Congratulations goes out to Stacy Lewis for winning the 2012 Rolex Player of the Year Award. Stacy is the first American player to win this award since Beth Daniel in 1994. After winning the Mizuno Classic last week, Stacy followed that up with a fourth place finish this week to clinch the title. She will go into next week's final event with a 53 point lead over Inbee Park. A first place finish is worth 30 points. Stacy finished 4 strokes behind Cristie Kerr.
The win for Cristie Kerr was her first in almost 2 1/2 years. It was the second consecutive win for an American player. It was also the 8th win by an American player, assuring them of at least a tie for most wins this year. Although shut out the last four weeks, South Korea has also had a fine season with seven wins.
Here is the list of tournament winners by country:
1- U.S.A - 8 (Lewis 4, Korda, Stanford, Lang, and Kerr)
2- South Korea - 7 (Jiyai Shin 2, Inbee Park 2, Yoo, Ryu, Na-Yeon Choi)
T3- Japan - 3 (Ai Miyazato 2, Mika Miyazato.
T3- Taiwan - 3 (Yani Tseng 3)
5- Norway - 2 (Pettersen 2)
T6- Spain -1 (Munoz)
T6- Mainland China 1 (Feng)
T6- New Zealand 1 (Ko)
The CME Group Titleholders, the year's final tournament, will be played next week.
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Sunday, November 11, 2012
Monday, November 5, 2012
Lorena Ochoa Invitational Preview & Pairings
It has been quite a week here in New Jersey. Hurricane Sandy has really done quite a bit of damage. I was not able to give you pairings or updates on last week's tournament as we were without power for quite a few days. Getting gasoline to fill our automobiles has also been one big challenge.
Congratulations goes out to Stacy Lewis for winning the Mizuno Classic. Stacy made a remarkable comeback as she was seven shots down at the start of the final round. This was her fourth win of the year. Stacy has now just about wrapped up the 2012 Rolex Player of the Year Award. Inbee Park would have to win the two remaining tournaments while Stacy finishes out of the top ten in both, for Inbee to steal the trophy away. That is a scenario that is very highly unlikely. The winner also receives a Hall of Fame point. The last American to win the award was Beth Daniel in 1994.
The other big race is for the Vare Trophy, which also carries a Hall of Fame point. With Jiyai Shin not eligible because she does not meet the minimum rounds criteria, it has come down to a race between Stacy Lewis and Inbee Park. Currently Inbee leads with a 70.30 per round average. Stacy Lewis is second at 70.32. How close is that? Stacy just has to make up 2 strokes in the final 8 rounds of the season to win this also.
The tour moves to Mexico this week for the playing of the Lorena Ochoa Invitational. Lorena will actually be teeing it up herself this week.
This is tournament #26 of 27 this year. Here are the key details:
Course: Guadalajara Country Club
Location: Guadalajara, Mexico
Defending Champion: Catriona Matthew
Winning Score: 69-68-68-71=276 (-12)
Final Field: 36 players
Par: 36/36=72
Yardage: 6,644 yards
Purse: $1,000,000
Here are the round 1 pairings.
In spite of the very small field, most of the top players will be teeing it up. Among the missing this week are: Jiyai Shin, Na Yeon Choi, Amy Yang, Mika Miyazato, and Hee Young Park.
There will be no television broadcast in the United States for this event.
Other Tidbits:
It seems like just yesterday that we thought nobody was going to catch Yani Tseng for the number one ranking in the world for a very long time. Well things are changing much more quickly than anyone could have anticipated. In April, Yani had a 9.47 lead over Na Yeon Choi who was in second place. Currently her lead is only 3.14 over Stacy Lewis.
Titleholders Update:
Pornanong Phatlum, Jennifer Song, and Alison Walsh are the latest to qualify. Sophie Gustafson remains the highest ranked player who has not yet qualified. She is not playing this week so she will not get in.
Rolex Mover of the Week:
There are no big numerical moves this week, but as mentioned above, Stacy Lewis is closing in on that number one position.
Who's Hot:
Although Yani Tseng has not won since March, she has three consecutive top 5 finishes.
Who's Not:
Shanshan Feng, who had been scorching hot all summer, has not finished in the top 15 in her last 6 tournaments.
Momoko Ueda has teed it up 20 times this year without having a single top ten finish.
Jimin Kang's best finish in her last 8 tournaments is a T50.
Hard to Believe Fact of the Week:
Besides the previously mentioned 4 wins, Stacy Lewis has 11 top five finishes, and 15 top tens.
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Congratulations goes out to Stacy Lewis for winning the Mizuno Classic. Stacy made a remarkable comeback as she was seven shots down at the start of the final round. This was her fourth win of the year. Stacy has now just about wrapped up the 2012 Rolex Player of the Year Award. Inbee Park would have to win the two remaining tournaments while Stacy finishes out of the top ten in both, for Inbee to steal the trophy away. That is a scenario that is very highly unlikely. The winner also receives a Hall of Fame point. The last American to win the award was Beth Daniel in 1994.
The other big race is for the Vare Trophy, which also carries a Hall of Fame point. With Jiyai Shin not eligible because she does not meet the minimum rounds criteria, it has come down to a race between Stacy Lewis and Inbee Park. Currently Inbee leads with a 70.30 per round average. Stacy Lewis is second at 70.32. How close is that? Stacy just has to make up 2 strokes in the final 8 rounds of the season to win this also.
The tour moves to Mexico this week for the playing of the Lorena Ochoa Invitational. Lorena will actually be teeing it up herself this week.
This is tournament #26 of 27 this year. Here are the key details:
Course: Guadalajara Country Club
Location: Guadalajara, Mexico
Defending Champion: Catriona Matthew
Winning Score: 69-68-68-71=276 (-12)
Final Field: 36 players
Par: 36/36=72
Yardage: 6,644 yards
Purse: $1,000,000
Here are the round 1 pairings.
In spite of the very small field, most of the top players will be teeing it up. Among the missing this week are: Jiyai Shin, Na Yeon Choi, Amy Yang, Mika Miyazato, and Hee Young Park.
There will be no television broadcast in the United States for this event.
Other Tidbits:
It seems like just yesterday that we thought nobody was going to catch Yani Tseng for the number one ranking in the world for a very long time. Well things are changing much more quickly than anyone could have anticipated. In April, Yani had a 9.47 lead over Na Yeon Choi who was in second place. Currently her lead is only 3.14 over Stacy Lewis.
Titleholders Update:
Pornanong Phatlum, Jennifer Song, and Alison Walsh are the latest to qualify. Sophie Gustafson remains the highest ranked player who has not yet qualified. She is not playing this week so she will not get in.
Rolex Mover of the Week:
There are no big numerical moves this week, but as mentioned above, Stacy Lewis is closing in on that number one position.
Who's Hot:
Although Yani Tseng has not won since March, she has three consecutive top 5 finishes.
Who's Not:
Shanshan Feng, who had been scorching hot all summer, has not finished in the top 15 in her last 6 tournaments.
Momoko Ueda has teed it up 20 times this year without having a single top ten finish.
Jimin Kang's best finish in her last 8 tournaments is a T50.
Hard to Believe Fact of the Week:
Besides the previously mentioned 4 wins, Stacy Lewis has 11 top five finishes, and 15 top tens.
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Monday, October 29, 2012
Mizuno Classic Preview & Pairings
Let me start off by giving a big congratulations to Suzann Pettersen for winning the Sunrise LPGA Taiwan Championship. This was Suzann's second consecutive victory on the LPGA Tour. Suzann held off challenges from Inbee Park and Yani Tseng to win by 3 strokes.
The tour moves to Japan this week for the playing of the Mizuno Classic. It is the final stop on the current four-stop Asian swing.
This is tournament number 25 of 27 this year. Here are the key details:
Course: Kintetsu Kashikojimo Country Club
Location: Shima-shi, Mie, Japan
Defending Champion: Momoko Ueda
Winning Score: 67-64-69=200 (-16)
Final Field: 78 players
Par 36/36=72
Yardage: 6506 yards
Purse: $1,200,000
This tournament is only 54 holes.
I will post the pairings as soon as they become available.
My strength of field rating is 53%, making it the eighth most weakest field of the year. Most Americans and Europeans have chosen to skip this event. Some of the bigger names missing include: Suzann Pettersen, Paula Creamer, Cristie Kerr, Brittany Lincicome, Ai Miyazato, Catriona Matthew, Michelle Wie, Sandra Gal, Azahara Munoz, Sun Young Yoo, Meena Lee, Mindy Kim, Natalie Gulbis, Katherine Hull, So Yeon Ryu, Lexi Thompson, Jessica Korda, and Katie Futcher.
With that many players missing, you may be wondering why the field rating isn't lower. It is because so many highly ranked non LPGA players are playing in this event. These highly Rolex ranked players include: Sun Ju Ahn, Chie Arimura, Yukari Baba, Mayu Hattori, Sakura Yokomine, Miki Saiki, Rikako Morita, and Ritsuko Ryu.
There is no television broadcast in the United States for this event.
Other Tidbits:
Inbee Park's second place finish earned her 12 player of the year points. Stacy Lewis's lead, for that very importatnt Hall of Fame point, has been cut to 28 points. A first place finish is worth 30 points.
Jiyai Shin who did not play, is also skipping next week's tournament in Mexico. This will eliminate her from winning the Vare Trophy for the tour's lowest scoring average. It now will be a 3 way race between, InbeePark (70.27), Stacy Lewis (70.39), and So Yeon Ryu (70.42). A Hall of Fame point will be awarded to the winner.
Rolex Mover of the Week:
LPGA rookie Carlotta Ciganda, won for the second time this year on the Ladies European Tour. She jumps from #84 to #58 in the world.
Titleholders Update:
Belen Mozo, Mariajo Uribe, and Mo Martin are the latest to qualify.
Who's Hot:
Catriona Matthew has now finished in the top ten in five consecutive tournaments.
Who's Not:
Sophie Gustafson has finished no better than 55th in her last eighth tournaments.
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The tour moves to Japan this week for the playing of the Mizuno Classic. It is the final stop on the current four-stop Asian swing.
This is tournament number 25 of 27 this year. Here are the key details:
Course: Kintetsu Kashikojimo Country Club
Location: Shima-shi, Mie, Japan
Defending Champion: Momoko Ueda
Winning Score: 67-64-69=200 (-16)
Final Field: 78 players
Par 36/36=72
Yardage: 6506 yards
Purse: $1,200,000
This tournament is only 54 holes.
I will post the pairings as soon as they become available.
My strength of field rating is 53%, making it the eighth most weakest field of the year. Most Americans and Europeans have chosen to skip this event. Some of the bigger names missing include: Suzann Pettersen, Paula Creamer, Cristie Kerr, Brittany Lincicome, Ai Miyazato, Catriona Matthew, Michelle Wie, Sandra Gal, Azahara Munoz, Sun Young Yoo, Meena Lee, Mindy Kim, Natalie Gulbis, Katherine Hull, So Yeon Ryu, Lexi Thompson, Jessica Korda, and Katie Futcher.
With that many players missing, you may be wondering why the field rating isn't lower. It is because so many highly ranked non LPGA players are playing in this event. These highly Rolex ranked players include: Sun Ju Ahn, Chie Arimura, Yukari Baba, Mayu Hattori, Sakura Yokomine, Miki Saiki, Rikako Morita, and Ritsuko Ryu.
There is no television broadcast in the United States for this event.
Other Tidbits:
Inbee Park's second place finish earned her 12 player of the year points. Stacy Lewis's lead, for that very importatnt Hall of Fame point, has been cut to 28 points. A first place finish is worth 30 points.
Jiyai Shin who did not play, is also skipping next week's tournament in Mexico. This will eliminate her from winning the Vare Trophy for the tour's lowest scoring average. It now will be a 3 way race between, InbeePark (70.27), Stacy Lewis (70.39), and So Yeon Ryu (70.42). A Hall of Fame point will be awarded to the winner.
Rolex Mover of the Week:
LPGA rookie Carlotta Ciganda, won for the second time this year on the Ladies European Tour. She jumps from #84 to #58 in the world.
Titleholders Update:
Belen Mozo, Mariajo Uribe, and Mo Martin are the latest to qualify.
Who's Hot:
Catriona Matthew has now finished in the top ten in five consecutive tournaments.
Who's Not:
Sophie Gustafson has finished no better than 55th in her last eighth tournaments.
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Monday, October 22, 2012
Sunrise LPGA Taiwan Championship Preview & Pairings
Now that we have completed another exciting tournament, let me congratulate Suzann Pettersen for her win at the HanaBank Championship. Suzann came out victorious, defeating Catriona Matthew on the third playoff hole. It was Suzann's first win of the 2012 season.
The tour moves to Taiwan this week for the playing of the Sunrise LPGA Taiwan Championship. It is stop number three on the current four-stop Asian swing. It will conclude next week in Japan.
This is tournament number 24 of 27 this year. Here are the key details:
Course: Sunrise Golf & Country Club
Where: Yang Mei, Taoyuan, Taiwan
Defending Champion: Yani Tseng
Winning Score: 68-71-67-66=272 (-16)
Final Field: 78 players
Par: 36/36=72
Yardage: 6,390 yards
Purse: $2,000,000
Here are Thursday's pairings.
My strength of field rating is just 46% which makes it one of the weakest fields of the year.
Some of the stars sitting it out this week include: Stacy Lewis, Brittany Lincicome, Angela Stanford, Amy Yang, I.K. Kim, Karrie Webb, Brittany Lang, Hee Kyung Seo, Mika Miyazato, Sun Young Yoo, Shanshan Feng, and Hee Won Han. Natalie Gulbis and Morgan Pressel have recently pulled out due to injuries.
Here are the television times:
Who is hot:
Catriona Matthew has finished in the top ten in each of her last four tournaments.
Se Ri Pak, in spite of only teeing it up 9 times this year (she had to withdraw on two other occasions because of injuries), has not finished outside the top 25 all year. She has 5 top tens in those nine starts.
Who is not:
Hee Kyung Seo has failed to finish in the top 25 in her last six tournaments.
Sun Young Yoo has failed to finish in the top 10 in her last 13 tournaments.
10/24/12 -UPDATE - Jiyai Shin has dropped out of this tournament. That coupled with the fact that she is not playing at the Lorena Ochoa event, eliminates her from winning the Vare Trophy.
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The tour moves to Taiwan this week for the playing of the Sunrise LPGA Taiwan Championship. It is stop number three on the current four-stop Asian swing. It will conclude next week in Japan.
This is tournament number 24 of 27 this year. Here are the key details:
Course: Sunrise Golf & Country Club
Where: Yang Mei, Taoyuan, Taiwan
Defending Champion: Yani Tseng
Winning Score: 68-71-67-66=272 (-16)
Final Field: 78 players
Par: 36/36=72
Yardage: 6,390 yards
Purse: $2,000,000
Here are Thursday's pairings.
My strength of field rating is just 46% which makes it one of the weakest fields of the year.
Some of the stars sitting it out this week include: Stacy Lewis, Brittany Lincicome, Angela Stanford, Amy Yang, I.K. Kim, Karrie Webb, Brittany Lang, Hee Kyung Seo, Mika Miyazato, Sun Young Yoo, Shanshan Feng, and Hee Won Han. Natalie Gulbis and Morgan Pressel have recently pulled out due to injuries.
Here are the television times:
Oct 25 - GC 1:00 PM-3:00 PM EST
Oct 26 - GC 1:00 PM-3:00 PM EST
Oct 27 - GC 1:00 PM-3:00 PM EST
Oct 28 - GC 1:00 PM-3:00 PM EST
Once again, because of the 12-hour time difference, this will be shown on tape delay. At least this week it is being shown at a decent hour.
Other Tidbits:
Inbee Park's consecutive top ten streak came to a halt this past weekend. She finished tied for 15th.
Yani Tseng finished in the top ten for the first time in twelve tournaments.
Beatriz Recari is the only member of the LPGA to play in every round this year. She has played in every tournament, and made every cut.
Titleholders Update:
Karen Sjodin, Jennifer Johnson, and Nicole Castrale are the latest to qualify. Sophie Gustafson remains the highest-ranked player on the priority list yet to qualify. It seems to me to be a little unfair that a player like Nicole Castrale can get in with a 45th place finish this week, while a player like Jimin Kang who had a 5th-place finish early in the year is not in. I guess no system is perfect.
Rolex Movers of the week:
Catriona Matthew moves from #22 to #15. Suzann Pettersen moves from #9 to #7.
Rolex Movers of the week:
Catriona Matthew moves from #22 to #15. Suzann Pettersen moves from #9 to #7.
Catriona Matthew has finished in the top ten in each of her last four tournaments.
Se Ri Pak, in spite of only teeing it up 9 times this year (she had to withdraw on two other occasions because of injuries), has not finished outside the top 25 all year. She has 5 top tens in those nine starts.
Who is not:
Hee Kyung Seo has failed to finish in the top 25 in her last six tournaments.
Sun Young Yoo has failed to finish in the top 10 in her last 13 tournaments.
10/24/12 -UPDATE - Jiyai Shin has dropped out of this tournament. That coupled with the fact that she is not playing at the Lorena Ochoa event, eliminates her from winning the Vare Trophy.
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Monday, October 15, 2012
LPGA Hana Bank Championship Preview
Congratulations goes out to Inbee Park for winning the Sime Darby Malaysia Championship. It was Inbee's second win this year on the LPGA tour, and she has moved into second place in the Player of the Year race. Stacy Lewis still holds a 40-point lead, but with 5 tournaments still to be played it is not over yet.
The tour moves to South Korea this week for the playing of the LPGA Hana Bank Championship. It is stop number two on the current four-stop Asian swing. Stops in Taiwan and Japan will follow.
This is tournament 23 of 27 this year. Here are the key details:
Course: Sky 72 Golf Club Ocean Course
Where: Incheon, South Korea
Defending Champion: Yani Tseng
Winning Score: 65-70-67 = 202 (-14)
Final Field: 69 players
Par: 36/36=72
Yardage: 6,364 yards
Purse: $1,200,000
Here are the first-round pairings.
My strength of field rating is 64% which is a pretty strong field. It will include many KLPGA stars who usually don't tee it up in LPGA events but are highly ranked in the Rolex Rankings. On the other hand, many LPGA stars have chosen to skip the event this week. Those not competing this week include Paula Creamer, Karrie Webb, Mika Miyazato, Sophie Gustafson, Momoko Ueda, Candie Kung, and Natalie Gulbis. Some other players that are playing very well, including Sydnee Michaels and Lizette Salas, didn't get into this limited field. This is a 54-hole event.
Here are the television times:
Once again, because of the 12-hour time difference, this will be shown on tape delay. At least it is being broadcast a few hours earlier this week.
Other Tidbits:
Inbee Park has now finished in the top ten in 10 consecutive tournaments.
It is no surprise that So Yeon Ryu and Lexi Thompson are the top two rookies this season. They were established winners and huge stars before their rookie season even started. So much attention has been given to them, that two other fine rookie seasons are almost going unnoticed. Lizette Salas, who got her card by earning it at qualifying school, had her best finish this week when she tied for 9th at the Sime Darby Championship. She has five top-25 finishes this year. Sydnee Michaels, who finished 19th this week, now has eight top-30 finishes this year and five top-25 finishes in her last 7 starts. Sydnee was Rookie of the Year last year on the Symetra Tour. These two ladies are both true rookies and should be recognized for the excellent season that they are having.
Titleholders Update:
Lizette Salas, Momoko Ueda, and Mina Harigae are the latest to qualify.
Rolex Movers of the week:
Paula Creamer moves from #13 to #11 and Karrie Webb moves from #19 to #15.
Who is hot:
Paula Creamer has finished 2nd, 3rd, and 6th in her last 3 tournaments.
Who's not:
Neither Michelle Wie nor Sophie Gustafson have a top-ten finish this year.
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The tour moves to South Korea this week for the playing of the LPGA Hana Bank Championship. It is stop number two on the current four-stop Asian swing. Stops in Taiwan and Japan will follow.
This is tournament 23 of 27 this year. Here are the key details:
Course: Sky 72 Golf Club Ocean Course
Where: Incheon, South Korea
Defending Champion: Yani Tseng
Winning Score: 65-70-67 = 202 (-14)
Final Field: 69 players
Par: 36/36=72
Yardage: 6,364 yards
Purse: $1,200,000
Here are the first-round pairings.
My strength of field rating is 64% which is a pretty strong field. It will include many KLPGA stars who usually don't tee it up in LPGA events but are highly ranked in the Rolex Rankings. On the other hand, many LPGA stars have chosen to skip the event this week. Those not competing this week include Paula Creamer, Karrie Webb, Mika Miyazato, Sophie Gustafson, Momoko Ueda, Candie Kung, and Natalie Gulbis. Some other players that are playing very well, including Sydnee Michaels and Lizette Salas, didn't get into this limited field. This is a 54-hole event.
Here are the television times:
Oct 19 - GC 7:30 PM-9:30 PM EST
Oct 20 - GC 7:30 PM-9:30 PM EST
Oct 21 - GC 7:30 PM-9:30 PM EST
Once again, because of the 12-hour time difference, this will be shown on tape delay. At least it is being broadcast a few hours earlier this week.
Other Tidbits:
Inbee Park has now finished in the top ten in 10 consecutive tournaments.
It is no surprise that So Yeon Ryu and Lexi Thompson are the top two rookies this season. They were established winners and huge stars before their rookie season even started. So much attention has been given to them, that two other fine rookie seasons are almost going unnoticed. Lizette Salas, who got her card by earning it at qualifying school, had her best finish this week when she tied for 9th at the Sime Darby Championship. She has five top-25 finishes this year. Sydnee Michaels, who finished 19th this week, now has eight top-30 finishes this year and five top-25 finishes in her last 7 starts. Sydnee was Rookie of the Year last year on the Symetra Tour. These two ladies are both true rookies and should be recognized for the excellent season that they are having.
Titleholders Update:
Lizette Salas, Momoko Ueda, and Mina Harigae are the latest to qualify.
Rolex Movers of the week:
Paula Creamer moves from #13 to #11 and Karrie Webb moves from #19 to #15.
Who is hot:
Paula Creamer has finished 2nd, 3rd, and 6th in her last 3 tournaments.
Who's not:
Neither Michelle Wie nor Sophie Gustafson have a top-ten finish this year.
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