but as it was, it was a huge disappointment. She wasn't that terrible off the tee (she was actually fairly solid), but her approach shots were off and her putting was horrific. It was the 1st time in her career, barring an injury-shortened 2007, that she failed to break the 72 barrier in scoring average, she could only manage 2 top 10s, and she missed more cuts than at any other time in her 8-year LPGA career. So of course I think she's poised for a comeback in 2010. Even though she has JLPGA membership in 2010, she's hasn't yet teed it up in Japan. Last month, I wrote that "After a surprise T3 in the Kia Classic sandwiched between 3 finishes outside the top 35, it seems she might benefit from more weeks playing in a row." She did ok at Tres Marias (T27), but was held back by 1 bad round. That's a sign of not playing enough if there ever was one.
Quantum Leap Candidates
13. Grace Park (6/1): Can this former Player of the Year candidate and 2004 Vare Trophy winner put her long-standing back problems behind her in 2010? It sounds like she's completely healed from last season's hip surgery and eager to play golf again. And it looks like she's ready to return to the game's elite. Her top 10 at the KNC has been the happiest surprise of the season so far.
14. Pat Hurst (6/1): She surprised me twice in 2009, first by winning the MasterCard Classic and following it up with a T8 at the KNC, then by failing to break into the top 10 the rest of the season. It's not like last season was terrible--in fact, she improved her ballstriking, particularly her approach shots, in significant ways--but just as only her rookie season in 1995 was worse than her 2008, so, too, was her 1996 the only other season she ended up with a higher scoring average than in 2009. Even in her maternity-leave shortened 1999, she only had 1 fewer top 10 than last season (in 8 fewer starts). So she'll need to make yet another comeback in 2010. Can she do it? Although she's made 4 of 5 cuts this season, her best finish is only a top 20 at the Kia Classic. Let's see if she can surprise again the rest of 2010!
15. Wendy Ward (4/0): This 1996 rookie had her best season in 2009 on the LPGA since the 2000-2006 period, when she was a regular top 30 threat. Her scoring average last season was the 3rd-best of her career and her approach shots were so good she compensated for innaccuracy off the tee and an inconsistent putter to average 3.52 birdies per round. I don't see her as a true top 30 threat in 2010, but if she drives for a little more show and putts for a little more dough in 2010, she'll most likely prove me wrong. She missed her 1st cut of this season at the KNC and 2n at Tres Marias, but that's a little misleading, as the 2 Asian events she played in didn't have cuts....
On the Bottom, Looking Up
16. Wendy Doolan (3/0): Due to breast cancer treatments, she played a limited LPGA schedule in 2009 and didn't add to her total of 34 career top 10s. She's got full status in Category 1 for 2010 due to a medical exemption, so she'll get her opportunities to play if she's healthy enough. So far she hasn't set the LET/ALPG or LPGA on fire, but don't count her out just yet--she just snagged a top 20 at Tres Marias.
17. Lorie Kane (4/0): 2010 is her last stand on the LPGA, as Hound Dog noted last week. Her last 4 seasons have gotten progressively worse, so I'm not at all optimistic on her chances of avoiding Q-School in December. Or of returning to the LPGA in 2011. After a surprise top 10 on the LET/ALPG, she was DQed at the Kia Classic, didn't qualify for the KNC, and missed the cut at Tres Marias.
On the Outside, Looking In
18. Dorothy Delasin (4/0): This 2000 Rookie of the Year had been struggling to keep her card from 2006-2008, but she fell off a cliff in 2009, going 0 for 16 in made cuts and even bombing out of Q-School. Her 1st 4 years on tour when she averaged a win a year and was a consistent top 30 threat are a distant memory now. Can she turn her career around on the Futures Tour this season? So far the answer is no, but it's a long season.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Ryo 58, Rory 62, Ai 63, Ji-Yai 66: I'd Say the Future of Golf Is in Good Hands
Check out Golf Girl on Ryo Ishikawa's 58 on the JGTO and the young guns of the PGA Tour, along with Stephanie Wei. Then read my posts on this weekend's wins by Ji-Yai Shin on the JLPGA and Ai Miyazato on the LPGA. Then check out the tone and level of detail of Monday commentary on the week.
If I were a betting man, I'd predict a lot of drooling over the guys and a lot of concern trolling over the gals. I hope I'm wrong...but if even women's golf fanatic Dave Andrews is spouting nonsense, what hope is there for most American sportswriters? Not much for the SI guys, I'll tell you that! Some of 'em can't even get excited about Ryo-kun's 58. Yeesh.
[Update 1 (1:33 am): Compare the golfy media to Brent Kelley and Ryan Ballengee and you'll see why the bloggers are winning.]
[Update 2 (2:33 am): Here's Stephanie Wei's response to Ai's and Ji-Yai's wins.]
If I were a betting man, I'd predict a lot of drooling over the guys and a lot of concern trolling over the gals. I hope I'm wrong...but if even women's golf fanatic Dave Andrews is spouting nonsense, what hope is there for most American sportswriters? Not much for the SI guys, I'll tell you that! Some of 'em can't even get excited about Ryo-kun's 58. Yeesh.
[Update 1 (1:33 am): Compare the golfy media to Brent Kelley and Ryan Ballengee and you'll see why the bloggers are winning.]
[Update 2 (2:33 am): Here's Stephanie Wei's response to Ai's and Ji-Yai's wins.]
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Tres Marias Championship Sunday: Ai Can't Believe It! Is This the Dawn of the Miyazato Era?
Ai Miyazato has made it a hat trick in 2010 on the LPGA and she did it in style by firing a 67 in the final round of the Tres Marias Championship to hold off Stacy Lewis (66) by 1 shot and Michelle Wie (68) by 2.
Miyazato made 4 birdies in a row as she made the turn and got to -20 with 4 holes to play, giving herself a cushion on both Lewis (whose bogey-free 31 on the front followed up by a birdie on the 10th got her to -16) and Wie (whose own bogey-free 31 on the front capped off by an eagle on the par-4 9th and who then recovered from an early double on the back with 2 straight birdies to remain at -17). She needed every bit of it, as she bogeyed the 15th for the 3rd day in a row and parred the 16th and 17th as Lewis birdied the tough par-5 18th to pull within 1 shot. With playing partner Wie 3 down thanks to her 3rd straight bogey on the 17th, Miyazato needed a par for the win--and she got it (while Wie got a birdie for her consolation prize).
The round of the day belonged to In-Kyung Kim, whose 64 matched Miyazato's Thursday total of 10 birdies and whose 4th-place finish guaranteed that compatriot Ji-Yai Shin, who had won earlier in the day on the JLPGA, would supplant Lorena Ochoa as the #1-ranked player in the world of women's golf. For her part, Ochoa bounced back from a couple of early bogeys with 4 birdies in a row as she made the turn and got to -13 with a birdie on the 15th. Unfortunately for her, she finished bogey-par-par, ending up 1 shot behind playing partner Na Yeon Choi, who bogeyed 18 to drop back to -13.
Others who shot the lights out today included Suzann Pettersen (65, -10), Kyeong Bae (65, -5), Karen Stupples (66, -10), and Meaghan Francella (66, -1). They made 68s by Amanda Blumenherst (-11 overall), Juli Inkster, Wendy Doolan, and Amy Hung (all -4) seem pretty pedestrian by comparison. As for 69s by Maria Hjorth (-11), Song-Hee Kim and Irene Cho (both -9), Amy Yang (-7), Silvia Cavalleri (-6), Jane Park, Azahara Munoz, and M.J. Hur (all -3), and Ji Young Oh (-1), well, they were pretty darn good numbers, but....
Speaking of pretty darn good numbers, Miyazato is now just under $7K shy of breaking the $600K barrier on the LPGA. She has 3 wins in 5 starts, leads Ya Ni Tseng by 12 points in the Player of the Year race, is .02 strokes off the scoring average lead held by Suzann Pettersen and Song-Hee Kim, and has climbed back into the top 10 in birdies (averaging 3.89 per round). Let's see how she handles jet lag the next few weeks, as she jets back to Japan for the JLPGA's 1st major, the Salonpas Cup, and then returns to the States for the Bell Micro Classic and the Sybase Match Play Championship. If she plays well in that stretch, she could pass Shin and become the next #1 player in the world of women's golf. Should be fun to watch!
[Update 1 (8:48 pm): Beth Ann Baldry does a great job on Lorena's last day as an LPGA regular.]
[Update 2 (11:36 pm): Check out Hound Dog with the play-by-play and Sal Johnson and Bill Jempty with the color commentary on Ai-sama's win. And don't miss The Squire's capsules on wins by Ji-Yai Shin on the JLPGA and Paola Moreno on the Futures Tour, as well as Ai-sama on the LPGA.]
[Update 3 (5/3/10, 1:44 pm): Here's LPGA Fan's montage:
Very moving!]
[Update 4 (1:51 am): Here's one tidbit from the LPGA.com notes and interviews page:
Hopefully longer, right, Ai-sama?]
[Update 5 (2:22 am): ESPN Deportes has a great shot of Ai Miyazato's winning putt! Wait for it--it's at the very end of their goodbye to Lorena. Little side-door action there....]
Miyazato made 4 birdies in a row as she made the turn and got to -20 with 4 holes to play, giving herself a cushion on both Lewis (whose bogey-free 31 on the front followed up by a birdie on the 10th got her to -16) and Wie (whose own bogey-free 31 on the front capped off by an eagle on the par-4 9th and who then recovered from an early double on the back with 2 straight birdies to remain at -17). She needed every bit of it, as she bogeyed the 15th for the 3rd day in a row and parred the 16th and 17th as Lewis birdied the tough par-5 18th to pull within 1 shot. With playing partner Wie 3 down thanks to her 3rd straight bogey on the 17th, Miyazato needed a par for the win--and she got it (while Wie got a birdie for her consolation prize).
The round of the day belonged to In-Kyung Kim, whose 64 matched Miyazato's Thursday total of 10 birdies and whose 4th-place finish guaranteed that compatriot Ji-Yai Shin, who had won earlier in the day on the JLPGA, would supplant Lorena Ochoa as the #1-ranked player in the world of women's golf. For her part, Ochoa bounced back from a couple of early bogeys with 4 birdies in a row as she made the turn and got to -13 with a birdie on the 15th. Unfortunately for her, she finished bogey-par-par, ending up 1 shot behind playing partner Na Yeon Choi, who bogeyed 18 to drop back to -13.
Others who shot the lights out today included Suzann Pettersen (65, -10), Kyeong Bae (65, -5), Karen Stupples (66, -10), and Meaghan Francella (66, -1). They made 68s by Amanda Blumenherst (-11 overall), Juli Inkster, Wendy Doolan, and Amy Hung (all -4) seem pretty pedestrian by comparison. As for 69s by Maria Hjorth (-11), Song-Hee Kim and Irene Cho (both -9), Amy Yang (-7), Silvia Cavalleri (-6), Jane Park, Azahara Munoz, and M.J. Hur (all -3), and Ji Young Oh (-1), well, they were pretty darn good numbers, but....
Speaking of pretty darn good numbers, Miyazato is now just under $7K shy of breaking the $600K barrier on the LPGA. She has 3 wins in 5 starts, leads Ya Ni Tseng by 12 points in the Player of the Year race, is .02 strokes off the scoring average lead held by Suzann Pettersen and Song-Hee Kim, and has climbed back into the top 10 in birdies (averaging 3.89 per round). Let's see how she handles jet lag the next few weeks, as she jets back to Japan for the JLPGA's 1st major, the Salonpas Cup, and then returns to the States for the Bell Micro Classic and the Sybase Match Play Championship. If she plays well in that stretch, she could pass Shin and become the next #1 player in the world of women's golf. Should be fun to watch!
[Update 1 (8:48 pm): Beth Ann Baldry does a great job on Lorena's last day as an LPGA regular.]
[Update 2 (11:36 pm): Check out Hound Dog with the play-by-play and Sal Johnson and Bill Jempty with the color commentary on Ai-sama's win. And don't miss The Squire's capsules on wins by Ji-Yai Shin on the JLPGA and Paola Moreno on the Futures Tour, as well as Ai-sama on the LPGA.]
[Update 3 (5/3/10, 1:44 pm): Here's LPGA Fan's montage:
Very moving!]
[Update 4 (1:51 am): Here's one tidbit from the LPGA.com notes and interviews page:
AI MIYAZATO: I have many memories with Lorena. I've learned so many things from her, her passion, what she did for her country. She's not only a good player, she's a really good person outside of the golf course, so that means a lot to me. Not many people can do that. (Through translator): I also think that she is probably the only person who is strong but also gentle. I also feel that personality-wise, we're pretty similar, so I want to have a career just like her.
Hopefully longer, right, Ai-sama?]
[Update 5 (2:22 am): ESPN Deportes has a great shot of Ai Miyazato's winning putt! Wait for it--it's at the very end of their goodbye to Lorena. Little side-door action there....]
CyberAgent Ladies Sunday: Shin Wins! Shin Wins! Shin Wins!
Ji-Yai Shin showed once again why she's known as the "Final Round Queen" in Asia, as she stormed back from a 4-shot deficit after 36 holes to a 2-shot win over Miho Koga and Akane Iijima via a sizzling 66 in the CyberAgent Ladies today. With her victory, Shin stands to supplant Lorena Ochoa as the world #1. It all depends on how Lorena plays in her last round as an LPGA regular later today in Morelia!
[Update 1 (5:45 am): So here's how Shin won. A bogey-free 70 yesterday brought her within 4 shots of Chie Arimura, 3 of Mi-Jeong Jeon, 2 of Miho Koga, and 1 of Sakura Yokomine. Pass 4 of the best golfers on the JLPGA on Sunday? No problem! An opening 33 made up 2 shots on Arimura and Koga, put Shin past Jeon and Yokomine by 2, and kept her 1 shot ahead of playing partner Akane Iijima, who had started the day tied with Shin. But Iijima quickly passed Shin and Koga when she followed up her birdie on the 9th with 2 more on the 10th and 11th to tie Arimura for the lead at -6. Arimura, who had bogeyed the 9th, bounced back with a birdie on the 512-yard par-5 12th, opening up a 2-shot lead on Iijima, who had bogeyed it, and a 3-shot lead on Shin and Koga. That's when things got interesting. First Shin made back-to-back birdies on the 13th and 14th to get to -7 and Iijima birdied the 14th to get to -6. Then Arimura doubled the 14th when she got to it to fall back to -5. Koga got to -6 when she birdied the 145-yard par-3 15th. And Iijima joined Shin at -7 when she birdied the 385-yard par-4 16th. When Shin birdied the short par 5 17th in response, she was 1-up on Iijima and 2-up on Koga. Arimura's implosion continued with bogeys on 16 and 17, but a Shin par and an Iijima bogey on the long par 4 18th meant that only Koga could catch Shin, and she needed an eagle to do it. When she could only manage a par, Shin's closing 33 had given her her 4th career JLPGA victory (including her non-member win in '08 that gave her membership on the tour in the 1st place.)]
[Update 2 (6:12 am): Here's how the top 10 and notables made out:
1st/-8 Ji-Yai Shin (72-70-66)
T2/-6 Akane Iijima (72-70-68), Miho Koga (71-69-70)
4th/-5 Mi-Jeong Jeon (70-69-72)
T5/-4 Saiki Fujita (75-69-68), Chie Arimura (69-69-74)
T7/-3 Hiromi Mogi (72-70-71), Sakura Yokomine (75-66-72)
T9/-2 Sun-Ju Ahn (74-70-70), Tamie Durdin (71-70-73)
11th/-1 Ji-Hee Lee (75-69-71)
T12/E Nikki Campbell (75-75-66)
T15/+1 Maiko Wakabayashi (76-71-70), Asako Fujimoto (72-75-70), Shinobu Moromizato (75-71-71), Miki Saiki (72-71-74)
T20/+2 Mayu Hattori (77-71-70), Ayako Uehara (73-73-72), Young Kim (74-71-73), Ah-Reum Hwang (71-73-74), Momoko Ueda (71-72-75)
27th/+3 Yuko Mitsuka (76-73-70)
T28/+4 Seon Hwa Lee (76-73-71), Kumiko Kaneda (76-70-74)
T32/+5 Esther Lee (76-73-72), Ji-Woo Lee (76-72-73), Mie Nakata (73-74-74), Na-Ri Kim (71-75)
T36/+6 Hyun-Ju Shin (76-72-74), Rikako Morita (74-71-77)
T39/+7 Rui Kitada (76-74-73), Akiko Fukushima (75-73-75)
T44/+8 Yukari Baba (76-72-76)
T52/+10 Bo-Bae Song (74-76-76)
MC: Eun-A Lim, Kaori Aoyama, Sakurako Mori, Na-Ri Lee, Yuki Sakurai, Ritsuko Ryu, Riko Higashio, Erina Hara, Yuki Ichinose
Nice comeback by Jeon to get back into the top 10 after a terrible start, but disappointing finishes for Yokomine and Ueda. Ahn bounced back from her worst result on the JLPGA last week for another top 10, while Young Kim and Seon Hwa Lee just can't seem to get it going thus far in Japan.]
[Update 3 (6:32 am): Even with disappointing starts by many Koreans on the JLPGA this season (particularly by Mi-Jeong Jeon and Ji-Hee Lee, along with Seon Hwa Lee), they still hold the 3 top spots on the money list thus far this season.
1. Inbee Park ￥35.06M
2. Sun Ju Ahn ￥27.02M
3. Ji-Yai Shin ￥25.76M
4. Chie Arimura ￥24.97M
5. Miho Koga ￥23.54M
6. Rui Kitada ￥20.91M
7. Yun-Jye Wei ￥17.22M
8. Mayu Hattori ￥17.14M
9. Asako Fujimoto ￥14.06M
10. Sakura Yokomine ￥12.21M
11. Hiromi Mogi ￥11.49M
12. Mi-Jeong Jeon ￥11.25M
13. Akane Iijima ￥11.22M
14. Kaori Aoyama ￥11.16M
15. Chieko Amanuma ￥10.88M
16. Nikki Campbell ￥10.73M
17. Bo-Bae Song ￥10.69M
18. Mie Nakata ￥10.32M
19. Shinobu Moromizato ￥9.88M
20. Ji-Hee Lee ￥9.07M
21. Yuko Mitsuka ￥8.95M
22. Ah-Reum Hwang ￥8.71M
23. Young Kim ￥8.69M
24. Hiroko Ayada ￥8.67M
25. Yukari Baba ￥8.38M
26. Yuri Fudoh ￥7.94M
27. Ayako Uehara ￥7.47M
28. Saiki Fujita ￥7.22M
29. Hiromi Takesue ￥6.55M
30. Momoko Ueda ￥6.46M
Ai Miyazato (￥5.40M) has fallen to #33, right behind Miki Saiki, 10 spots ahead of Na-Ri Kim, and 17-up on Seon Hwa Lee. Let's see if Ai-sama can win on the LPGA this week, and if so, whether her win or Shin's will crown the next #1!]
[UPdate 4 (6:40 am): Looking ahead to next week's Salonpas Cup, the JLPGA's 1st major, it's clear now why Ya Ni Tseng and Sophie Gustafson are sitting out Tres Marias. They may already be in Japan! Looks to me like all the JLPGA's big names and new blood will be there, including Ai Miyazato, but not Ji-Yai Shin.]
[Update 5 (7:39 am): According to what Randall Mell found out from the LPGA, Lorena holds her destiny in her hands. If she finishes 4th or better at Morelia, she ends her term as an LPGA regular as the world #1. With Shin sitting out the Salonpas Cup and Miyazato playing in it, we could go from Lorena being #1 this week to Shin being #1 next to Miyazato being #1 the following week!]
[Update 6 (7:56 am): Yeesh, Jeff Skinner is focusing on the symbolism of a Wie win and rooting for her, Lincicome, or Lewis. Never mind that if Lorena plays badly today, Shin will be the actual #1.]
[Update 7 (6:16 pm): Ah, nice birthday party for imoto--and nice birthday present from Ai-sama! And Brent Kelley's list of #1 contenders is right on....]
[Update 8 (5/3/10, 12:09 am): Jeff Skinner manages not to mention Ji-Yai Shin's taking over the #1 spot in the Rolex Rankings when he calls the LPGA the Ai Miyazato Tour. Not that I disagree, but....]
[Update 1 (5:45 am): So here's how Shin won. A bogey-free 70 yesterday brought her within 4 shots of Chie Arimura, 3 of Mi-Jeong Jeon, 2 of Miho Koga, and 1 of Sakura Yokomine. Pass 4 of the best golfers on the JLPGA on Sunday? No problem! An opening 33 made up 2 shots on Arimura and Koga, put Shin past Jeon and Yokomine by 2, and kept her 1 shot ahead of playing partner Akane Iijima, who had started the day tied with Shin. But Iijima quickly passed Shin and Koga when she followed up her birdie on the 9th with 2 more on the 10th and 11th to tie Arimura for the lead at -6. Arimura, who had bogeyed the 9th, bounced back with a birdie on the 512-yard par-5 12th, opening up a 2-shot lead on Iijima, who had bogeyed it, and a 3-shot lead on Shin and Koga. That's when things got interesting. First Shin made back-to-back birdies on the 13th and 14th to get to -7 and Iijima birdied the 14th to get to -6. Then Arimura doubled the 14th when she got to it to fall back to -5. Koga got to -6 when she birdied the 145-yard par-3 15th. And Iijima joined Shin at -7 when she birdied the 385-yard par-4 16th. When Shin birdied the short par 5 17th in response, she was 1-up on Iijima and 2-up on Koga. Arimura's implosion continued with bogeys on 16 and 17, but a Shin par and an Iijima bogey on the long par 4 18th meant that only Koga could catch Shin, and she needed an eagle to do it. When she could only manage a par, Shin's closing 33 had given her her 4th career JLPGA victory (including her non-member win in '08 that gave her membership on the tour in the 1st place.)]
[Update 2 (6:12 am): Here's how the top 10 and notables made out:
1st/-8 Ji-Yai Shin (72-70-66)
T2/-6 Akane Iijima (72-70-68), Miho Koga (71-69-70)
4th/-5 Mi-Jeong Jeon (70-69-72)
T5/-4 Saiki Fujita (75-69-68), Chie Arimura (69-69-74)
T7/-3 Hiromi Mogi (72-70-71), Sakura Yokomine (75-66-72)
T9/-2 Sun-Ju Ahn (74-70-70), Tamie Durdin (71-70-73)
11th/-1 Ji-Hee Lee (75-69-71)
T12/E Nikki Campbell (75-75-66)
T15/+1 Maiko Wakabayashi (76-71-70), Asako Fujimoto (72-75-70), Shinobu Moromizato (75-71-71), Miki Saiki (72-71-74)
T20/+2 Mayu Hattori (77-71-70), Ayako Uehara (73-73-72), Young Kim (74-71-73), Ah-Reum Hwang (71-73-74), Momoko Ueda (71-72-75)
27th/+3 Yuko Mitsuka (76-73-70)
T28/+4 Seon Hwa Lee (76-73-71), Kumiko Kaneda (76-70-74)
T32/+5 Esther Lee (76-73-72), Ji-Woo Lee (76-72-73), Mie Nakata (73-74-74), Na-Ri Kim (71-75)
T36/+6 Hyun-Ju Shin (76-72-74), Rikako Morita (74-71-77)
T39/+7 Rui Kitada (76-74-73), Akiko Fukushima (75-73-75)
T44/+8 Yukari Baba (76-72-76)
T52/+10 Bo-Bae Song (74-76-76)
MC: Eun-A Lim, Kaori Aoyama, Sakurako Mori, Na-Ri Lee, Yuki Sakurai, Ritsuko Ryu, Riko Higashio, Erina Hara, Yuki Ichinose
Nice comeback by Jeon to get back into the top 10 after a terrible start, but disappointing finishes for Yokomine and Ueda. Ahn bounced back from her worst result on the JLPGA last week for another top 10, while Young Kim and Seon Hwa Lee just can't seem to get it going thus far in Japan.]
[Update 3 (6:32 am): Even with disappointing starts by many Koreans on the JLPGA this season (particularly by Mi-Jeong Jeon and Ji-Hee Lee, along with Seon Hwa Lee), they still hold the 3 top spots on the money list thus far this season.
1. Inbee Park ￥35.06M
2. Sun Ju Ahn ￥27.02M
3. Ji-Yai Shin ￥25.76M
4. Chie Arimura ￥24.97M
5. Miho Koga ￥23.54M
6. Rui Kitada ￥20.91M
7. Yun-Jye Wei ￥17.22M
8. Mayu Hattori ￥17.14M
9. Asako Fujimoto ￥14.06M
10. Sakura Yokomine ￥12.21M
11. Hiromi Mogi ￥11.49M
12. Mi-Jeong Jeon ￥11.25M
13. Akane Iijima ￥11.22M
14. Kaori Aoyama ￥11.16M
15. Chieko Amanuma ￥10.88M
16. Nikki Campbell ￥10.73M
17. Bo-Bae Song ￥10.69M
18. Mie Nakata ￥10.32M
19. Shinobu Moromizato ￥9.88M
20. Ji-Hee Lee ￥9.07M
21. Yuko Mitsuka ￥8.95M
22. Ah-Reum Hwang ￥8.71M
23. Young Kim ￥8.69M
24. Hiroko Ayada ￥8.67M
25. Yukari Baba ￥8.38M
26. Yuri Fudoh ￥7.94M
27. Ayako Uehara ￥7.47M
28. Saiki Fujita ￥7.22M
29. Hiromi Takesue ￥6.55M
30. Momoko Ueda ￥6.46M
Ai Miyazato (￥5.40M) has fallen to #33, right behind Miki Saiki, 10 spots ahead of Na-Ri Kim, and 17-up on Seon Hwa Lee. Let's see if Ai-sama can win on the LPGA this week, and if so, whether her win or Shin's will crown the next #1!]
[UPdate 4 (6:40 am): Looking ahead to next week's Salonpas Cup, the JLPGA's 1st major, it's clear now why Ya Ni Tseng and Sophie Gustafson are sitting out Tres Marias. They may already be in Japan! Looks to me like all the JLPGA's big names and new blood will be there, including Ai Miyazato, but not Ji-Yai Shin.]
[Update 5 (7:39 am): According to what Randall Mell found out from the LPGA, Lorena holds her destiny in her hands. If she finishes 4th or better at Morelia, she ends her term as an LPGA regular as the world #1. With Shin sitting out the Salonpas Cup and Miyazato playing in it, we could go from Lorena being #1 this week to Shin being #1 next to Miyazato being #1 the following week!]
[Update 6 (7:56 am): Yeesh, Jeff Skinner is focusing on the symbolism of a Wie win and rooting for her, Lincicome, or Lewis. Never mind that if Lorena plays badly today, Shin will be the actual #1.]
[Update 7 (6:16 pm): Ah, nice birthday party for imoto--and nice birthday present from Ai-sama! And Brent Kelley's list of #1 contenders is right on....]
[Update 8 (5/3/10, 12:09 am): Jeff Skinner manages not to mention Ji-Yai Shin's taking over the #1 spot in the Rolex Rankings when he calls the LPGA the Ai Miyazato Tour. Not that I disagree, but....]
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Tres Marias Championship Saturday: Miyazato Retakes the Lead, But Can She Stay Ahead of Wie, Lincicome, Lewis, Choi, and Ochoa After 72 Holes?
Ai Miyazato retook the lead at the Tres Marias Championship today with a 71 that brought her back to -13, her total under par through her 1st 32 holes. Going E over her last 22 holes has allowed loads of players to climb back into contention, including the ones who passed her and who caught her at the 36-hole mark, Michelle Wie and Brittany Lincicome, respectively. They had their own problems, however, as each went +2 over their last 4 holes to fall 1 behind Miyazato. Stacy Lewis (69, -11), Na Yeon Choi (71, -11), and Lorena Ochoa (70, -10) all leaked some oil on the back, too, but are well within striking range tomorrow.
The round of the day belonged to Amanda Blumenherst, her 2nd 68 of the tournament. Were it not for her 3 double bogeys yesterday, she'd be right in the mix, as well. Dropping out of contention, however, were Karen Stupples (77, -3), Jeong Jang (79, -1), Jee Young Lee (80, -1), and Kristy McPherson (79, -1). Tres Marias is either feast or famine this week, it seems.
For more on moving day, check out Hound Dog's excellent run-down of the leaders' rounds!
[Update 1 (9:04 pm): Beth Ann Baldry does a great job setting the scene, particularly on the tough par-5 18th.]
[Update 2 (9:09 pm): Here are the key pairings tomorrow:
Start Time: 11:41 AM
Stacy Lewis
Na Yeon Choi
Lorena Ochoa
Start Time: 11:52 AM
Ai Miyazato
Brittany Lincicome
Michelle Wie
I don't expect anyone to make a charge from back in the pack because of the big scoring gap between those going off early enough to avoid wind for most of their rounds and those in the lead chase pack.]
The round of the day belonged to Amanda Blumenherst, her 2nd 68 of the tournament. Were it not for her 3 double bogeys yesterday, she'd be right in the mix, as well. Dropping out of contention, however, were Karen Stupples (77, -3), Jeong Jang (79, -1), Jee Young Lee (80, -1), and Kristy McPherson (79, -1). Tres Marias is either feast or famine this week, it seems.
For more on moving day, check out Hound Dog's excellent run-down of the leaders' rounds!
[Update 1 (9:04 pm): Beth Ann Baldry does a great job setting the scene, particularly on the tough par-5 18th.]
[Update 2 (9:09 pm): Here are the key pairings tomorrow:
Start Time: 11:41 AM
Stacy Lewis
Na Yeon Choi
Lorena Ochoa
Start Time: 11:52 AM
Ai Miyazato
Brittany Lincicome
Michelle Wie
I don't expect anyone to make a charge from back in the pack because of the big scoring gap between those going off early enough to avoid wind for most of their rounds and those in the lead chase pack.]
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