First let me say congratulations once again to Yani Tseng for her 5th victory this year on the LPGA tour. She is proving that she is head and shoulders above the rest of the girls. It should be interesting to see if anyone steps up to challenge her. It seems to me, that like Annika and Lorena before her, she could be in for a long stay at #1. I think she proved this week that she doesn't even have to have her "A-Game" to win.
The tour goes to Alabama this week for the Navistar Classic. Here are some details:
Course: RTJ Golf Trail, Capitol Hill, The Senator.
Where: Prattsville, Alabama
Defending Champion: Katherine Hull
2010 Winning Score: 68-67-67-67=269 (-19)
Final Field: 144 players
Par: 72
Yardage: 6607 Yards
Purse: $1.3 Million
The following notable players will be missing from the field:
Ai Miyazato, Jiyai Shin, Mika Miyazato, Anna Nordqvist, Karrie Webb, Shanshan Feng, Hee Young Park, Momoko Ueda,Caroline Hedwall, Kyeong Bae, and Lindsey Wright.
Here is the television schedule:
Sep 15 12:30-2:30 PM ET GC
Sep 16 12:30-2:30 PM ET GC
Sep 17 2:00-5:00 PM ET GC
Sep 18 2:00-5:00 PM ET GC
Rolex Rankings Move of the Week:
This week it goes to Amy Yang who moves from #24 to #17.
Most Important LPGA Money List Leap:
Belen Mozo moves from #116 to #69. This virtually assures her of full-time status next year, as a category one player, on the LPGA tour.
Important Futures Tour Notes:
The Futures Tour ended its year yesterday with the completion of the Price Chopper Championship. The top 10 ladies on the final money list earned LPGA cards for 2012.
The first 5 are worth mentioning, as they have earned category 9 status and will be full time players on the LPGA tour in 2012. They are as follows:
1- Kathleen Ekey
2- Lisa Ferrero
3- Mo Martin
4- Sydney Michaels
5- Jane Rah
Congatulations to the above five, as I for one will be looking forward to watching them play on a regular basis.
Hard-to-Believe Stat of the Week:
Yani Tseng has played 54 rounds this year; 28 of those rounds she has shot in the 60s. That 52% rate leads the LPGA tour.
Louise Friberg Watch:
Ms. Friberg missed the cut yet again, for the 12th consecutive time!
The Titleholders Championship:
Latest qualifiers for the Titleholders Championship are Belen Mozo, Amy Hung, and Mi Hyun Kim.
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Monday, September 12, 2011
Walmart NW Arkansas Championship Sunday: Ya Ni Tseng Defends Title in Playoff Win Over Amy Yang
Ya Ni Tseng was down by as many as 2 shots to playing partner Amy Yang during the final round of the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship, but in the end her persistence payed off as she successfully defended her title on the 1st hole of their playoff to take her 5th LPGA victory of the season and 10th of her career.
For awhile, it looked like it was going to be Yang's day, as she picked up in the final round right where she left off on moving day with 3 birdies in her 1st 7 holes to get to -12 and cap off a span of 12 holes going back to the end of Saturday's round that she played in -7. Although nobody could keep pace with that burst, Tseng, Ai Miyazato, and Cristie Kerr stayed within striking range while Paula Creamer made a charge of her own on the front via a 5-birdie, bogey-free 31 that brought her to -11. Tseng, too, battled her way to -11 with 2 birdies in her last 3 holes on the front, while Kerr was stuck at -9 after making 3 consecutive birdies early in her round to bounce back from a 2nd-hole bogey and Miyazato was stuck at -8 after a bogey on the par-4 4th had offset 1 of her 3 birdies on the front. But as Yang failed to convert makeable birdie putt after makeable birdie putt, her pursuers drew closer. Kerr birdied 11 and 14 to get to -11. Miyazato, who looked done after she offset a birdie on the 10th with a bogey on the par-3 11th that she had birdied twice before, all of a sudden skipped a tough bunker shot into the hole for an eagle on the par-5 14th and followed it up with a 20-footer for birdie on the very next hole to get to -11 herself. And Tseng made a clutch downhill, sliding 15-footer on 14 a few minutes later to also get to -11. Even though Creamer fell prey on the back to her nemesis this week--too many soft bogeys (her 3 yesterday brought her total to 8 over 54 holes)--and dropped out of contention, the spectacle of Tseng, Kerr, and Miyazato trying to chase down Yang, who was going for her 1st LPGA and 4th worldwide win--was simply awesome. Or it would have been if 1st Miyazato and then Kerr could have avoided bogeys on the par-3 17th. Although Ai-sama was able to bounce back with an impressive birdie on the par-5 18th--to go -5 on the par 5s she had failed to make a single birdie on in the previous 36 holes--she and Kerr knew their day was done when they failed to keep their momentum going on the long, tough 17th.
As it was, Tseng's final charge provided quite enough drama, thank you very much. She put her approach on the par-3 15th closer than Yang, but couldn't drop the 15-footer. Then she stuck a fantastic approach shot on 16 to give herself a chance for a 2-shot swing when Yang missed the green and put her recovery shot 12 feet past the pin. Even after Yang sank the clutch par save, Tseng dropped her 8-foot birdie putt dead center right on top of it to tie her at -12. When both players parred the tough 17th that was so many others' Waterloo, it all came down to the eminently reachable par-5 18th. At first, it appeared that Yang's combination of distance and accuracy off the tee gave her the advantage, as Tseng pulled her drive into the left rough and elected to lay up, while Yang was in go range from the middle of the fairway. But when she yanked her approach long left--overcompensating, she later said, for her 2 previous misses to the right--and Tseng stuck her wedge about 5 feet below the hole, the tables had very suddenly turned. However, Yang played it smart and just flopped a wedge anywhere on the green she could and left her 50-foot lag within 3 feet of the hole. And even though Tseng had a birdie putt for the win, it was from about the same angle that Cristie Kerr, consistently one of the best putters on tour, had just missed on the low side. Lo and behold, Tseng did exactly the same thing, Yang sunk her putt, and we had a playoff. My DVR cut out just as Yang followed up Tseng's dead-center drive on 18 with one just as long and a few yards to the left in the intermediate rough, so I'm relying on LPGA.com's description of Yang hitting the green in 2 and Tseng just going over it, them putting and chipping to about the same range as Tseng had for the win just minutes before, Yang missing it, and Tseng canning it. Neither Ruthless Mike nor Stephanie Wei have any more than that, so I'm throwing this one out to my regulars. What did you notice about the playoff?
Given that it's about time to get ready for work and walking the girls to school, I'll let Hound Dog follow up on last week's Quest for the Card post and let you check out the LPGA money list for yourself! I've got another "As the World Turns" post in the hopper, so I'll add my own comments on how the "Over-#80 Club" fared yesterday in tomorrow's post!
[Update 1 (8:32 pm): Here's Hound Dog's look back at Walmart week on the LPGA!]
For awhile, it looked like it was going to be Yang's day, as she picked up in the final round right where she left off on moving day with 3 birdies in her 1st 7 holes to get to -12 and cap off a span of 12 holes going back to the end of Saturday's round that she played in -7. Although nobody could keep pace with that burst, Tseng, Ai Miyazato, and Cristie Kerr stayed within striking range while Paula Creamer made a charge of her own on the front via a 5-birdie, bogey-free 31 that brought her to -11. Tseng, too, battled her way to -11 with 2 birdies in her last 3 holes on the front, while Kerr was stuck at -9 after making 3 consecutive birdies early in her round to bounce back from a 2nd-hole bogey and Miyazato was stuck at -8 after a bogey on the par-4 4th had offset 1 of her 3 birdies on the front. But as Yang failed to convert makeable birdie putt after makeable birdie putt, her pursuers drew closer. Kerr birdied 11 and 14 to get to -11. Miyazato, who looked done after she offset a birdie on the 10th with a bogey on the par-3 11th that she had birdied twice before, all of a sudden skipped a tough bunker shot into the hole for an eagle on the par-5 14th and followed it up with a 20-footer for birdie on the very next hole to get to -11 herself. And Tseng made a clutch downhill, sliding 15-footer on 14 a few minutes later to also get to -11. Even though Creamer fell prey on the back to her nemesis this week--too many soft bogeys (her 3 yesterday brought her total to 8 over 54 holes)--and dropped out of contention, the spectacle of Tseng, Kerr, and Miyazato trying to chase down Yang, who was going for her 1st LPGA and 4th worldwide win--was simply awesome. Or it would have been if 1st Miyazato and then Kerr could have avoided bogeys on the par-3 17th. Although Ai-sama was able to bounce back with an impressive birdie on the par-5 18th--to go -5 on the par 5s she had failed to make a single birdie on in the previous 36 holes--she and Kerr knew their day was done when they failed to keep their momentum going on the long, tough 17th.
As it was, Tseng's final charge provided quite enough drama, thank you very much. She put her approach on the par-3 15th closer than Yang, but couldn't drop the 15-footer. Then she stuck a fantastic approach shot on 16 to give herself a chance for a 2-shot swing when Yang missed the green and put her recovery shot 12 feet past the pin. Even after Yang sank the clutch par save, Tseng dropped her 8-foot birdie putt dead center right on top of it to tie her at -12. When both players parred the tough 17th that was so many others' Waterloo, it all came down to the eminently reachable par-5 18th. At first, it appeared that Yang's combination of distance and accuracy off the tee gave her the advantage, as Tseng pulled her drive into the left rough and elected to lay up, while Yang was in go range from the middle of the fairway. But when she yanked her approach long left--overcompensating, she later said, for her 2 previous misses to the right--and Tseng stuck her wedge about 5 feet below the hole, the tables had very suddenly turned. However, Yang played it smart and just flopped a wedge anywhere on the green she could and left her 50-foot lag within 3 feet of the hole. And even though Tseng had a birdie putt for the win, it was from about the same angle that Cristie Kerr, consistently one of the best putters on tour, had just missed on the low side. Lo and behold, Tseng did exactly the same thing, Yang sunk her putt, and we had a playoff. My DVR cut out just as Yang followed up Tseng's dead-center drive on 18 with one just as long and a few yards to the left in the intermediate rough, so I'm relying on LPGA.com's description of Yang hitting the green in 2 and Tseng just going over it, them putting and chipping to about the same range as Tseng had for the win just minutes before, Yang missing it, and Tseng canning it. Neither Ruthless Mike nor Stephanie Wei have any more than that, so I'm throwing this one out to my regulars. What did you notice about the playoff?
Given that it's about time to get ready for work and walking the girls to school, I'll let Hound Dog follow up on last week's Quest for the Card post and let you check out the LPGA money list for yourself! I've got another "As the World Turns" post in the hopper, so I'll add my own comments on how the "Over-#80 Club" fared yesterday in tomorrow's post!
[Update 1 (8:32 pm): Here's Hound Dog's look back at Walmart week on the LPGA!]
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Konica Minolta Cup Sunday: Yuko Mitsuka Holds Off Shanshan Feng as Sakura Yokomine Collapses
Yuko Mitsuka has been wandering in the JLPGA wilderness for the last 17 months, paying the price for her temper tantrum in the 1st round of the 1st major of 2010, but she took what she learned on her journeys and used it this week at the Konica Minolta Cup to get her 1st win since the 1st tournament of 2009 and the biggest among her 4 career victories. She won the 2nd major of 2011 on the JLPGA with a final-round 69, which included a 3-birdie 34 on the front that enabled her to catch and pass 3rd-round leader and playing partner Sakura Yokomine (who opened with a birdieless 38) and a bogey-free 35 on the back that enabled her to hold off a charging Shanshan Feng (who birdied her last 2 holes to shave Mitsuka's margin of victory to a single stroke). By going bogey-free and -3 over her last 15 holes, Mitsuka kept the pressure on Yokomine, the JLPGA's best active Japanese golfer who was going for her 19th win and 3rd major title in her 8th season on tour, and who responded with 4 bogeys in her 1st 6 holes on the back. And Mitsuka's clutch play down the stretch made LPGAer Feng's 68 from the next-to-last group too little, too late in her bid for her 2nd career JLPGA victory and the biggest win of her young career.
Here's how the leaders and notables ended the week:
1st/-6 Yuko Mitsuka (67-71-74-69)
2nd/-5 Shanshan Feng (71-72-72-68)
3rd/-2 Sakura Yokomine (69-70-71-76)
4th/-1 Ah-Reum Hwang (71-76-69-71)
5th/E Eun-Bi Jang (74-69-74-71)
T6/+1 Mayu Hattori (71-73-72-73), Yuri Fudoh (67-77-72-73)
T8/+2 Mi-Jeong Jeon (74-72-74-70), Rikako Morita (70-73-72-75), Akiko Fukushima (68-74-73-75)
11th/+3 Bo-Bae Song (73-73-74-71)
T12/+4 Tamie Durdin (75-74-72-71), Asako Fujimoto (71-74-76-71), Li-Ying Ye (73-73-71-75), Maiko Wakabayashi (71-76-68-77), Saiki Fujita (73-67-73-79)
T17/+5 Yumiko Yoshida (72-76-75-70), Eun-A Lim (75-73-74-71), Hyun-Ju Shin (75-72-73-73), Nikki Campbell (73-73-74-73), Erika Kikuchi (78-70-71-74), Hiromi Mogi (72-73-73-75), Miho Koga (71-75-71-76)
T25/+6 Momoko Ueda (75-72-75-72), Ritsuko Ryu (70-73-75-76), Junko Omote (75-73-69-77)
T29/+7 Young Kim (72-74-75-74), Kaori Aoyama (70-76-74-75), Bo-Mee Lee (70-75-75-75), Erina Hara (75-70-74-76)
T34/+8 So-Hee Kim (76-73-74-73), Na-Ri Kim (72-75-76-73), Shinobu Moromizato (73-73-74-76), Kumiko Kaneda (73-77-69)-77)
T39/+9 Sun-Ju Ahn (73-75-77-72), Esther Lee (75-74-75-73), Ji-Hee Lee (74-75-75-73), Ji-Woo Lee (77-71-72-77)
T46/+10 Miki Saiki (76-73-73-76), Miki Sakai (72-73-77-76), Yukari Baba (74-75-72-77), Rui Kitada (71-74-76-77)
T52/+11 Na-Ri Lee (75-75-74-75), Mika Takushima (72-75-74-78)
T54/+12 Megumi Kido (76-73-73-77)
T56/+13 Da Ye Na (75-75-77-74), Ji-Na Lim (78-71-76-76), Yun-Jye Wei (74-76-74-77), Soo-Yun Kang (72-67-81-81)
T61/+16 Miki Uehara (76-73-79-76)
64th/+20 Yuki Ichinose (74-73-79-82)
Yokomine's bid to pass Sun-Ju Ahn and retake the #1 spot on the JLPGA money list came up short, but she did move to #2, displacing the injured Chie Arimura. The week after her countrywoman Li-Ying Ye almost passed Feng on the strength of her 1st JLPGA victory, Feng moved up 12 spots into the top 10 with her runner-up finish. But the biggest move was of course by Mitsuka, who moved up 64 positions, just outside the top 10.
1. Sun-Ju Ahn ￥71.67M
2. Sakura Yokomine ￥62.38M
3. Chie Arimura ￥62.02M
4. Miki Saiki ￥59.62M
5. Ji-Hee Lee ￥57.18M
6. Yuri Fudoh ￥41.57M
7. Ritsuko Ryu ￥36.10M
8. Shanshan Feng ￥31.82M
9. Hiromi Mogi ￥31.62M
10. Rui Kitada ￥29.76M
11. Yuko Mitsuka ￥28.70M
12. Mi-Jeong Jeon ￥27.66M
13. Ayako Uehara ￥27.57M
14. Junko Omote ￥25.91M
15. Bo-Bae Song ￥25.81M
16. Mayu Hattori ￥25.03M
17. Kumiko Kaneda ￥24.97M
18. Inbee Park ￥24.33M
19. Rikako Morita ￥24.24M
20. Na-Ri Kim ￥24.12M
21. Ah-Reum Hwang ￥22.37M
22. Yukari Baba ￥22.06M
23. Li-Ying Ye ￥21.14M
24. Saiki Fujita ￥20.86M
25. Asako Fujimoto ￥20.20M
26. Akiko Fukushima ￥19.83M
27. Eun-Bi Jang ￥19.77M
28. Eun-A Lim ￥16.37M
29. Bo-Mee Lee ￥16.34M
30. Ji-Woo Lee ￥16.21M
31. Teresa Lu ￥16.12M
32. Hyun-Ju Shin ￥15.68M
33. Shinobu Moromizato ￥15.51M
34. Esther Lee ￥14.95M
35. Momoko Ueda ￥14.79M
36. Na-Ri Lee ￥14.08M
37. Soo-Yun Kang ￥13.76M
38. Young Kim ￥13.66M
39. So-Hee Kim ￥13.26M
40. Nikki Campbell ￥12.44M
41. Shiho Oyama ￥12.38M
42. Yumiko Yoshida ￥12.34M
43. Kaori Aoyama ￥12.02M
44. Miho Koga ￥11.95M
45. Ji-Yai Shin ￥11.91M
46. Akane Iijima ￥11.83M
47. Maiko Wakabayashi ￥10.52M
48. Yeo-Jin Kang ￥10.43M
49. Megumi Kido ￥10.39M
50. Mie Nakata ￥10.25M
With Ai and Mika Miyazato skipping the Navistar LPGA Classic to get ready for the Japan Women's Open, but Inbee Park and Hee Young Park choosing to play in Alabama, it'll be interesting to see who tees it up in the Munsingwear Ladies Tokai Classic and the Miyagi TV Cup Dunlop Ladies Open. Unfortunately, their field lists still haven't been released. Right now it's looking like Hee Young Park and Shanshan Feng will be playing in the Imperial Springs LPGA event instead of in the JWO, as will Ji-Yai Shin if her back injury heals quicker than expected. But we'll have to wait and see if anyone's plans change after today's results in NW Arkansas before we can say for sure how the rest of September is shaping up on the JLPGA and LPGA.
Here's how the leaders and notables ended the week:
1st/-6 Yuko Mitsuka (67-71-74-69)
2nd/-5 Shanshan Feng (71-72-72-68)
3rd/-2 Sakura Yokomine (69-70-71-76)
4th/-1 Ah-Reum Hwang (71-76-69-71)
5th/E Eun-Bi Jang (74-69-74-71)
T6/+1 Mayu Hattori (71-73-72-73), Yuri Fudoh (67-77-72-73)
T8/+2 Mi-Jeong Jeon (74-72-74-70), Rikako Morita (70-73-72-75), Akiko Fukushima (68-74-73-75)
11th/+3 Bo-Bae Song (73-73-74-71)
T12/+4 Tamie Durdin (75-74-72-71), Asako Fujimoto (71-74-76-71), Li-Ying Ye (73-73-71-75), Maiko Wakabayashi (71-76-68-77), Saiki Fujita (73-67-73-79)
T17/+5 Yumiko Yoshida (72-76-75-70), Eun-A Lim (75-73-74-71), Hyun-Ju Shin (75-72-73-73), Nikki Campbell (73-73-74-73), Erika Kikuchi (78-70-71-74), Hiromi Mogi (72-73-73-75), Miho Koga (71-75-71-76)
T25/+6 Momoko Ueda (75-72-75-72), Ritsuko Ryu (70-73-75-76), Junko Omote (75-73-69-77)
T29/+7 Young Kim (72-74-75-74), Kaori Aoyama (70-76-74-75), Bo-Mee Lee (70-75-75-75), Erina Hara (75-70-74-76)
T34/+8 So-Hee Kim (76-73-74-73), Na-Ri Kim (72-75-76-73), Shinobu Moromizato (73-73-74-76), Kumiko Kaneda (73-77-69)-77)
T39/+9 Sun-Ju Ahn (73-75-77-72), Esther Lee (75-74-75-73), Ji-Hee Lee (74-75-75-73), Ji-Woo Lee (77-71-72-77)
T46/+10 Miki Saiki (76-73-73-76), Miki Sakai (72-73-77-76), Yukari Baba (74-75-72-77), Rui Kitada (71-74-76-77)
T52/+11 Na-Ri Lee (75-75-74-75), Mika Takushima (72-75-74-78)
T54/+12 Megumi Kido (76-73-73-77)
T56/+13 Da Ye Na (75-75-77-74), Ji-Na Lim (78-71-76-76), Yun-Jye Wei (74-76-74-77), Soo-Yun Kang (72-67-81-81)
T61/+16 Miki Uehara (76-73-79-76)
64th/+20 Yuki Ichinose (74-73-79-82)
Yokomine's bid to pass Sun-Ju Ahn and retake the #1 spot on the JLPGA money list came up short, but she did move to #2, displacing the injured Chie Arimura. The week after her countrywoman Li-Ying Ye almost passed Feng on the strength of her 1st JLPGA victory, Feng moved up 12 spots into the top 10 with her runner-up finish. But the biggest move was of course by Mitsuka, who moved up 64 positions, just outside the top 10.
1. Sun-Ju Ahn ￥71.67M
2. Sakura Yokomine ￥62.38M
3. Chie Arimura ￥62.02M
4. Miki Saiki ￥59.62M
5. Ji-Hee Lee ￥57.18M
6. Yuri Fudoh ￥41.57M
7. Ritsuko Ryu ￥36.10M
8. Shanshan Feng ￥31.82M
9. Hiromi Mogi ￥31.62M
10. Rui Kitada ￥29.76M
11. Yuko Mitsuka ￥28.70M
12. Mi-Jeong Jeon ￥27.66M
13. Ayako Uehara ￥27.57M
14. Junko Omote ￥25.91M
15. Bo-Bae Song ￥25.81M
16. Mayu Hattori ￥25.03M
17. Kumiko Kaneda ￥24.97M
18. Inbee Park ￥24.33M
19. Rikako Morita ￥24.24M
20. Na-Ri Kim ￥24.12M
21. Ah-Reum Hwang ￥22.37M
22. Yukari Baba ￥22.06M
23. Li-Ying Ye ￥21.14M
24. Saiki Fujita ￥20.86M
25. Asako Fujimoto ￥20.20M
26. Akiko Fukushima ￥19.83M
27. Eun-Bi Jang ￥19.77M
28. Eun-A Lim ￥16.37M
29. Bo-Mee Lee ￥16.34M
30. Ji-Woo Lee ￥16.21M
31. Teresa Lu ￥16.12M
32. Hyun-Ju Shin ￥15.68M
33. Shinobu Moromizato ￥15.51M
34. Esther Lee ￥14.95M
35. Momoko Ueda ￥14.79M
36. Na-Ri Lee ￥14.08M
37. Soo-Yun Kang ￥13.76M
38. Young Kim ￥13.66M
39. So-Hee Kim ￥13.26M
40. Nikki Campbell ￥12.44M
41. Shiho Oyama ￥12.38M
42. Yumiko Yoshida ￥12.34M
43. Kaori Aoyama ￥12.02M
44. Miho Koga ￥11.95M
45. Ji-Yai Shin ￥11.91M
46. Akane Iijima ￥11.83M
47. Maiko Wakabayashi ￥10.52M
48. Yeo-Jin Kang ￥10.43M
49. Megumi Kido ￥10.39M
50. Mie Nakata ￥10.25M
With Ai and Mika Miyazato skipping the Navistar LPGA Classic to get ready for the Japan Women's Open, but Inbee Park and Hee Young Park choosing to play in Alabama, it'll be interesting to see who tees it up in the Munsingwear Ladies Tokai Classic and the Miyagi TV Cup Dunlop Ladies Open. Unfortunately, their field lists still haven't been released. Right now it's looking like Hee Young Park and Shanshan Feng will be playing in the Imperial Springs LPGA event instead of in the JWO, as will Ji-Yai Shin if her back injury heals quicker than expected. But we'll have to wait and see if anyone's plans change after today's results in NW Arkansas before we can say for sure how the rest of September is shaping up on the JLPGA and LPGA.
Walmart NW Arkansas Championship Saturday: Amy Yang Catches Ya Ni Tseng at -9
Ya Ni Tseng went out early and finished the 2nd round of the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship hot on the front but not as hot as Amy Yang did at the end of the day yesterday on the very same side. Despite a closing 32 that brought the world #1 to -9 and made her leader in the clubhouse for most of the day, Yang closed by going birdie-par-eagle-birdie-par for a 32 of her own and an overall 64 that made her Tseng's co-leader heading into the final round. Having followed Yang in the final round of the Wegmans LPGA Championship and argued that she should be included on the short list of players who can face down Tseng even when she's playing well, I probably should have seen this showdown coming, but due to her 2 missed cuts in a row heading into this week, I didn't even put Yang among my top 15 predictions.
Even after getting a chance to analyze the results of the 1st round, I can't say that my precognitive powers appear all that impressive. Given how many big moves were made yesterday, that date with destiny between defending champion Tseng and hometown favorite Stacy Lewis I was speculating about last post just got a lot more crowded. Sure, Lewis made 4 birdies and broke 70 for the 2nd time this week, but she bogeyed 2 of her last 4 holes on the front as she closed out her round and got leapfrogged by Taylor Leon, who made her 1st--and only--bogey of the competition early in her round but came back to log her 2nd-straight 67 of the week and is only 1 behind Tseng and Yang. Lewis, meanwhile, has a lot of company at -7, including Cristie Kerr, Inbee Park, and Jin Young Pak. Kerr didn't look like she was ever in the groove while on camera, but she birdied her last 2 holes in a row for a sweet 66. Park had a great chance for a 64 or better after she followed up a bogey-free 31 on the front with birdies on 13 and 14, but she bogeyed 16 and couldn't find another birdie on the 2 par 3s down the stretch or the final par 5. Pak, too, faltered a bit at the end of her round, as she bogeyed the par-3 17th and failed to birdie the 18th, but like Leon she's on track to radically improve on her #90 standing on the LPGA money list.
Speaking of which, several of the golfers I followed last post who were fighting to break into the top 80 or top 100 of the money list had tough days. Lisa Meldrum and Moira Dunn couldn't recover from their bad Friday finishes and joined Grace Park, Katherine Hull, Christina Kim, Natalie Gulbis, Danielle Kang, Vicky Hurst, Juli Inkster, Sun Young Yoo, Seon Hwa Lee, Michelle Wie, Hee Young Park, and Ryann O'Toole in missing the cut. But Adrienne White hung in there for an even-par 71 that kept her at -2 (with the likes of In-Kyung Kim and Sandra Gal!) and ensures she'll get her 1st LPGA paycheck of 2011. Even though she's not low Canadian any more--as Jessica Shepley (#118 on the money list) fired a bogey-free 66 to vault into T28 at -3 with the likes of Mi Hyun Kim, Mika Miyazato, Brittany Lang, Cindy LaCrosse, Tiffany Joh, and fellow card questers Pernilla Lindberg (#96) and Ilhee Lee (#113)--I'm pretty sure White is psyched, as are Christine Song (#139) and Reilley Rankin (#83), who join her at T37 thus far. Even happier at the end of moving day was Harukyo Nomura, who's won on both the Futures Tour and the JLPGA this year, but hasn't played as well on the LPGA. Despite a couple of hiccups late in the back (her front), she bounced back with a bogey-free 32 and at -5 is T12 with Solheim Cuppers Azahara Munoz (bogey-free 65), Brittany Lincicome (6-birdie 66), and Karen Stupples (4-birdie 70). Also at -5 are Mina Harigae, Chella Choi, and Sara Brown, who's now 1-for-9 in made-cuts on the LPGA this year, thanks to a fantastic 6-birdie, 1-eagle 65 yesterday. Another smooth move came from Kris Tamulis (#84), who followed up Friday's 70 with a 68 Saturday that brought her into the top 20 with Suzann Pettersen, Na Yeon Choi, Hee-Won Han, Amy Hung, Beatriz Recari, Christel Boeljon, and Amanda Blumenherst at -4. But perhaps the happiest of all the big movers from low on the money list was Belen Mozo (#116), who opened her round with 4 birdies in her 1st 7 holes and closed it with a walkoff eagle on the par-5 18th. Not only did her bogey-free 65 put her into a tie for 8th at -6 with Ai Miyazato (who needs to make her 1st birdie of the week today on a Pinnacle Country Club par 5 to have a chance of winning her 2nd LPGA title of the year), Paula Creamer (whose 5 bogeys in 36 holes are the most of anyone near the top of the leaderboard), and Morgan Pressel (whose bogey-free 30 on the back was great payback to the course after a terrible front 9), but it also make Mozo the low Spaniard thus far in a week when Munoz and Recari have been playing great golf.
So let's see how high up the money list Mozo, Nomura, Brown, Tamulis, Shepley, Lindberg, Lee, White, Song, and Rankin can climb after today's action. Also making the cut and outside the top 80 on the money list are Jennifer Rosales (+2, #137), Jennie Lee (+2, #130), Laura Diaz (+2, #123), Jee Young Lee (+2, #122), Amelia Lewis (+2, #105), Stephanie Louden (+2, #98), Jane Park (+2, #93), Jessica Korda (+2, #92), Lorie Kane (+2, #82), Karin Sjodin (+1, #89), Silvia Cavalleri (+1, #88), Dina Ammaccapane (E, #146), Dori Carter (E, #133), Minea Blomqvist (E, #128), Jeehae Lee (E, #121), Ashli Bunch (-1, #117), and Na On Min (-1, #100). Like White and Brown, Birdie Kim also made her 1st LPGA cut of 2011 yesterday, although at +2 she'll need to go super-low to make any kind of serious move on the money list, given that there are 27 other over-#80s even with or ahead of her after 36 holes.
So even as we track the top of the leaderboard--and see if Yang can get her 1st career LPGA victory, if Kerr, Creamer, or Pressel can bring home her 1st win of 2011 on the eve of the Solheim Cup, if Lewis or Miyazato can get her 2nd win of the season, if Lincicome can come from behind for her 3rd win of the year and her 2nd in a row, if Park can get her 1st LPGA win since taking the U.S. Women's Open what feels like eons ago, if Mozo can turn her rookie year around in a big way with her 1st LPGA win, if Leon, Pak, or Brown can shock the world, or if Tseng can turn the screws on the best women golfers on the planet yet again--let's also take some time to see which veterans and youngsters will increase the odds that they won't have to go to Q-School to keep their 2012 LPGA cards. With 27 players within 5 shots of the lead and 26 players trying to break into the top 80 on the money list, there'll be plenty of action to follow later today!
[Update 1 (1:55 pm): Here's a belated link to the 2nd-round notes and interviews from LPGA.com! And to the final-round pairings!]
Even after getting a chance to analyze the results of the 1st round, I can't say that my precognitive powers appear all that impressive. Given how many big moves were made yesterday, that date with destiny between defending champion Tseng and hometown favorite Stacy Lewis I was speculating about last post just got a lot more crowded. Sure, Lewis made 4 birdies and broke 70 for the 2nd time this week, but she bogeyed 2 of her last 4 holes on the front as she closed out her round and got leapfrogged by Taylor Leon, who made her 1st--and only--bogey of the competition early in her round but came back to log her 2nd-straight 67 of the week and is only 1 behind Tseng and Yang. Lewis, meanwhile, has a lot of company at -7, including Cristie Kerr, Inbee Park, and Jin Young Pak. Kerr didn't look like she was ever in the groove while on camera, but she birdied her last 2 holes in a row for a sweet 66. Park had a great chance for a 64 or better after she followed up a bogey-free 31 on the front with birdies on 13 and 14, but she bogeyed 16 and couldn't find another birdie on the 2 par 3s down the stretch or the final par 5. Pak, too, faltered a bit at the end of her round, as she bogeyed the par-3 17th and failed to birdie the 18th, but like Leon she's on track to radically improve on her #90 standing on the LPGA money list.
Speaking of which, several of the golfers I followed last post who were fighting to break into the top 80 or top 100 of the money list had tough days. Lisa Meldrum and Moira Dunn couldn't recover from their bad Friday finishes and joined Grace Park, Katherine Hull, Christina Kim, Natalie Gulbis, Danielle Kang, Vicky Hurst, Juli Inkster, Sun Young Yoo, Seon Hwa Lee, Michelle Wie, Hee Young Park, and Ryann O'Toole in missing the cut. But Adrienne White hung in there for an even-par 71 that kept her at -2 (with the likes of In-Kyung Kim and Sandra Gal!) and ensures she'll get her 1st LPGA paycheck of 2011. Even though she's not low Canadian any more--as Jessica Shepley (#118 on the money list) fired a bogey-free 66 to vault into T28 at -3 with the likes of Mi Hyun Kim, Mika Miyazato, Brittany Lang, Cindy LaCrosse, Tiffany Joh, and fellow card questers Pernilla Lindberg (#96) and Ilhee Lee (#113)--I'm pretty sure White is psyched, as are Christine Song (#139) and Reilley Rankin (#83), who join her at T37 thus far. Even happier at the end of moving day was Harukyo Nomura, who's won on both the Futures Tour and the JLPGA this year, but hasn't played as well on the LPGA. Despite a couple of hiccups late in the back (her front), she bounced back with a bogey-free 32 and at -5 is T12 with Solheim Cuppers Azahara Munoz (bogey-free 65), Brittany Lincicome (6-birdie 66), and Karen Stupples (4-birdie 70). Also at -5 are Mina Harigae, Chella Choi, and Sara Brown, who's now 1-for-9 in made-cuts on the LPGA this year, thanks to a fantastic 6-birdie, 1-eagle 65 yesterday. Another smooth move came from Kris Tamulis (#84), who followed up Friday's 70 with a 68 Saturday that brought her into the top 20 with Suzann Pettersen, Na Yeon Choi, Hee-Won Han, Amy Hung, Beatriz Recari, Christel Boeljon, and Amanda Blumenherst at -4. But perhaps the happiest of all the big movers from low on the money list was Belen Mozo (#116), who opened her round with 4 birdies in her 1st 7 holes and closed it with a walkoff eagle on the par-5 18th. Not only did her bogey-free 65 put her into a tie for 8th at -6 with Ai Miyazato (who needs to make her 1st birdie of the week today on a Pinnacle Country Club par 5 to have a chance of winning her 2nd LPGA title of the year), Paula Creamer (whose 5 bogeys in 36 holes are the most of anyone near the top of the leaderboard), and Morgan Pressel (whose bogey-free 30 on the back was great payback to the course after a terrible front 9), but it also make Mozo the low Spaniard thus far in a week when Munoz and Recari have been playing great golf.
So let's see how high up the money list Mozo, Nomura, Brown, Tamulis, Shepley, Lindberg, Lee, White, Song, and Rankin can climb after today's action. Also making the cut and outside the top 80 on the money list are Jennifer Rosales (+2, #137), Jennie Lee (+2, #130), Laura Diaz (+2, #123), Jee Young Lee (+2, #122), Amelia Lewis (+2, #105), Stephanie Louden (+2, #98), Jane Park (+2, #93), Jessica Korda (+2, #92), Lorie Kane (+2, #82), Karin Sjodin (+1, #89), Silvia Cavalleri (+1, #88), Dina Ammaccapane (E, #146), Dori Carter (E, #133), Minea Blomqvist (E, #128), Jeehae Lee (E, #121), Ashli Bunch (-1, #117), and Na On Min (-1, #100). Like White and Brown, Birdie Kim also made her 1st LPGA cut of 2011 yesterday, although at +2 she'll need to go super-low to make any kind of serious move on the money list, given that there are 27 other over-#80s even with or ahead of her after 36 holes.
So even as we track the top of the leaderboard--and see if Yang can get her 1st career LPGA victory, if Kerr, Creamer, or Pressel can bring home her 1st win of 2011 on the eve of the Solheim Cup, if Lewis or Miyazato can get her 2nd win of the season, if Lincicome can come from behind for her 3rd win of the year and her 2nd in a row, if Park can get her 1st LPGA win since taking the U.S. Women's Open what feels like eons ago, if Mozo can turn her rookie year around in a big way with her 1st LPGA win, if Leon, Pak, or Brown can shock the world, or if Tseng can turn the screws on the best women golfers on the planet yet again--let's also take some time to see which veterans and youngsters will increase the odds that they won't have to go to Q-School to keep their 2012 LPGA cards. With 27 players within 5 shots of the lead and 26 players trying to break into the top 80 on the money list, there'll be plenty of action to follow later today!
[Update 1 (1:55 pm): Here's a belated link to the 2nd-round notes and interviews from LPGA.com! And to the final-round pairings!]
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Konica Minolta Cup Saturday: Sakura Yokomine Charges to the Top in the JLPGA's 2nd Major
Not long after Ya Ni Tseng and Stacy Lewis finished with flourishes in Walmart country over on this side of the globe on the LPGA, Sakura Yokomine made up 5 shots over the final 7 holes on 2nd-round leader Yuko Mitsuka to take a 3-shot lead over her and defending champion Saiki Fujita into the final round of the JLPGA's 2nd major of 2011, the Konica Minolta Cup.
Yokomine bounced back from bogeys on 7 and 9 with a bogey-free 34 on the back that included birdies on 12 and 16, just as Mitsuka, who made 3 birdies and 3 bogeys in her 1st 10 holes, bogeyed 12, 13, and 17. A bogey-double finish dropped 21-year-old Rikako Morita 5 shots behind Yokomine, tied with JLPGA legend Akiko Fukushima (who opened with 4 bogeys in her 1st 12 holes of birdieless golf, but closed with 3 birdies in her last 6 holes of bogey-free play), the LPGA's Shanshan Feng (who started slow but finished with back-to-back birdies), and 23-year-old Maiko Wakayabashi (who fired the low round of the day, a 68, on the strength of an opening 31, but couldn't pull any closer to the leaders on the back).
Here's how the leaders and notables stand heading into tomorrow's final round:
1st/-6 Sakura Yokomine (69-70-71)
T2/-3 Saiki Fujita (73-67-73), Yuko Mitsuka (67-71-74)
T4/-1 Maiko Wakabayashi (71-76-68), Shanshan Feng (71-72-72), Rikako Morita (70-73-72), Akiko Fukushima (68-74-73)
T8/E Ah-Reum Hwang (71-76-69), Mayu Hattori (71-73-72), Yuri Fudoh (67-77-72)
T11/+1 Junko Omote (75-73-69), Li-Ying Ye (73-73-71), Miho Koga (71-75-71), Eun-Bi Jang (74-69-74)
T16/+2 Hiromi Mogi (72-73-73), Ritsuko Ryu (70-73-75)
T20/+3 Kumiko Kaneda (73-77-69), Erika Kikuchi (78-70-71), Erina Hara (75-70-74)
T25/+4 Ji-Woo Lee (77-71-72), Hyun-Ju Shin (75-72-73), Mi-Jeong Jeon (74-72-74), Shinobu Moromizato (73-73-74), Bo-Bae Song (73-73-74), Nikki Campbell (73-73-74), Kaori Aoyama (70-76-74), Bo-Mee Lee (70-75-75), Soo-Yun Kang (72-67-81)
T35/+5 Tamie Durdin (75-74-72), Yukari Baba (74-75-72), Mika Takushima (72-75-74), Young Kim (72-74-75), Rui Kitada (71-74-76), Asako Fujimoto (71-74-76)
T43/+6 Miki Saiki (76-73-73), Megumi Kido (76-73-73), Eun-A Lim (75-73-74), Momoko Ueda (75-72-75), Miki Sakai (72-73-77)
T48/+7 So-Hee Kim (76-73-74), Yumiko Yoshida (72-76-75), Na-Ri Kim (72-75-76)
T52/+8 Yun-Jye Wei (74-76-74), Na-Ri Lee (75-75-74), Esther Lee (75-74-75), Ji-Hee Lee (74-75-75)
T56/+9 Ji-Na Lim (78-71-76), Sun-Ju Ahn (73-75-77)
T59/+10 Yuki Ichinose (74-73-79)
T61/+11 Da Ye Na (75-75-77)
63rd/+12 Miki Uehara (76-73-79)
With Sun-Ju Ahn, Miki Saiki, and Ji-Hee Lee inexplicably near the bottom of the leaderboard and with Chie Arimura unexpectedly sitting this one out, Yokomine has a great chance to vault to the top of the JLPGA money list with a good round tomorrow. As the only player in the field to break par every round this week, she has great momentum going, but with all the high scores from high-quality players we've seen, she can't let her guard down, even with only 6 players within 5 shots of her lead. Even though this is her 1st time sleeping on a lead heading into the final round all season, over the course of her long career, she's gotten 10 wins in the 17 times she's been in this situation, so she has a lot of positive experience to draw on. I'd love to see her get JLPGA win #19 and add to her 2 Ricoh Cup titles with a 3rd JLPGA major tomorrow!
Yokomine bounced back from bogeys on 7 and 9 with a bogey-free 34 on the back that included birdies on 12 and 16, just as Mitsuka, who made 3 birdies and 3 bogeys in her 1st 10 holes, bogeyed 12, 13, and 17. A bogey-double finish dropped 21-year-old Rikako Morita 5 shots behind Yokomine, tied with JLPGA legend Akiko Fukushima (who opened with 4 bogeys in her 1st 12 holes of birdieless golf, but closed with 3 birdies in her last 6 holes of bogey-free play), the LPGA's Shanshan Feng (who started slow but finished with back-to-back birdies), and 23-year-old Maiko Wakayabashi (who fired the low round of the day, a 68, on the strength of an opening 31, but couldn't pull any closer to the leaders on the back).
Here's how the leaders and notables stand heading into tomorrow's final round:
1st/-6 Sakura Yokomine (69-70-71)
T2/-3 Saiki Fujita (73-67-73), Yuko Mitsuka (67-71-74)
T4/-1 Maiko Wakabayashi (71-76-68), Shanshan Feng (71-72-72), Rikako Morita (70-73-72), Akiko Fukushima (68-74-73)
T8/E Ah-Reum Hwang (71-76-69), Mayu Hattori (71-73-72), Yuri Fudoh (67-77-72)
T11/+1 Junko Omote (75-73-69), Li-Ying Ye (73-73-71), Miho Koga (71-75-71), Eun-Bi Jang (74-69-74)
T16/+2 Hiromi Mogi (72-73-73), Ritsuko Ryu (70-73-75)
T20/+3 Kumiko Kaneda (73-77-69), Erika Kikuchi (78-70-71), Erina Hara (75-70-74)
T25/+4 Ji-Woo Lee (77-71-72), Hyun-Ju Shin (75-72-73), Mi-Jeong Jeon (74-72-74), Shinobu Moromizato (73-73-74), Bo-Bae Song (73-73-74), Nikki Campbell (73-73-74), Kaori Aoyama (70-76-74), Bo-Mee Lee (70-75-75), Soo-Yun Kang (72-67-81)
T35/+5 Tamie Durdin (75-74-72), Yukari Baba (74-75-72), Mika Takushima (72-75-74), Young Kim (72-74-75), Rui Kitada (71-74-76), Asako Fujimoto (71-74-76)
T43/+6 Miki Saiki (76-73-73), Megumi Kido (76-73-73), Eun-A Lim (75-73-74), Momoko Ueda (75-72-75), Miki Sakai (72-73-77)
T48/+7 So-Hee Kim (76-73-74), Yumiko Yoshida (72-76-75), Na-Ri Kim (72-75-76)
T52/+8 Yun-Jye Wei (74-76-74), Na-Ri Lee (75-75-74), Esther Lee (75-74-75), Ji-Hee Lee (74-75-75)
T56/+9 Ji-Na Lim (78-71-76), Sun-Ju Ahn (73-75-77)
T59/+10 Yuki Ichinose (74-73-79)
T61/+11 Da Ye Na (75-75-77)
63rd/+12 Miki Uehara (76-73-79)
With Sun-Ju Ahn, Miki Saiki, and Ji-Hee Lee inexplicably near the bottom of the leaderboard and with Chie Arimura unexpectedly sitting this one out, Yokomine has a great chance to vault to the top of the JLPGA money list with a good round tomorrow. As the only player in the field to break par every round this week, she has great momentum going, but with all the high scores from high-quality players we've seen, she can't let her guard down, even with only 6 players within 5 shots of her lead. Even though this is her 1st time sleeping on a lead heading into the final round all season, over the course of her long career, she's gotten 10 wins in the 17 times she's been in this situation, so she has a lot of positive experience to draw on. I'd love to see her get JLPGA win #19 and add to her 2 Ricoh Cup titles with a 3rd JLPGA major tomorrow!
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