The final threesome in tomorrow's final round of the JLPGA's 2nd major of 2013, the Konica Minolta Cup, provides a revealing glimpse into the state of the tour. On the strength of a trio of 68s today, KLPGA transplant Bo-Mee Lee (-11), Okinawan teenager Mamiko Higa (-11), and living legend Yuri Fudoh (-7) will battle it out for the title. Will the South Korean resurgence on the JLPGA strengthen further? Will the tour's youth movement return to center stage? Or will the tour's veteran contingent strike back?
If any of the leaders falter, Erina Hara (71, -6) and Rui Kitada (70, -4) will have an outside chance of getting into the mix, but more likely they'll be battling to stay in the top 5, ahead of the likes of Sakura Yokomine, Na-Ri Kim, and Onnarin Sattayabanphot at -3, Yuki Ichinose and Miki Sakai at -2, Yukari Baba and Kumiko Kaneda at -1, and Sun-Ju Ahn, Ji-Hee Lee, Yumiko Yoshida, and Teresa Lu at E. The volatility on the back 9 of the players in this bunch suggests that Lee's and Higa's 4-shot lead on Fudoh and 5-shot lead on Hara is not insurmountable. Baba fired a bogey-free 32, while Ahn finished with a walk-off double bogey and Yoshida with 2 bogeys in her last 3 holes.
On the other hand, Lee is taking a 21-hole-and-counting bogey-free run into the final round, while Higa's is 17 and counting. In a week when no other player has broken 70 even twice, they've both done it 3 rounds in a row. With defending champion Chie Arimura and money-list leader Rikako Morita languishing 14 shots off their pace, Lee and Higa are really putting on a clinic. Lee, who won 3 times on the JLPGA last season (including in the final major and event of the year, the Ricoh Cup) and finished 2nd behind Mi-Jeong Jeon on the 2012 money list, has also won 4 times on the KLPGA (including in the final major of the 2010 season, the KB Star Tour Grand Finale), so she definitely has a lot of experience to draw on, not least beating Inbee Park in a playoff on the KLPGA and Sun-Ju Ahn in a playoff on the JLPGA. Higa, meanwhile, has two gutsy wins this season to draw on, although in both she emerged as the winner from a huge crowd of players who had great chances to win, as well. Tomorrow is going to be the 1st time all season that she will essentially be in a match-play situation with her co-leader in the final round. I don't think Higa can count on Lee to get stuck on the bogey train tomorrow, as she did during Higa's 1st-ever JLPGA victory. I'm looking forward to a great duel tomorrow!
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Friday, September 13, 2013
Evian Championship Friday: Mika Miyazato Leads, But 54-Hole Target Might Mean a Major Asterisk for Eventual Winner
I'll tell you, it sure seems that the LPGA has been cursed in the last half-dozen years or so. Then-Commissioner Carolyn Bivens took an aggressive negotiating tack with sponsors and tournament organizers just as the economy started to crater, Michelle Wie didn't explode onto the global stage quite as anticipated, the rise of Asian stars hasn't coincided with a resurgence of Asian investments in U.S.-based tournaments, even Inbee Park's historic run at a 4th-straight major title in the same calendar year was diminished by silly debates over what to call the hypothetical achievement now that the LPGA has 5 majors, and the weather has affected nearly every major played this year--including its 5th and final major, The Evian Championship, which has just been demoted to a 54-hole event because the course redesign wasn't ready to handle the volume of actual and predicted rains.
Despite all of this, the ladies of the LPGA continue to play golf at a very high level and the 1st-round leaderboard is packed--although perhaps not with everyone who was expected to contend this week. Moriya Jutanugarn (78), Carlota Ciganda (78), Jodi Ewart Shadoff (77), Cristie Kerr (76), Ai Miyazato (75), Ya Ni Tseng (75), Jessica Korda (75), Inbee Park (74), Caroline Hedwall (74), Anna Nordqvist (74), Ji-Yai Shin (73), and Catriona Matthew (73) will all have to keep an eye on the cut line tomorrow as they try to fight their way into shouting distance of the leaders. So you know the course was playing tough at par 71.
Which makes Mika Miyazato's 7-birdie 65, Suzann Pettersen's 7-birdie 66, Se Ri Pak's 6-birdie 66, and Sandra Gal's bogey-free 66 that much more impressive. To go into the mid-60s this week is a big deal, particularly when temperatures may not even reach that high all week! Pettersen's performance was of course well in line with how well she's been playing this season, but even she doesn't have that great a record at Evian. With Mikan's and Gal's putting problems this year and Pak's shoulder injury making every start a huge question mark, there are plenty of surprises at the very top of the leaderboard.
And they don't stop there. I mean, sure, Karrie Webb is a perennial threat to win this thing, and she's right there again, with a 5-birdie 68, but who would have expected both Lindsey Wright and Lydia Ko to join her at T6? Or for Christina Kim to open with a 6-birdie 67 and Michelle Wie with a 5-birdie 68? How about Danah Bordner, Hee-Won Han, and Ji Young Oh joining Stacy Lewis, Na Yeon Choi, In-Kyung Kim, Angela Stanford, Beatriz Recari, Lee-Anne Pace, and Ayako Uehara at 69? Hee Kyung Seo, Momoko Ueda, Azahara Munoz, and Mariajo Uribe haven't been playing that great lately, but they matched Paula Creamer's, Morgan Pressel's, Caroline Masson's, Lizette Salas's, Chella Choi's, Ilhee Lee's, and Jennifer Johnson's 70s. And who would have expected Helen Alfredsson and Sophie Gustafson to tie So Yeon Ryu at E?
There's just something about Evian that I believe is going to transcend the difficulties of its transition to becoming the LPGA's 5th major. For Pak, Webb, or Ko to win this would be history-making. For Park to come back from a 9-shot deficit in 36 holes or Miyazato or Tseng from 10 would be breathtaking. For Pettersen, Lewis, Choi, Inky, Stanford, or Creamer to take the title would be career-affirming. For Mikan, Wie, Recari, Munoz, Pressel, Seo, Ueda a win here would be a huge turning point in their careers. For Uehara or Masson to take the title would make her the favorite to win the Rookie of the Year race. And there are plenty of Cinderellas and dark horses who could put their mark on this major before all is said and done.
[Update 1 (9:07 pm): Now I'm reading that Helen Alfredsson, Stacy Prammanasudh, and Amy Hung will be stepping away from the LPGA, as well. Wow!]
Despite all of this, the ladies of the LPGA continue to play golf at a very high level and the 1st-round leaderboard is packed--although perhaps not with everyone who was expected to contend this week. Moriya Jutanugarn (78), Carlota Ciganda (78), Jodi Ewart Shadoff (77), Cristie Kerr (76), Ai Miyazato (75), Ya Ni Tseng (75), Jessica Korda (75), Inbee Park (74), Caroline Hedwall (74), Anna Nordqvist (74), Ji-Yai Shin (73), and Catriona Matthew (73) will all have to keep an eye on the cut line tomorrow as they try to fight their way into shouting distance of the leaders. So you know the course was playing tough at par 71.
Which makes Mika Miyazato's 7-birdie 65, Suzann Pettersen's 7-birdie 66, Se Ri Pak's 6-birdie 66, and Sandra Gal's bogey-free 66 that much more impressive. To go into the mid-60s this week is a big deal, particularly when temperatures may not even reach that high all week! Pettersen's performance was of course well in line with how well she's been playing this season, but even she doesn't have that great a record at Evian. With Mikan's and Gal's putting problems this year and Pak's shoulder injury making every start a huge question mark, there are plenty of surprises at the very top of the leaderboard.
And they don't stop there. I mean, sure, Karrie Webb is a perennial threat to win this thing, and she's right there again, with a 5-birdie 68, but who would have expected both Lindsey Wright and Lydia Ko to join her at T6? Or for Christina Kim to open with a 6-birdie 67 and Michelle Wie with a 5-birdie 68? How about Danah Bordner, Hee-Won Han, and Ji Young Oh joining Stacy Lewis, Na Yeon Choi, In-Kyung Kim, Angela Stanford, Beatriz Recari, Lee-Anne Pace, and Ayako Uehara at 69? Hee Kyung Seo, Momoko Ueda, Azahara Munoz, and Mariajo Uribe haven't been playing that great lately, but they matched Paula Creamer's, Morgan Pressel's, Caroline Masson's, Lizette Salas's, Chella Choi's, Ilhee Lee's, and Jennifer Johnson's 70s. And who would have expected Helen Alfredsson and Sophie Gustafson to tie So Yeon Ryu at E?
There's just something about Evian that I believe is going to transcend the difficulties of its transition to becoming the LPGA's 5th major. For Pak, Webb, or Ko to win this would be history-making. For Park to come back from a 9-shot deficit in 36 holes or Miyazato or Tseng from 10 would be breathtaking. For Pettersen, Lewis, Choi, Inky, Stanford, or Creamer to take the title would be career-affirming. For Mikan, Wie, Recari, Munoz, Pressel, Seo, Ueda a win here would be a huge turning point in their careers. For Uehara or Masson to take the title would make her the favorite to win the Rookie of the Year race. And there are plenty of Cinderellas and dark horses who could put their mark on this major before all is said and done.
[Update 1 (9:07 pm): Now I'm reading that Helen Alfredsson, Stacy Prammanasudh, and Amy Hung will be stepping away from the LPGA, as well. Wow!]
Konica Minolta Cup Friday: Bo-Mee Lee and Mamiko Higa Rise to the Top
19-year-old Mamiko Higa and 25-year-old Bo-Mee Lee fired the 2 lowest rounds of the day during the 2nd round of the JLPGA's 2nd major, the Konica Minolta Cup, Higa a 5-birdie 68 and Lee a 4-birdie 69 that was matched only by Teresa Lu (who needed an eagle on the par -5 6th to do it). The only 2 players in the field to put together 2 sub-70 rounds in a row, Higa and Lee lead the tournament at -7, followed by Erina Hara and 1st-round leader Miki Sakai at -5, Lu at -4, living legend Yuri Fudoh at -3, and Rui Kitada, Yuki Ichinose, Yuko Fukuda, and Mami Fukuda at -2. Na-Ri Lee at -1 would be much closer to the lead were it not for her triple bogey on the tough 18th.
Speaking of tough days, the cut line fell at +5, which knocked out the likes of Saiki Fujita, Kaori Ohe, Hyun-Ju Shin, Tamie Durdin, Maiko Wakabayashi, Erika Kikuchi, Yuki Sakurai, and Da-Ye Na. Even worse, Miki Saiki was DQed and Young Kim had to withdraw due to injuries.
With only 13 players under par and 25 at par or better (including Sun-Ju Ahn, Sakura Yokomine, and Rikako Morita), nobody who made the cut it out of it. Should be an interesting weekend in a tournament that historically has seen winner's scores lower than where Higa and Lee are at the halfway point.
Speaking of tough days, the cut line fell at +5, which knocked out the likes of Saiki Fujita, Kaori Ohe, Hyun-Ju Shin, Tamie Durdin, Maiko Wakabayashi, Erika Kikuchi, Yuki Sakurai, and Da-Ye Na. Even worse, Miki Saiki was DQed and Young Kim had to withdraw due to injuries.
With only 13 players under par and 25 at par or better (including Sun-Ju Ahn, Sakura Yokomine, and Rikako Morita), nobody who made the cut it out of it. Should be an interesting weekend in a tournament that historically has seen winner's scores lower than where Higa and Lee are at the halfway point.
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Recommended Reading: Hurry Up and Wait at the Evian Championship
Ron Sirak and Randall Mell capture the mood today as the 1st round of the Evian Championship was washed out by rains that saturated the newly-redesigned course. The opening of the LPGA's 5th major will have to wait one more day!
Konica Minolta Cup Thursday: The Kids Are Alright
There's been a South Korean resurgence on the JLPGA of late, led by former leading money winner Sun-Ju Ahn, who just missed taking her 3rd tournament in a row last week. But the major story of the year, the coming of age of Japan's under-26 set, continues apace this week in the JLPGA's 2nd major.
Last week's winner Yumiko Yoshida isn't quite in that age group, but her victory last week vaulted her to 2nd on the money list, and after the 1st round of the Konica Minolta Cup she's tied for 2nd. Like leader Miki Sakai, whose 66 was marred only by a bogey on the 18th, Yoshida also bogeyed the 393-yard par 4 to settle for a 68 that left her 2 shots behind the 22-year-old. Also tied for 2nd is 24-year-old Yuki Ichinose, who made 7 birdies in a roller coaster round, and 25-year-old Bo-Mee Lee, who's Korea's best hope right now with Ahn 6 shots off the pace (although 25-year-old Na-Ri Lee is also right in it after opening with a 69).
Sakai and Ichinose aren't even the most impressive of the Japanese youngsters near the top of the leaderboard. 19-year-old Mamiko Higa has already won twice this year, as has 21-year-old Natsuka Hori, and they're both only 3 shots behind Sakai, along with 25-year-old Erina Hara, who hasn't won since 2008. With 25-year-old Lala Anai and 21-year-old Mami Fukuda 4 shots back and 23-year-old money-list leader Rikako Morita 5 off the pace, the JLPGA's youth movement is going along just fine, thank you very much. Sure, Misuzu Narita (20), Harukyo Nomura (20), Shiho Toyonaga (23), Kumiko Kaneda (24), Erika Kikuchi (25), Mayu Hattori (25), and Ritsuo Ryu (25) are all stuck at E, but they're still in it, too.
That's a challenge to the established stars of the tour, like Yuri Fudoh (36 years old, 5 back), Shiho Oyama (36 years old, 6 back), Mi-Jeong Jeon (30 years old, 4 back), Sakura Yokomine (27 years old, 4 back), Shinobu Moromizato (27 years old, 5 back), and defending champion and LPGA rookie Chie Arimura (25 years old, 6 back). A lot can happen in 54 holes, so let's see if Arimura can make like her hottest peers and rise up the leaderboard, if Yoshida can put herself in position to get her 2nd win in a row, whether Ahn can put herself back in the mix, and whether the winless Sakai can keep on rolling.
Last week's winner Yumiko Yoshida isn't quite in that age group, but her victory last week vaulted her to 2nd on the money list, and after the 1st round of the Konica Minolta Cup she's tied for 2nd. Like leader Miki Sakai, whose 66 was marred only by a bogey on the 18th, Yoshida also bogeyed the 393-yard par 4 to settle for a 68 that left her 2 shots behind the 22-year-old. Also tied for 2nd is 24-year-old Yuki Ichinose, who made 7 birdies in a roller coaster round, and 25-year-old Bo-Mee Lee, who's Korea's best hope right now with Ahn 6 shots off the pace (although 25-year-old Na-Ri Lee is also right in it after opening with a 69).
Sakai and Ichinose aren't even the most impressive of the Japanese youngsters near the top of the leaderboard. 19-year-old Mamiko Higa has already won twice this year, as has 21-year-old Natsuka Hori, and they're both only 3 shots behind Sakai, along with 25-year-old Erina Hara, who hasn't won since 2008. With 25-year-old Lala Anai and 21-year-old Mami Fukuda 4 shots back and 23-year-old money-list leader Rikako Morita 5 off the pace, the JLPGA's youth movement is going along just fine, thank you very much. Sure, Misuzu Narita (20), Harukyo Nomura (20), Shiho Toyonaga (23), Kumiko Kaneda (24), Erika Kikuchi (25), Mayu Hattori (25), and Ritsuo Ryu (25) are all stuck at E, but they're still in it, too.
That's a challenge to the established stars of the tour, like Yuri Fudoh (36 years old, 5 back), Shiho Oyama (36 years old, 6 back), Mi-Jeong Jeon (30 years old, 4 back), Sakura Yokomine (27 years old, 4 back), Shinobu Moromizato (27 years old, 5 back), and defending champion and LPGA rookie Chie Arimura (25 years old, 6 back). A lot can happen in 54 holes, so let's see if Arimura can make like her hottest peers and rise up the leaderboard, if Yoshida can put herself in position to get her 2nd win in a row, whether Ahn can put herself back in the mix, and whether the winless Sakai can keep on rolling.
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