Springfield, Illinois is the locale for this week’s event, the State Farm Classic. The tournament begins Thursday at The Rail Golf Course, with TV coverage beginning Friday on ESPN2 (Saturday’s coverage will be on ESPN). Pat Hurst is the defending champion, winning by three strokes last year over Cristie Kerr. Boy, I’ve typed those two names a lot lately!
The Rail is a par-72 6649-yard course, one of the longest layouts on tour. Like Tartan Fields last week, it has wide-open fairways so I would expect to see the same folks on the leaderboard this weekend. Except that Stacy Prammanasudh, Ai Miyazato, Karrie Webb and Jeong Jang all decided to take this week off. Don’t they realize this is the final event of the State Farm Series and they have a chance to win an extra $250,000 if they play? Lorena Ochoa probably has that prize locked up anyway. And I almost forgot - Annika Sorenstam makes her first appearance since the British Open.
My picks have turned out pretty good the last couple of weeks. Although I’m only 1-for-5 in picking the outright winner, if you include CYAs I’m 3-for-5. And 11 of 16 picks have finished in the Top 10. So since I’m on somewhat of a roll, I’ll stick my neck out and pick Jee Young Lee to win the State Farm Classic. My CYA picks this time are Lorena Ochoa and Pat Hurst.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
R.I.P. Atlanta Charity Championship
I just got the bad news – the LPGA event at Stockbridge, Georgia will not be on the 2007 schedule. The president of the organization that runs the event notified the LPGA that they have not been able to secure a sponsor and rather than endure the uncertainty that plagued this year’s event, released their reserved date for next year. Here is the article that soured my day.
There’s been much discussion of the impending changes to the LPGA schedule over the last couple of months, and I’m a little surprised that nobody (including myself) mentioned the Atlanta event as being in jeopardy. My reason for not worrying about it – Chik-Fil-A pulled out on them only three months before the event, and the tournament officials did manage to find a replacement. Unfortunately, Florida’s Natural has had a bit of an off-year and can’t continue the sponsorship. Which is too bad – despite not having TV coverage and a slightly reduced purse, the field was outstanding and IMO the tournament was very well run.
So just when the LPGA appears to be hitting stride and making an effort to align itself with more diversified corporate sponsors, they lose a tournament in one of the largest markets in the country. What now? Do they try to persuade a potential sponsor to step in and save the Atlanta event, or use the open date to help resolve the ShopRite-Ginn Resorts conflict? The former would take a miracle, the latter difficult to construct. One thing is almost certain - my commute to an LPGA event next year will take longer than the 75 minutes it did this April.
There’s been much discussion of the impending changes to the LPGA schedule over the last couple of months, and I’m a little surprised that nobody (including myself) mentioned the Atlanta event as being in jeopardy. My reason for not worrying about it – Chik-Fil-A pulled out on them only three months before the event, and the tournament officials did manage to find a replacement. Unfortunately, Florida’s Natural has had a bit of an off-year and can’t continue the sponsorship. Which is too bad – despite not having TV coverage and a slightly reduced purse, the field was outstanding and IMO the tournament was very well run.
So just when the LPGA appears to be hitting stride and making an effort to align itself with more diversified corporate sponsors, they lose a tournament in one of the largest markets in the country. What now? Do they try to persuade a potential sponsor to step in and save the Atlanta event, or use the open date to help resolve the ShopRite-Ginn Resorts conflict? The former would take a miracle, the latter difficult to construct. One thing is almost certain - my commute to an LPGA event next year will take longer than the 75 minutes it did this April.
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Wendy's Championship - Final Round
Lorena Ochoa picked up her third victory of 2006 with a final round of 65 at the Wendy’s Championship For Children. Her -24 score was three shots better than Jee Young Lee and Stacy Prammanasudh, and six shots better than last year’s event record.
Through six holes Ochoa had opened up a three shot lead, but Petunia played her next four holes in -5 to climb to within one. The two long hitters both parred the par-5 11th, and then Lee birdied 12 to tie for the lead at -22. Ochoa reclaimed the lead with a birdie at 13, and another birdie at 14 put her up by two. Lee couldn’t counter and when she bogeyed 16, Lorena’s lead was three and the trophy was hers.
While those two were dueling, Stacy Prammanasudh was birdying four straight holes to get to -20. A birdie on 18 capped her round of 64, -21 overall. Ai Miyazato (in the last group with Ochoa and Lee) played well but couldn’t keep up the pace, finishing fourth at -17. Diana D’Alessio was this week’s Big Surprise with her fifth-place finish, -15 and all four rounds in the 60s. Karrie Webb and Jeong Jang both finished tied for sixth (-13) and defending champ Cristie Kerr finished tied for ninth (-12). So a CYA pick wins the tournament and all four of my picks were Top 10. What more can I say about that?
With all of the low scoring this week, I should also mention that Sophie Gustafson shot 63 on Sunday (finished -10, tied for 15th) for the lowest round of all. Maybe next year the superintendent will grow the rough a little longer or add a few more bunkers or maybe just not let them lift-clean-place after some overnight rain.
Through six holes Ochoa had opened up a three shot lead, but Petunia played her next four holes in -5 to climb to within one. The two long hitters both parred the par-5 11th, and then Lee birdied 12 to tie for the lead at -22. Ochoa reclaimed the lead with a birdie at 13, and another birdie at 14 put her up by two. Lee couldn’t counter and when she bogeyed 16, Lorena’s lead was three and the trophy was hers.
While those two were dueling, Stacy Prammanasudh was birdying four straight holes to get to -20. A birdie on 18 capped her round of 64, -21 overall. Ai Miyazato (in the last group with Ochoa and Lee) played well but couldn’t keep up the pace, finishing fourth at -17. Diana D’Alessio was this week’s Big Surprise with her fifth-place finish, -15 and all four rounds in the 60s. Karrie Webb and Jeong Jang both finished tied for sixth (-13) and defending champ Cristie Kerr finished tied for ninth (-12). So a CYA pick wins the tournament and all four of my picks were Top 10. What more can I say about that?
With all of the low scoring this week, I should also mention that Sophie Gustafson shot 63 on Sunday (finished -10, tied for 15th) for the lowest round of all. Maybe next year the superintendent will grow the rough a little longer or add a few more bunkers or maybe just not let them lift-clean-place after some overnight rain.
Wendy's Championship - 3rd Round
Lorena Ochoa’s 64 vaulted her into a two shot lead at -17 going into the final round of the Wendy’s Championship. Jee Young Lee continued her outstanding week with a 68 (-15). Ai Miyazato and Stacy Prammanasudh are tied for third at -13, with Paula Creamer, Marisa Baena and Michele Redman at -11.
Defending champion Cristie Kerr is in a group of five at -10 along with Karrie Webb. Morgan Pressel and four others are at -9.
With back-to-back years of lights-out scoring, it seems safe to say that the Tartan Fields course could stand a little toughening up before next year’s event. Only 17 of the 73 participants were over par on Saturday’s round, and only three players still playing are over par for the tournament.
Defending champion Cristie Kerr is in a group of five at -10 along with Karrie Webb. Morgan Pressel and four others are at -9.
With back-to-back years of lights-out scoring, it seems safe to say that the Tartan Fields course could stand a little toughening up before next year’s event. Only 17 of the 73 participants were over par on Saturday’s round, and only three players still playing are over par for the tournament.
Friday, August 25, 2006
Wendy's Championship - 2nd Round
First round co-leader Jee Young Lee shot 67, and Soo-Yun Kang fired a 66 to share the second round lead at -11 at the Wendy’s Championship. Mikela Parmlid and Marisa Baena are both one shot back after shooting 67 and 65, respectively.
Baena, Joo Mi Kim and Young Kim all shot 65 for Round-Of-The-Day honors, but for most of the afternoon it appeared that defending champ Cristie Kerr was going to claim that title convincingly. Through 11 holes Kerr was -8 on the day (-10 overall), and at least one ESPN announcer was thinking "59". She made par on the next six holes to end that possibility, but then nearly ruined it all on 17 and 18 with bogey-double bogey to finish with 67 and -7.
The cut did not threaten last year’s incredible -3 – even par gets to play the weekend this time. The most notable of those coming up short was Julieta Granada (+2). With two rounds to go, a lot of good players are still within shouting distance. I'm expecting at least a couple of those in the logjam from -7 through -3 to make a good run tomorrow to set themselves up for Sunday.
Baena, Joo Mi Kim and Young Kim all shot 65 for Round-Of-The-Day honors, but for most of the afternoon it appeared that defending champ Cristie Kerr was going to claim that title convincingly. Through 11 holes Kerr was -8 on the day (-10 overall), and at least one ESPN announcer was thinking "59". She made par on the next six holes to end that possibility, but then nearly ruined it all on 17 and 18 with bogey-double bogey to finish with 67 and -7.
The cut did not threaten last year’s incredible -3 – even par gets to play the weekend this time. The most notable of those coming up short was Julieta Granada (+2). With two rounds to go, a lot of good players are still within shouting distance. I'm expecting at least a couple of those in the logjam from -7 through -3 to make a good run tomorrow to set themselves up for Sunday.
Wendy's Championship - 1st Round
Four players shot 66 Thursday to share the first round lead at the Wendy’s Championship For Children. Stacy Prammanasudh, Jee Young Lee, Katie Futcher and Kristal Parker-Manzo lead the way with 17 other players one or two shots behind.
With so many players close in the early going, here are the “notables” as the graphic on SportsCenter often says:
Natalie Gulbis 67 -5
Karrie Webb 67 -5
Lorena Ochoa 67 -5
Paula Creamer 68 -4
Morgan Pressel 68 -4
Cristie Kerr 70 -2
Jeong Jang 72 E
Mi Hyun Kim withdrew after opening with a 75, reportedly due to a bad back. Co-leader Kristal Parker-Manzo announced after the round that she will be retiring after this tournament to spend more time with her husband and two children. The 41-year-old is a 12-year Tour veteran whose best finish was 2nd at the Standard Register PING in 1996. Of course she could top that finish this week! Good luck, Kristal!
With so many players close in the early going, here are the “notables” as the graphic on SportsCenter often says:
Natalie Gulbis 67 -5
Karrie Webb 67 -5
Lorena Ochoa 67 -5
Paula Creamer 68 -4
Morgan Pressel 68 -4
Cristie Kerr 70 -2
Jeong Jang 72 E
Mi Hyun Kim withdrew after opening with a 75, reportedly due to a bad back. Co-leader Kristal Parker-Manzo announced after the round that she will be retiring after this tournament to spend more time with her husband and two children. The 41-year-old is a 12-year Tour veteran whose best finish was 2nd at the Standard Register PING in 1996. Of course she could top that finish this week! Good luck, Kristal!
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Wendy's Championship Preview
The LPGA Tour visits Dublin, Ohio this week for the Wendy’s Championship For Children. Cristie Kerr is the defending champion. The event will begin Thursday at Tartan Fields Golf Club and will be televised live on ESPN2 beginning Friday afternoon.
The course is a par-72, 6517 yards. A little on the long side, but it was very forgiving last year as the cut was -3! That tied the LPGA record for lowest cut number. In ’04 the scoring was more like you’d expect. Weather.com says Thursday & Sunday will have scattered thunderstorms, with Friday & Saturday partly cloudy and temps around 90.
Last year’s event was a birdie-fest, with the top 30 players finishing -10 or better. Kerr outlasted Annika Sorenstam and Paula Creamer by one shot, with Jeong Jang and Pat Hurst finishing two back. Three of those five aren’t returning (only Kerr and Jang), but the majority of the Top 20 will be in action.
For the first time, I will pick the defending champion to repeat. Cristie Kerr is the hottest player on tour (from a performance standpoint – she’s pretty good looking too!) and she won on this course a year ago. Hard NOT to pick her. I’m going to list three CYA picks this week because I think all three of them are going to finish Top 10. Lorena Ochoa hasn’t played on tour for two weeks but finished second in Annika’s tournament, setting a course record during one round. Jeong Jang is the second hottest player right now. Karrie Webb finished Safeway with a 66 to grab a Top 10 and turn herself around after a short cold spell. I’m currently 1-4 picking winners (2-4 if CYA’s are included) and 7-12 on making the Top 10.
The course is a par-72, 6517 yards. A little on the long side, but it was very forgiving last year as the cut was -3! That tied the LPGA record for lowest cut number. In ’04 the scoring was more like you’d expect. Weather.com says Thursday & Sunday will have scattered thunderstorms, with Friday & Saturday partly cloudy and temps around 90.
Last year’s event was a birdie-fest, with the top 30 players finishing -10 or better. Kerr outlasted Annika Sorenstam and Paula Creamer by one shot, with Jeong Jang and Pat Hurst finishing two back. Three of those five aren’t returning (only Kerr and Jang), but the majority of the Top 20 will be in action.
For the first time, I will pick the defending champion to repeat. Cristie Kerr is the hottest player on tour (from a performance standpoint – she’s pretty good looking too!) and she won on this course a year ago. Hard NOT to pick her. I’m going to list three CYA picks this week because I think all three of them are going to finish Top 10. Lorena Ochoa hasn’t played on tour for two weeks but finished second in Annika’s tournament, setting a course record during one round. Jeong Jang is the second hottest player right now. Karrie Webb finished Safeway with a 66 to grab a Top 10 and turn herself around after a short cold spell. I’m currently 1-4 picking winners (2-4 if CYA’s are included) and 7-12 on making the Top 10.
Monday, August 21, 2006
Top 20 - August 2006
They have played five tournaments since my last rankings, and the major championships for ’06 are done. I recently devised a point system to rank players’ performances over the season but despite my satisfaction with the overall results, I’ll still be tweaking the rankings with a subjective eye. For example, even though my numbers show that Karrie Webb has had the best 2006 of any player by a small margin, she is not the #1 player. Previous rankings are in parentheses.
#1 Annika Sorenstam (1)
My point system shows her a close third behind Webb and Lorena Ochoa, but she’s a long way from falling out of this spot. If she misses the next 2-3 cuts, I’ll think about it.
#2 Karrie Webb (3)
Won the Evian Masters for her third victory of the season, and that puts her ahead of Ochoa. The Player Of The Year will be one of these top four.
#3 Lorena Ochoa (2)
The most consistent of the top three, and it was really tough for me to drop her to third. A strange word “consistent”. From round-to-round Lorena’s scores jump around as much as anybody’s, but she’s “consistent” is that she finishes in the Top 10 four weeks out of five.
#4 Cristie Kerr (8)
I said I probably had her ranked too low last time, and I’ll make up for it here. The last three tournaments she’s entered she finished 10th, tied for 2nd, and won.
#5 Juli Inkster (4)
Her British Open performance (even though she didn’t hold on to win) and Top 10 at Safeway keeps her ahead of Peanut.
#6 Mi Hyun Kim (5)
Her fourth-place finish at Evian was her third straight Top 10 and I was ready to move her up to #4. But her first missed cut of the year and a T34 keep her below Inkster, despite rebounding to finish T7 at Safeway.
#7 Jeong Jang (10)
On fire. 3 Top 10s in the last 4 events and T26 at British. Just a couple of putts not dropping at Safeway keeps her from challenging the two ladies ahead of her.
#8 Paula Creamer (9)
7th at Evian, T22 at British, T18 at Safeway. Creamer, Han and Seon Hwa Lee were all solidly in my Top Ten a month ago, but all three seem to be slipping (Paula less so than the other two).
#9 Hee Won Han (6)
Starting to turn it around a little bit (T10 at British and T14 at Safeway) but still only 2 Top Tens in her last 9 events.
#10 Seon Hwa Lee (7)
I’d say she “hit the wall” when the second half of the season started. Still hasn’t missed a cut yet, but T18 at Safeway was her best finish over the last four weeks.
#11 Michelle Wie (11)
Still #11 for the same reasons as before. I might have moved her to #10 if Seon Hwa Lee had missed a cut or two, or if Michelle had kept her perfect record of Top 10s in every event (she’s now 5-6 this year after finishing T26 in the British).
#12 Se Ri Pak (14)
I’m giving her a little bump because I should have given her more credit before for winning the major. She’s fighting a neck/back problem which caused her to withdraw from the British Open, but she played great at Evian and pretty good (T20) in Canada.
#13 Pat Hurst (13)
Exorcised a couple of demons by holding on to win the Safeway. In my stats, she’s virtually even with Pak, but in four of the five categories they vary greatly. Since Se Ri’s win was a major, Pat stays at #13.
#14 Natalie Gulbis (12)
Hurst’s win relegates Natalie to this spot. Since losing the playoff to Peanut at the Jamie Farr, Gulbis’ best finish was T16 at the British.
#15 Shi Hyun Ahn (15)
The lowest ranked player to have made every cut this year (Ochoa, Kerr, Inkster, Creamer, SW Lee, and Wie are the others). She’s about even with Lincicome and Steinhauer, but that cut stat and her advantage in scoring average put her here.
#16 Sherri Steinhauer (NR)
Without the British Open win would probably come in at around #25, but I don’t count that high (yet). Will need a couple more Top 10s and another good payday or two to maintain this ranking.
#17 Brittany Lincicome (18)
Has done nothing in the last four weeks to really warrant moving up a spot. I’ll chalk that up to underrating her Match Play win and the money that came with it the last time I did this exercise.
#18 Meena Lee (20)
Finished 4th in Canada and T7 at Safeway. Might see her win again in the next couple of weeks.
#19 Ai Miyazato (NR)
A Top 10 at the British and the ability to keep making the cut moves her onto the list. There is still time for her and the other rookies to catch Seon Hwa Lee for Rookie Of The Year honors, but it will take a least one victory and a couple more Top 10s for one of them to get there.
#20 Julieta Granada (17)
8th at the British Open, but missed the cut in Canada and finished 72nd in a 77-player field at Evian. I almost pushed her out in favor of Morgan Pressel or Jee Young Lee, but I allowed the British performance to sway me.
Dropped Out: Sung Ah Yim (16), Stacy Prammanasudh (19)
#1 Annika Sorenstam (1)
My point system shows her a close third behind Webb and Lorena Ochoa, but she’s a long way from falling out of this spot. If she misses the next 2-3 cuts, I’ll think about it.
#2 Karrie Webb (3)
Won the Evian Masters for her third victory of the season, and that puts her ahead of Ochoa. The Player Of The Year will be one of these top four.
#3 Lorena Ochoa (2)
The most consistent of the top three, and it was really tough for me to drop her to third. A strange word “consistent”. From round-to-round Lorena’s scores jump around as much as anybody’s, but she’s “consistent” is that she finishes in the Top 10 four weeks out of five.
#4 Cristie Kerr (8)
I said I probably had her ranked too low last time, and I’ll make up for it here. The last three tournaments she’s entered she finished 10th, tied for 2nd, and won.
#5 Juli Inkster (4)
Her British Open performance (even though she didn’t hold on to win) and Top 10 at Safeway keeps her ahead of Peanut.
#6 Mi Hyun Kim (5)
Her fourth-place finish at Evian was her third straight Top 10 and I was ready to move her up to #4. But her first missed cut of the year and a T34 keep her below Inkster, despite rebounding to finish T7 at Safeway.
#7 Jeong Jang (10)
On fire. 3 Top 10s in the last 4 events and T26 at British. Just a couple of putts not dropping at Safeway keeps her from challenging the two ladies ahead of her.
#8 Paula Creamer (9)
7th at Evian, T22 at British, T18 at Safeway. Creamer, Han and Seon Hwa Lee were all solidly in my Top Ten a month ago, but all three seem to be slipping (Paula less so than the other two).
#9 Hee Won Han (6)
Starting to turn it around a little bit (T10 at British and T14 at Safeway) but still only 2 Top Tens in her last 9 events.
#10 Seon Hwa Lee (7)
I’d say she “hit the wall” when the second half of the season started. Still hasn’t missed a cut yet, but T18 at Safeway was her best finish over the last four weeks.
#11 Michelle Wie (11)
Still #11 for the same reasons as before. I might have moved her to #10 if Seon Hwa Lee had missed a cut or two, or if Michelle had kept her perfect record of Top 10s in every event (she’s now 5-6 this year after finishing T26 in the British).
#12 Se Ri Pak (14)
I’m giving her a little bump because I should have given her more credit before for winning the major. She’s fighting a neck/back problem which caused her to withdraw from the British Open, but she played great at Evian and pretty good (T20) in Canada.
#13 Pat Hurst (13)
Exorcised a couple of demons by holding on to win the Safeway. In my stats, she’s virtually even with Pak, but in four of the five categories they vary greatly. Since Se Ri’s win was a major, Pat stays at #13.
#14 Natalie Gulbis (12)
Hurst’s win relegates Natalie to this spot. Since losing the playoff to Peanut at the Jamie Farr, Gulbis’ best finish was T16 at the British.
#15 Shi Hyun Ahn (15)
The lowest ranked player to have made every cut this year (Ochoa, Kerr, Inkster, Creamer, SW Lee, and Wie are the others). She’s about even with Lincicome and Steinhauer, but that cut stat and her advantage in scoring average put her here.
#16 Sherri Steinhauer (NR)
Without the British Open win would probably come in at around #25, but I don’t count that high (yet). Will need a couple more Top 10s and another good payday or two to maintain this ranking.
#17 Brittany Lincicome (18)
Has done nothing in the last four weeks to really warrant moving up a spot. I’ll chalk that up to underrating her Match Play win and the money that came with it the last time I did this exercise.
#18 Meena Lee (20)
Finished 4th in Canada and T7 at Safeway. Might see her win again in the next couple of weeks.
#19 Ai Miyazato (NR)
A Top 10 at the British and the ability to keep making the cut moves her onto the list. There is still time for her and the other rookies to catch Seon Hwa Lee for Rookie Of The Year honors, but it will take a least one victory and a couple more Top 10s for one of them to get there.
#20 Julieta Granada (17)
8th at the British Open, but missed the cut in Canada and finished 72nd in a 77-player field at Evian. I almost pushed her out in favor of Morgan Pressel or Jee Young Lee, but I allowed the British performance to sway me.
Dropped Out: Sung Ah Yim (16), Stacy Prammanasudh (19)
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Safeway Classic - Final Round
Pat Hurst opened up with four birdies on her first five holes and held on to win the Safeway Classic presented by Pepsi by one shot over Jeong Jang and Kim Saiki. It is the fifth win of Pat’s career and her first since taking the State Farm Classic last September.
After the opening barrage to get to -10, Hurst went to -11 with a birdie on 11 only to give the shot right back on 12. A birdie on 15 put her up by two, but a bogey on 17 and par at 18 got her in the clubhouse at -10 with a 68. Saiki had already posted a bogey-less round of 67 that was not quite good enough to make a playoff, but it did give Kim her best finish of the year by far. Jang came to the final two holes knowing she needed birdie-birdie to win, but only parred them both to end up with 70.
Of the multitudes who were in the running at the start of the day, no others were able to sustain a run. Juli Inkster was in the middle of things until she bogeyed 10 – she got that shot back on 12 but couldn’t do better than par the rest of the way. She finished fourth at -8. Gloria Park was -8 with three to play, but bogeyed the last two to end her chances. And holes 10-18 killed Jee Young Lee for the second straight day (she started Round Two on 10). With six holes to play, Petunia was -9. Three bogeys later, hello fifth place. Of the four players who entered the day tied for first, Jang was the only one to break par. Morgan Pressel was -1 on the day (-8) with three holes to go, but doubled 16 and bogeyed 17. Jenna Daniels was even on the day (-7) until she triple-bogeyed 14. Candie Kung took care of the suspense early by tripling #1 – she did it again on 17 for good measure. Daniels and Kung both shot 77 to finish at -2.
Karrie Webb had the low round of the day (66) to end up tied for seventh. So all three of my picks this week made the Top 10. Too bad I picked the wrong one to win! I’ll give this week’s Big Surprise award to Kim Saiki, with an honorable mention to Nancy Scranton (she finished tied for seventh at -7). If you’d like to read some on-site reports of the Safeway Classic, check out the message board at SeoulSisters.com. Some great observations straight from the course!
After the opening barrage to get to -10, Hurst went to -11 with a birdie on 11 only to give the shot right back on 12. A birdie on 15 put her up by two, but a bogey on 17 and par at 18 got her in the clubhouse at -10 with a 68. Saiki had already posted a bogey-less round of 67 that was not quite good enough to make a playoff, but it did give Kim her best finish of the year by far. Jang came to the final two holes knowing she needed birdie-birdie to win, but only parred them both to end up with 70.
Of the multitudes who were in the running at the start of the day, no others were able to sustain a run. Juli Inkster was in the middle of things until she bogeyed 10 – she got that shot back on 12 but couldn’t do better than par the rest of the way. She finished fourth at -8. Gloria Park was -8 with three to play, but bogeyed the last two to end her chances. And holes 10-18 killed Jee Young Lee for the second straight day (she started Round Two on 10). With six holes to play, Petunia was -9. Three bogeys later, hello fifth place. Of the four players who entered the day tied for first, Jang was the only one to break par. Morgan Pressel was -1 on the day (-8) with three holes to go, but doubled 16 and bogeyed 17. Jenna Daniels was even on the day (-7) until she triple-bogeyed 14. Candie Kung took care of the suspense early by tripling #1 – she did it again on 17 for good measure. Daniels and Kung both shot 77 to finish at -2.
Karrie Webb had the low round of the day (66) to end up tied for seventh. So all three of my picks this week made the Top 10. Too bad I picked the wrong one to win! I’ll give this week’s Big Surprise award to Kim Saiki, with an honorable mention to Nancy Scranton (she finished tied for seventh at -7). If you’d like to read some on-site reports of the Safeway Classic, check out the message board at SeoulSisters.com. Some great observations straight from the course!
Saturday, August 19, 2006
Safeway Classic - 2nd Round
It’s a free-for-all! No fewer than 37 players are within five shots of the lead going into the final round of the Safeway Classic. The foursome tied at -7 are Jenna Daniels, Jeong Jang, Morgan Pressel, and Candie Kung. Six players are at -6 – Juli Inkster, Christina Kim, Pat Hurst and Hee-Won Han among them. You may as well draw a name out of a hat as try to pick who the winner will be.
First-round leader Jee Young Lee was cruising along at -10 through 11 holes. Then she dropped six shots in the next six holes and had to birdie her last to finish at -5. Perhaps her nickname should be “Streaky”. Continuing with the wacky theme of this tournament, the low round today was the 64 carded by Michelle Ellis – paired with her first-round 78, she is one of the aforementioned 37 (just barely) who are within five of the lead.
The cut came at +2 and did not claim any real surprises. Except maybe for Big Break winner Ashley Prange, who "surprised" all four TGC announcers by missing the cut….by a mere 8 shots. Karrie Webb avoided that fate with a 70 to put herself at +1, but she won’t be extending my one-week streak of picking winners. At least my CYA picks (Jang and Hurst) are in the thick of it. Diana Ramage shot a 76 but her even-par total made the cut for the first time in her career. Defending champ Soo-Yun Kang withdrew before the round started.
You think they might have to have a playoff to decide this one?
First-round leader Jee Young Lee was cruising along at -10 through 11 holes. Then she dropped six shots in the next six holes and had to birdie her last to finish at -5. Perhaps her nickname should be “Streaky”. Continuing with the wacky theme of this tournament, the low round today was the 64 carded by Michelle Ellis – paired with her first-round 78, she is one of the aforementioned 37 (just barely) who are within five of the lead.
The cut came at +2 and did not claim any real surprises. Except maybe for Big Break winner Ashley Prange, who "surprised" all four TGC announcers by missing the cut….by a mere 8 shots. Karrie Webb avoided that fate with a 70 to put herself at +1, but she won’t be extending my one-week streak of picking winners. At least my CYA picks (Jang and Hurst) are in the thick of it. Diana Ramage shot a 76 but her even-par total made the cut for the first time in her career. Defending champ Soo-Yun Kang withdrew before the round started.
You think they might have to have a playoff to decide this one?
Friday, August 18, 2006
Safeway Classic - 1st Round
Jee Young Lee birdied seven straight holes on the back nine enroute to an -8 round of 64 and the 1st round lead at the Safeway Classic presented by Pepsi. Christina Kim and Jenna Daniels are two shots back after opening with 66s. Daniels’ double-bogey on the final hole cost her a share of the lead. Mi Hyun Kim is 4th at -5, with a cast of thousands (21, actually) at -4 or -3.
Lee’s performance over the last few weeks has shown she might be capable of this. She was 5th last week at the Canadian Open, T10th at the US Open, and T14th at the LPGA Championship. She is a rookie on tour, but already has an LPGA victory to her credit! Jee Young won the CJ Nine Bridges last fall as a member of the Korean tour. She’s a long hitter (4th in distance) and good putter (T14). On the SeoulSisters.com message board I’ve dubbed her “Petunia” since her Korean nickname translates as “Flower Pig” (believe it or not!).
One of the crowd at -4 is Diana Ramage, who is from my neck of the woods in Fayetteville, Georgia. The real reason I mention her is this – Safeway is the 15th event Diana has played in this year (and 16th of her career), and she has NEVER made the cut! I will be seriously rooting for her tomorrow.
On the dark side of things, Karrie Webb opened with a 75 and defending champion Soo-Yun Kang brought home a 79. With about 70 players at even par or better, those scores will be difficult to come back from.
Lee’s performance over the last few weeks has shown she might be capable of this. She was 5th last week at the Canadian Open, T10th at the US Open, and T14th at the LPGA Championship. She is a rookie on tour, but already has an LPGA victory to her credit! Jee Young won the CJ Nine Bridges last fall as a member of the Korean tour. She’s a long hitter (4th in distance) and good putter (T14). On the SeoulSisters.com message board I’ve dubbed her “Petunia” since her Korean nickname translates as “Flower Pig” (believe it or not!).
One of the crowd at -4 is Diana Ramage, who is from my neck of the woods in Fayetteville, Georgia. The real reason I mention her is this – Safeway is the 15th event Diana has played in this year (and 16th of her career), and she has NEVER made the cut! I will be seriously rooting for her tomorrow.
On the dark side of things, Karrie Webb opened with a 75 and defending champion Soo-Yun Kang brought home a 79. With about 70 players at even par or better, those scores will be difficult to come back from.
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Safeway Classic Preview
The Safeway Classic presented by Pepsi is a 54-hole event which starts Friday at the Columbia Edgewater Country Club in Portland, Oregon. Soo-Yun Kang is the defending champion.
The course is a par-72, 6327 yards, a little shorter than average. Some of the fairways look a little tight, and the greens are supposed to be great. Other than being a bit hot, the weather looks very good for the whole weekend.
Last year’s event was a Seoul Sister Special – Kang won by four shots over Jeong Jang, with Gloria Park, Joo Mi Kim and Sung Ah Yim finishing in the top five (actually Beth Daniel tied Yim for fifth, but she is NOT Korean and mentioning her would de-rail the train of thought in this sentence...oops). Her victory was the beginning of an outstanding run of tournaments for Soo-Yun – in her final 8 events of 2005, she finished second twice (the ADT Championship, for one), had 4 Top Tens, and only once finished worse than 15th. 2006 has been another story, as she’s missed more cuts than she’s made. Best finish – tied for 24th at the Fields Open in Hawaii.
So I guess I’ll snub the defending champion again this week, though Meena Lee did her best to prove me wrong! Karrie Webb is my pick to win, with Jeong Jang and Pat Hurst my CYA picks. Thanks to Cristie Kerr, I’m now 1-3 in picking winners and 4-9 on hitting the Top Ten.
The course is a par-72, 6327 yards, a little shorter than average. Some of the fairways look a little tight, and the greens are supposed to be great. Other than being a bit hot, the weather looks very good for the whole weekend.
Last year’s event was a Seoul Sister Special – Kang won by four shots over Jeong Jang, with Gloria Park, Joo Mi Kim and Sung Ah Yim finishing in the top five (actually Beth Daniel tied Yim for fifth, but she is NOT Korean and mentioning her would de-rail the train of thought in this sentence...oops). Her victory was the beginning of an outstanding run of tournaments for Soo-Yun – in her final 8 events of 2005, she finished second twice (the ADT Championship, for one), had 4 Top Tens, and only once finished worse than 15th. 2006 has been another story, as she’s missed more cuts than she’s made. Best finish – tied for 24th at the Fields Open in Hawaii.
So I guess I’ll snub the defending champion again this week, though Meena Lee did her best to prove me wrong! Karrie Webb is my pick to win, with Jeong Jang and Pat Hurst my CYA picks. Thanks to Cristie Kerr, I’m now 1-3 in picking winners and 4-9 on hitting the Top Ten.
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
TV or not TV?
I think we can all agree that the LPGA is one sports entity which is rising in popularity. While it is not in the same stratosphere as the NFL, MLB, NBA or even NASCAR, one area that the Tour can look to these other leagues for guidance in promoting its growth is television.
Huh?!? Hound Dog, the LPGA is on TV all the time!
Not this past weekend it wasn’t, not in the United States. Granted, the Canadian Women’s Open might not have been the marquee event on your sports calendar last weekend (it certainly wasn’t for Annika Sorenstam, Lorena Ochoa, Karrie Webb or Michelle Wie), but it is an official LPGA event with a purse of $1.7 million dollars (US) and awards ADT Championship points to its top finishers. The NASCAR Nextel Cup race at Watkins Glen is near the bottom of choice venues in its first 26 races, but NBC was there with bells on and they were on-air from green flag to checkered flag. Why? Because they were contractually obligated to be there. NASCAR told them, “if you want the rights to air the races in the Chase for the Nextel Cup and the Brickyard and Daytona, you WILL be at Watkins Glen, Martinsville, and New Hampshire”.
I know NASCAR has a lot of advertising pull, but why can’t the LPGA get a television contract or set of contracts together? Right now each tournament negotiates its own deal or is in a group deal, like the State Farm series which contracts with ESPN. For the most part that works ok, but as we’ve seen more than once this year it leaves some events out in the cold. The Atlanta tournament was scrambling for a sponsor until a month before the event, leaving it no time to work on a network to pick up the coverage. The Canadian event was right across the lake from Buffalo NY, but since it’s in that “nowhereland” of Ontario, American networks brushed it off. The McDonald’s LPGA Championship (for God’s sake!) got bumped from CBS to TGC because the Big Eyeball wanted to air more coverage of its PGA event that week. And don’t get me started on the events in Asia at the end of the season – have any of you ever seen even taped coverage of those tournaments? Maybe they are lesser tournaments but dammit, they count towards the ADT Championship don’t they?
Back in the early ‘60s, Pete Rozelle got his NFL franchises to agree to let go of their local TV deals and go with the CBS contract of regionalized telecasts. If you asked those franchise owners now if that was a good idea, they would tell you to stop asking stupid questions. MLB and the NBA have also reaped the benefits of unilateral TV contracts for many years. In the late ‘90s, each track with a Winston (now Nextel) Cup race worked out its own deal with ESPN, ABC, or TBS. Before the 2001 season, Bill France Jr. fixed that chaos by working out deals with FOX, NBC and TNT. There is no doubt that move accelerated NASCAR’s jump to prominence.
Dude, there’s no way that NBC or ESPN is gonna want to show women’s golf four days a week, 35 weeks a year!
Probably not. But somebody would, given the right set of conditions. What if a cable network like CNBC televised all the rounds of all the tournaments except for the rounds that NBC wanted? What if CNBC-NBC and ESPN2-ABC shared the season, each company getting two of the majors? Or make it a three-headed monster with TGC involved? Each of the companies would have their assigned events at a predetermined rights fee ala FOX/NBC/ESPN with the NFL. The key is having all of the tournaments under one negotiating umbrella, which (despite Ms. Bivens’ current popularity with the tournament directors) shouldn’t be too difficult. They are all in this together. If they have any doubts about the potential gain of this arrangement, they should go talk to Bruton Smith, Jerry Jones or Mark Cuban. Another thing: The more consistent exposure these events get on the tube, the more the advertisers will pay, the larger the purses become, the more likely Annika, Lorena, Karrie and Michelle will show up at your party, the more fans come out to the course, the more the advertisers will pay – I said that one twice but it’s true, the upward spiral would continue.
Lastly, this is THE time to be working on this situation. In the next couple of years, Michelle Wie will begin playing fulltime on the LPGA tour. Bivens and Company need to strike while that iron is hot. I don’t expect this sport to rival the popularity of those others I mentioned, but I’m convinced that with a stable TV contract it would get better overall ratings than tennis or beach volleyball or Texas Hold-em. If they do this right, the LPGA and its tournaments may never have to go hungry again.
Huh?!? Hound Dog, the LPGA is on TV all the time!
Not this past weekend it wasn’t, not in the United States. Granted, the Canadian Women’s Open might not have been the marquee event on your sports calendar last weekend (it certainly wasn’t for Annika Sorenstam, Lorena Ochoa, Karrie Webb or Michelle Wie), but it is an official LPGA event with a purse of $1.7 million dollars (US) and awards ADT Championship points to its top finishers. The NASCAR Nextel Cup race at Watkins Glen is near the bottom of choice venues in its first 26 races, but NBC was there with bells on and they were on-air from green flag to checkered flag. Why? Because they were contractually obligated to be there. NASCAR told them, “if you want the rights to air the races in the Chase for the Nextel Cup and the Brickyard and Daytona, you WILL be at Watkins Glen, Martinsville, and New Hampshire”.
I know NASCAR has a lot of advertising pull, but why can’t the LPGA get a television contract or set of contracts together? Right now each tournament negotiates its own deal or is in a group deal, like the State Farm series which contracts with ESPN. For the most part that works ok, but as we’ve seen more than once this year it leaves some events out in the cold. The Atlanta tournament was scrambling for a sponsor until a month before the event, leaving it no time to work on a network to pick up the coverage. The Canadian event was right across the lake from Buffalo NY, but since it’s in that “nowhereland” of Ontario, American networks brushed it off. The McDonald’s LPGA Championship (for God’s sake!) got bumped from CBS to TGC because the Big Eyeball wanted to air more coverage of its PGA event that week. And don’t get me started on the events in Asia at the end of the season – have any of you ever seen even taped coverage of those tournaments? Maybe they are lesser tournaments but dammit, they count towards the ADT Championship don’t they?
Back in the early ‘60s, Pete Rozelle got his NFL franchises to agree to let go of their local TV deals and go with the CBS contract of regionalized telecasts. If you asked those franchise owners now if that was a good idea, they would tell you to stop asking stupid questions. MLB and the NBA have also reaped the benefits of unilateral TV contracts for many years. In the late ‘90s, each track with a Winston (now Nextel) Cup race worked out its own deal with ESPN, ABC, or TBS. Before the 2001 season, Bill France Jr. fixed that chaos by working out deals with FOX, NBC and TNT. There is no doubt that move accelerated NASCAR’s jump to prominence.
Dude, there’s no way that NBC or ESPN is gonna want to show women’s golf four days a week, 35 weeks a year!
Probably not. But somebody would, given the right set of conditions. What if a cable network like CNBC televised all the rounds of all the tournaments except for the rounds that NBC wanted? What if CNBC-NBC and ESPN2-ABC shared the season, each company getting two of the majors? Or make it a three-headed monster with TGC involved? Each of the companies would have their assigned events at a predetermined rights fee ala FOX/NBC/ESPN with the NFL. The key is having all of the tournaments under one negotiating umbrella, which (despite Ms. Bivens’ current popularity with the tournament directors) shouldn’t be too difficult. They are all in this together. If they have any doubts about the potential gain of this arrangement, they should go talk to Bruton Smith, Jerry Jones or Mark Cuban. Another thing: The more consistent exposure these events get on the tube, the more the advertisers will pay, the larger the purses become, the more likely Annika, Lorena, Karrie and Michelle will show up at your party, the more fans come out to the course, the more the advertisers will pay – I said that one twice but it’s true, the upward spiral would continue.
Lastly, this is THE time to be working on this situation. In the next couple of years, Michelle Wie will begin playing fulltime on the LPGA tour. Bivens and Company need to strike while that iron is hot. I don’t expect this sport to rival the popularity of those others I mentioned, but I’m convinced that with a stable TV contract it would get better overall ratings than tennis or beach volleyball or Texas Hold-em. If they do this right, the LPGA and its tournaments may never have to go hungry again.
Monday, August 14, 2006
Canadian Open - Final Round
I picked Cristie Kerr to win this tournament, so I’m pretty happy about the final result. But for Angela Stanford it had to be a long, sleepless Sunday night full of Kerr-demons. With Kerr in the clubhouse at -12, Stanford bogeyed the last two holes to lose the Canadian Women’s Open title. When Stanford came up short at the Franklin American Mortgage in May, it was Kerr who snatched victory away with a 65 that day as well.
After shooting 74 on Saturday, I had counted Cristie out of this thing. She was eight shots back! Through six holes Sunday she was -1 on the day and -6 overall, but then she birdied five of the next six to get to -11. At this point Stanford was still at -13 coming off a birdie at 9, so she was in control of things. Kerr managed one more birdie at 16 and finished up one shot behind while Stanford still had three holes to play. At 17, Stanford missed a six-footer to fall into a tie – the first time all week she had not been alone in first. Then at 18 her tee shot went through the fairway into a bunker. She landed her second on the huge green about 50 feet away. Needing a two-putt to force a playoff, Angela left her first one 10 feet short and couldn’t convert the par.
Kerr’s 65 was the best round of the day by three strokes over third-place finisher Pat Hurst and Se Ri Pak. Meena Lee and Jee Young Lee entered the day with the best chance to chase down Stanford but they both carded 74s to finish fourth and fifth. I’ll give my Big Surprise award this week to Laura Diaz, who got her third Top 10 of the year by shooting 69 on Sunday. She might be all the way back from having a baby during the off-season.
Obviously Angela Stanford has the game to win on the LPGA Tour. I hope she can recover from this second big disappointment to contend again. The next time she’s near the top of the leaderboard, I guarantee she’ll know exactly where Cristie Kerr is.
After shooting 74 on Saturday, I had counted Cristie out of this thing. She was eight shots back! Through six holes Sunday she was -1 on the day and -6 overall, but then she birdied five of the next six to get to -11. At this point Stanford was still at -13 coming off a birdie at 9, so she was in control of things. Kerr managed one more birdie at 16 and finished up one shot behind while Stanford still had three holes to play. At 17, Stanford missed a six-footer to fall into a tie – the first time all week she had not been alone in first. Then at 18 her tee shot went through the fairway into a bunker. She landed her second on the huge green about 50 feet away. Needing a two-putt to force a playoff, Angela left her first one 10 feet short and couldn’t convert the par.
Kerr’s 65 was the best round of the day by three strokes over third-place finisher Pat Hurst and Se Ri Pak. Meena Lee and Jee Young Lee entered the day with the best chance to chase down Stanford but they both carded 74s to finish fourth and fifth. I’ll give my Big Surprise award this week to Laura Diaz, who got her third Top 10 of the year by shooting 69 on Sunday. She might be all the way back from having a baby during the off-season.
Obviously Angela Stanford has the game to win on the LPGA Tour. I hope she can recover from this second big disappointment to contend again. The next time she’s near the top of the leaderboard, I guarantee she’ll know exactly where Cristie Kerr is.
Saturday, August 12, 2006
Canadian Open - 3rd Round
A third-round 69 sends Angela Stanford into Sunday with a four-shot lead in the Canadian Women's Open. Despite back-to-back bogeys on 12 and 13, she birdied 16 and finished the day at -13.
Defending champion Meena Lee is bucking one of my predictions - she fired a 66 to move into second place. Jee Young Lee carded a 71 to put herself third at -8. No one else is within six shots of the lead. Even if Stanford were to repeat her Sunday in Nashville and shoot 73 tomorrow, a 65 would be required for anybody but the two Lees to challenge. Another 69 or 70 and she will be a first-time LPGA winner.
Meena Lee has a victory this season, at the Fields Open in Hawaii in February. Since then she's only had one Top 10, although she's pretty much a lock to get another this week. My money is on Meena if Stanford does falter.
Defending champion Meena Lee is bucking one of my predictions - she fired a 66 to move into second place. Jee Young Lee carded a 71 to put herself third at -8. No one else is within six shots of the lead. Even if Stanford were to repeat her Sunday in Nashville and shoot 73 tomorrow, a 65 would be required for anybody but the two Lees to challenge. Another 69 or 70 and she will be a first-time LPGA winner.
Meena Lee has a victory this season, at the Fields Open in Hawaii in February. Since then she's only had one Top 10, although she's pretty much a lock to get another this week. My money is on Meena if Stanford does falter.
Friday, August 11, 2006
Canadian Open - 2nd Round
Angela Stanford maintained her three shot lead in the Canadian Women's Open Friday with a solid round of 70. Only one bogey today after having none yesterday. Two of her three closest Thursday pursuers - Cristie Kerr and Jee Young Lee - matched her Friday score as local favorite Lorie Kane (she's actually from Prince Edward Island - that's a Canadian province, you geography flunkies!) moved to within 4 shots of the lead.
So can Stanford hold on and get her first career win? You'd certainly rather be up by three entering the weekend instead of down by three. She led in Nashville by three shots going into Sunday, shot 73 and wound up tied for second. I read that she played her back nine Thursday constantly reminding herself not to play conservatively. It sounded to me like she was admitting what went wrong back in May. If she can keep an aggressive attitude for 36 more holes, she's got the ball-striking ability to do it. In my statistics evaluation post, I mentioned her problem area has been putting - if she comes up short this week, that will be Prime Suspect #1.
I still feel good about my pick to win this week. Kerr is playing well, which is more than I can say about my CYA picks. Natalie Gulbis is +2, 12 shots behind. Mi Hyun Kim is suffering through her second straight off-week, barely making the cut at +5. That'll stop me from picking her for a while!
So can Stanford hold on and get her first career win? You'd certainly rather be up by three entering the weekend instead of down by three. She led in Nashville by three shots going into Sunday, shot 73 and wound up tied for second. I read that she played her back nine Thursday constantly reminding herself not to play conservatively. It sounded to me like she was admitting what went wrong back in May. If she can keep an aggressive attitude for 36 more holes, she's got the ball-striking ability to do it. In my statistics evaluation post, I mentioned her problem area has been putting - if she comes up short this week, that will be Prime Suspect #1.
I still feel good about my pick to win this week. Kerr is playing well, which is more than I can say about my CYA picks. Natalie Gulbis is +2, 12 shots behind. Mi Hyun Kim is suffering through her second straight off-week, barely making the cut at +5. That'll stop me from picking her for a while!
Canadian Open - 1st Round
Angela Stanford took the 1st-round lead at the Canadian Women’s Open on Thursday with a bogey-less round of 64. The 8-under-par score is a career best for Angela, topping her opening round at the Franklin American Mortgage in Nashville in May. She led after the first round there as well, and went on to finish the week tied for second two shots behind Cristie Kerr.
Speak of the devil…Cristie Kerr, Vicki Goetze-Ackerman and Jee Young Lee carded 67s, while Canadian Lorie Kane, Il Mi Chung and defending champion Meena Lee posted 68. Maybe I was wrong about Meena not playing well enough to challenge this week.
Not much else to say, let’s see what Friday brings.
Speak of the devil…Cristie Kerr, Vicki Goetze-Ackerman and Jee Young Lee carded 67s, while Canadian Lorie Kane, Il Mi Chung and defending champion Meena Lee posted 68. Maybe I was wrong about Meena not playing well enough to challenge this week.
Not much else to say, let’s see what Friday brings.
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Canadian Women's Open Preview
I will do my best to avoid using the expected one-liners in reference to the location of this week’s LPGA event. Let’s just say the ladies are playing in London, Ontario at the London Hunt And Country Club.
The course is par 72, 6611 yards – one of the longer courses on tour, designed by Robert Trent Jones. I wasn’t able to find a hole-by-hole layout of the course to get a better feel for what type of player might do well here. Caddy extraordinare Fourwack (at /www.intergate.com/~lslpga/caddie_corner/
2006/canada.htm) reports that the greens are huge. What kind of player would that favor? Good putters who aren’t great with the short irons? I can’t think of anybody offhand who might fit that description.
The field is weaker than your typical LPGA event, although compared to last year it looks fairly strong. Only four of the Top 10 on the money list are playing this week (MH Kim, Kerr, Lincicome and Jang). Meena Lee is the defending champion, but based on her recent play I wouldn’t pick her to challenge here. My pick to win is Cristie Kerr, with Mi Hyun Kim and Natalie Gulbis as my CYAs. So far I’m oh-fer-two in picking winners and 3 of 6 in the Top 10.
Now the bad news: This tournament is NOT being televised in the United States, unless you have satellite service that gives you access to the Rogers Sports Network (I think it’s a Canadian kind of Fox Sports Net). I’ve checked TGC, ESPN, FSN and it’s a big Canadian Goose-egg. Looks like I’ll spend part of my weekend watching the scoreboard update on lpga.com.
The course is par 72, 6611 yards – one of the longer courses on tour, designed by Robert Trent Jones. I wasn’t able to find a hole-by-hole layout of the course to get a better feel for what type of player might do well here. Caddy extraordinare Fourwack (at /www.intergate.com/~lslpga/caddie_corner/
2006/canada.htm) reports that the greens are huge. What kind of player would that favor? Good putters who aren’t great with the short irons? I can’t think of anybody offhand who might fit that description.
The field is weaker than your typical LPGA event, although compared to last year it looks fairly strong. Only four of the Top 10 on the money list are playing this week (MH Kim, Kerr, Lincicome and Jang). Meena Lee is the defending champion, but based on her recent play I wouldn’t pick her to challenge here. My pick to win is Cristie Kerr, with Mi Hyun Kim and Natalie Gulbis as my CYAs. So far I’m oh-fer-two in picking winners and 3 of 6 in the Top 10.
Now the bad news: This tournament is NOT being televised in the United States, unless you have satellite service that gives you access to the Rogers Sports Network (I think it’s a Canadian kind of Fox Sports Net). I’ve checked TGC, ESPN, FSN and it’s a big Canadian Goose-egg. Looks like I’ll spend part of my weekend watching the scoreboard update on lpga.com.
Monday, August 07, 2006
My Favorite Women Golfers
Here is that “artistic”, non-statistical post I was promising you awhile back. You can’t be a fan of any sport without having favorites that you root for, as well as others that you root against. Ladies, please humor my observations – I am neither a sexist pig nor a stalker. I am, however, dangerously close to "dirty old man" territory. This article is merely a collection of notes by an avid fan of women’s golf detailing one facet of that fan-dom.
#1 Grace Park
At the very moment I got hooked watching women play golf week-in week-out, Grace Park was in the Top Ten virtually every week. The Asian girl with the big-billed visor, sly seductive smile, and beautiful swing really won me over. When she won the 2004 Nabisco and jumped into the lake, it gave me chills. I got to see her up close this past April at the tournament in Atlanta. On the 3rd hole on Friday, her tee shot landed in some pine straw under a group of trees. From about ten feet away from me, she played her second perfectly over the cart path, between the trees and landed just short of the creek running in front of the green. Despite my vocal support of “Nice shot Grace!”, she then proceeded to double-bogey that hole and went on to miss the cut. She hasn’t played too well the last couple of years – injuries and a rumored case of burnout have kept her out of the spotlight. When she starts playing again, hers will again be the first name I look for on the leaderboard.
#2 Natalie Gulbis
I’m a heterosexual male, so you already know why I like Natalie Gulbis.
#3 Seon Hwa Lee
The odds-on favorite to win Rookie Of The Year for 2006, she likes wearing short shorts. I like the fact that she likes wearing short shorts. Not a bad putter, either.
#4 Michelle Wie
I know I have a very thin line to walk here so I’ll be careful. She sure LOOKS like she’s 18…
#5 Christina Kim
If she’s not the most extroverted player on the LPGA Tour, she’s very close. When she’s playing well (and sometimes when she’s not), an absolute hoot to follow around the golf course. Lost a bunch of weight over the past off-season so she’s become rather pleasant to look at, as well.
#6 Paula Creamer
The only thing that keeps Paula from being higher on my list is her tendency to visibly pout after hitting a poor shot or getting a bad bounce. She may not actually be pouting but her facial expression certainly says “pouting”. Otherwise I really enjoy watching her, especially when she gives her hips that little wiggle right before she takes the club back.
#7 Se Ri Pak
If you are a leg-man (and if you’re not, why DO you watch women’s golf?), you should really like Se Ri. The most powerful, well-toned thighs on tour. If Seon Hwa or Jeong Jang could ever get her to try the short shorts…wow!
#8 Brittany Lincicome
Brittany is a beautiful blond 20-year-old from Florida who could probably kill me with a well-placed wrestling hold. Not that I’m into that kind of stuff…
#9 Erica Blasberg
“Who” you ask? Erica is a 22-year-old second-year player from California who has only won $80,000 in a year-and-a-half on tour. Doesn’t matter, she’s a real cutie.
#10 Mi Hyun Kim
Yes, I know this list has a large Asian presence. No, my wife is not Asian! Although I’m not sure why… The one they call Peanut is a very beautiful petite lady who while she plays likes to wear her hair in pigtails instead of the common ponytail. No, I don’t have a pigtail fetish.
So there you have it. I’m not all statistics and analysis, you see. Now if I could only branch out into other styles of prose besides “Lists”. If you have any faves that you think I should have included, please enlighten me.
#1 Grace Park
At the very moment I got hooked watching women play golf week-in week-out, Grace Park was in the Top Ten virtually every week. The Asian girl with the big-billed visor, sly seductive smile, and beautiful swing really won me over. When she won the 2004 Nabisco and jumped into the lake, it gave me chills. I got to see her up close this past April at the tournament in Atlanta. On the 3rd hole on Friday, her tee shot landed in some pine straw under a group of trees. From about ten feet away from me, she played her second perfectly over the cart path, between the trees and landed just short of the creek running in front of the green. Despite my vocal support of “Nice shot Grace!”, she then proceeded to double-bogey that hole and went on to miss the cut. She hasn’t played too well the last couple of years – injuries and a rumored case of burnout have kept her out of the spotlight. When she starts playing again, hers will again be the first name I look for on the leaderboard.
#2 Natalie Gulbis
I’m a heterosexual male, so you already know why I like Natalie Gulbis.
#3 Seon Hwa Lee
The odds-on favorite to win Rookie Of The Year for 2006, she likes wearing short shorts. I like the fact that she likes wearing short shorts. Not a bad putter, either.
#4 Michelle Wie
I know I have a very thin line to walk here so I’ll be careful. She sure LOOKS like she’s 18…
#5 Christina Kim
If she’s not the most extroverted player on the LPGA Tour, she’s very close. When she’s playing well (and sometimes when she’s not), an absolute hoot to follow around the golf course. Lost a bunch of weight over the past off-season so she’s become rather pleasant to look at, as well.
#6 Paula Creamer
The only thing that keeps Paula from being higher on my list is her tendency to visibly pout after hitting a poor shot or getting a bad bounce. She may not actually be pouting but her facial expression certainly says “pouting”. Otherwise I really enjoy watching her, especially when she gives her hips that little wiggle right before she takes the club back.
#7 Se Ri Pak
If you are a leg-man (and if you’re not, why DO you watch women’s golf?), you should really like Se Ri. The most powerful, well-toned thighs on tour. If Seon Hwa or Jeong Jang could ever get her to try the short shorts…wow!
#8 Brittany Lincicome
Brittany is a beautiful blond 20-year-old from Florida who could probably kill me with a well-placed wrestling hold. Not that I’m into that kind of stuff…
#9 Erica Blasberg
“Who” you ask? Erica is a 22-year-old second-year player from California who has only won $80,000 in a year-and-a-half on tour. Doesn’t matter, she’s a real cutie.
#10 Mi Hyun Kim
Yes, I know this list has a large Asian presence. No, my wife is not Asian! Although I’m not sure why… The one they call Peanut is a very beautiful petite lady who while she plays likes to wear her hair in pigtails instead of the common ponytail. No, I don’t have a pigtail fetish.
So there you have it. I’m not all statistics and analysis, you see. Now if I could only branch out into other styles of prose besides “Lists”. If you have any faves that you think I should have included, please enlighten me.
Sunday, August 06, 2006
Weetabix British Open - Final Round
Steady as she goes! Sherri Steinhauer posted a 72 Sunday (bogey-less until the final hole) to win the Weetabix British Open by three strokes. Cristie Kerr and Sophie Gustafson were the only serious challengers, but they both faltered a bit down the stretch as the 43-year-old Steinhauer notched her third victory in this event in the last 8 years.
I was incorrect yesterday when I said that Sherri's victory in '99 counted as a major. The British didn't become a women's major until 2001. Her previous major victory was in the 1992 du Maurier Classic, which was a major from 1979 until 2000. Today's win was her seventh career victory, and her first since winning the Sybase in 2004.
Kerr mounted the best charge, getting to -7 and within one shot through 15. A bogey on 16 and a bunker-induced double on 18 ended her chances. Gustafson was -6 after 11, but bogeyed 12 and 15. Juli Inkster and Lorena Ochoa finished fourth at -3. This week's Big Surprise was Beth Daniel, who finished tied for sixth at -2. Beth played very consistent golf all four days as her line of 73-71-70-72 suggests. Second biggest surprise was Annika Sorenstam shooting 79 on Sunday to put a bullet in her foot.
Not that I wallow in other people's futility, but I would have liked to have seen Kerr's tee shot on 18 which found that bunker and seen the entirety of her first failed attempt to escape said bunker, since that sequence locked up the outcome. Lest I forget, ABC insisted on opening their final round coverage with the obligatory Michelle Wie update - I don't think I could've handled missing that interview with the 26th place finisher. I'll close with this thought: If you're going to sell the broadcast rights to one of your "major" events (and I've talked about that status for this tournament already this week) to somebody, wouldn't you want to get more than 90 minutes of exposure for the final round? I'll be addressing the overall state of the LPGA on TV in another post.
I was incorrect yesterday when I said that Sherri's victory in '99 counted as a major. The British didn't become a women's major until 2001. Her previous major victory was in the 1992 du Maurier Classic, which was a major from 1979 until 2000. Today's win was her seventh career victory, and her first since winning the Sybase in 2004.
Kerr mounted the best charge, getting to -7 and within one shot through 15. A bogey on 16 and a bunker-induced double on 18 ended her chances. Gustafson was -6 after 11, but bogeyed 12 and 15. Juli Inkster and Lorena Ochoa finished fourth at -3. This week's Big Surprise was Beth Daniel, who finished tied for sixth at -2. Beth played very consistent golf all four days as her line of 73-71-70-72 suggests. Second biggest surprise was Annika Sorenstam shooting 79 on Sunday to put a bullet in her foot.
Not that I wallow in other people's futility, but I would have liked to have seen Kerr's tee shot on 18 which found that bunker and seen the entirety of her first failed attempt to escape said bunker, since that sequence locked up the outcome. Lest I forget, ABC insisted on opening their final round coverage with the obligatory Michelle Wie update - I don't think I could've handled missing that interview with the 26th place finisher. I'll close with this thought: If you're going to sell the broadcast rights to one of your "major" events (and I've talked about that status for this tournament already this week) to somebody, wouldn't you want to get more than 90 minutes of exposure for the final round? I'll be addressing the overall state of the LPGA on TV in another post.
Saturday, August 05, 2006
Weetabix British Open - 3rd Round
Wow! Exactly the opposite of what I expected happened Saturday (maybe you should have placed a bet on it!) - Juli Inkster not only allowed her competitors to catch her, she let one of them blow right past her. Two double-bogeys and a round of 74 allowed Sherri Steinhauer and her 66 to take a three-shot lead into Sunday's final round of the Weetabix British Open. Lorena Ochoa did Steinhauer one better - 65, that is - to climb into a four-way tie for second.
Raise your hand if you knew Steinhauer has won this event twice before. Well I sure didn't - guess I missed that in my pre-tourney research. In fact she won it back-to-back; only the second one in '99 counts as a Major. She's probably ticked off about that bit of accounting. Ochoa's round of 65 was her first one under par this week. Inkster, Karen Stupples, and Sophie Gustafson share second place entering the final round. Cristie Kerr, Natalie Gulbis, and Candie Kung lurk 4 shots back.
Unfortunately I missed today's coverage on ABC, but I'll assume the playing conditions were ideal. Other than Inkster, everyone currently in the top 12 (14 total players) broke par. That certainly was not the case either of the first two days.
Raise your hand if you knew Steinhauer has won this event twice before. Well I sure didn't - guess I missed that in my pre-tourney research. In fact she won it back-to-back; only the second one in '99 counts as a Major. She's probably ticked off about that bit of accounting. Ochoa's round of 65 was her first one under par this week. Inkster, Karen Stupples, and Sophie Gustafson share second place entering the final round. Cristie Kerr, Natalie Gulbis, and Candie Kung lurk 4 shots back.
Unfortunately I missed today's coverage on ABC, but I'll assume the playing conditions were ideal. Other than Inkster, everyone currently in the top 12 (14 total players) broke par. That certainly was not the case either of the first two days.
Friday, August 04, 2006
Weetabix British Open - 2nd Round
Juli Inkster maintained her three-shot lead at the Weetabix British Open with an even-par 72. No one was able to sustain a run on Juli, but several players were able to jockey themselves into position for the weekend.
Silvia Cavalleri was tied for first after 16, but tripled 17 and wound up shooting 72 (-3). Lorie Kane was only two shots back until she doubled 16 – she finished with a 69 (-2). 2004 champion Karen Stupples pulled herself to -2 with a 69. Annika Sorenstam and Paula Creamer both followed their Thursday 72s with Friday 71s to put themselves within five of the lead. Last year’s runner-up Sophie Gustafson had the Round Of The Day with her 67 to end up at -1. The cut came at +7 and claimed the heads of Karrie Webb (82 +14!!) and Mi Hyun Kim (75 +9). Defending champ Jeong Jang escaped that fate with a 73 (+7). LPGA champ Se Ri Pak withdrew before the round started because of a neck injury.
The range of tee times at this event is staggering. The first group goes off at 6:30am and the final group doesn’t start until 3:49pm, nearly 9 and a half hours later. The last group didn’t finish Thursday until nearly 10pm local time, over 15 hours after the round began. Hey guys, just because the sun is out for 18 hours a day in Britain this time of year doesn’t mean you have to use all those hours! At least they didn’t make Tina Barrett and company go out as the first group Friday after keeping them up so late (they teed off at 11:04am). This explains why they start half the field on the back nine in the first two rounds at most LPGA events.
Let’s have an event in Alaska around the 4th of July and let them play around the clock!
Silvia Cavalleri was tied for first after 16, but tripled 17 and wound up shooting 72 (-3). Lorie Kane was only two shots back until she doubled 16 – she finished with a 69 (-2). 2004 champion Karen Stupples pulled herself to -2 with a 69. Annika Sorenstam and Paula Creamer both followed their Thursday 72s with Friday 71s to put themselves within five of the lead. Last year’s runner-up Sophie Gustafson had the Round Of The Day with her 67 to end up at -1. The cut came at +7 and claimed the heads of Karrie Webb (82 +14!!) and Mi Hyun Kim (75 +9). Defending champ Jeong Jang escaped that fate with a 73 (+7). LPGA champ Se Ri Pak withdrew before the round started because of a neck injury.
The range of tee times at this event is staggering. The first group goes off at 6:30am and the final group doesn’t start until 3:49pm, nearly 9 and a half hours later. The last group didn’t finish Thursday until nearly 10pm local time, over 15 hours after the round began. Hey guys, just because the sun is out for 18 hours a day in Britain this time of year doesn’t mean you have to use all those hours! At least they didn’t make Tina Barrett and company go out as the first group Friday after keeping them up so late (they teed off at 11:04am). This explains why they start half the field on the back nine in the first two rounds at most LPGA events.
Let’s have an event in Alaska around the 4th of July and let them play around the clock!
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Weetabix British Open - 1st Round
Juli Inkster fired a 66 to kickoff the Weetabix British Open with a three-shot lead. She blistered the front nine in 30 strokes (-5), got it to -7 with a birdie at 15 but bogeyed 18 to end at -6. Silvia Cavalleri and Maria Hjorth carded 69s to put themselves in second. Somebody named Elisa Serramia was -4 through 13, but a couple of double-bogeys sent her down the road towards her eventual 73.
The first round wounded numerous big names. Defending champion Jeong Jang teed off early, and her score of 78 was tied for last for a couple of hours. Eventually she was outdone by 28 other players, most notably Hee-Won Han (80). Other first-round stumblers included Se Ri Pak (78), Mi Hyun Kim (78), Pat Hurst (78), and Karrie Webb (76). It appeared that Annika Sorenstam would be the only member of my Weekly Picks trio to challenge Inkster, but she played the last two in 3-over to wind up with a 72.
Only 15 players broke par today, compared to 23 players posting a round in the 80s. This on a day that was sunny with the wind around 10-15 mph (that was during TNT’s coverage – don’t know if the wind whipped up any higher than that before or after the coverage). If the weather really does turn sour, a 74 might be pretty good. Right now the forecast looks good until Sunday afternoon, but my experience has been that the weathermen in Britain graduated from the same meteorology school as the ones in Atlanta.
I forgot to check on whether Inkster was hitting many drivers or not (not just her – I forgot to check anybody’s club selection and didn’t hear the announcers say), but the approach shots I saw her hit were all from the fairway and were mostly right on-target. If I was a player, I’d be a little concerned about having to come from behind to catch Juli Inkster. As steady as she plays and being a veteran of these events, she’s not likely to give it away.
The first round wounded numerous big names. Defending champion Jeong Jang teed off early, and her score of 78 was tied for last for a couple of hours. Eventually she was outdone by 28 other players, most notably Hee-Won Han (80). Other first-round stumblers included Se Ri Pak (78), Mi Hyun Kim (78), Pat Hurst (78), and Karrie Webb (76). It appeared that Annika Sorenstam would be the only member of my Weekly Picks trio to challenge Inkster, but she played the last two in 3-over to wind up with a 72.
Only 15 players broke par today, compared to 23 players posting a round in the 80s. This on a day that was sunny with the wind around 10-15 mph (that was during TNT’s coverage – don’t know if the wind whipped up any higher than that before or after the coverage). If the weather really does turn sour, a 74 might be pretty good. Right now the forecast looks good until Sunday afternoon, but my experience has been that the weathermen in Britain graduated from the same meteorology school as the ones in Atlanta.
I forgot to check on whether Inkster was hitting many drivers or not (not just her – I forgot to check anybody’s club selection and didn’t hear the announcers say), but the approach shots I saw her hit were all from the fairway and were mostly right on-target. If I was a player, I’d be a little concerned about having to come from behind to catch Juli Inkster. As steady as she plays and being a veteran of these events, she’s not likely to give it away.
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Weetabix British Open preview
The fourth and final major of the year. Can Karrie Webb take her second major of ’06 and take charge in the race for Player Of The Year honors? Or will Annika Sorenstam restake her claim to that title by pairing this championship with her US Open victory?
If the words “British Open” weren’t on the banner, you’d be hard pressed to convince me this is a Major. The entire purse is $1.8 million – last week’s Evian Masters’ purse is 67% larger! Granted the LPGA Championship and the Nabisco are both $1.8 million and I’m not going to question their major status, but the Match Play and the Michelob Ultra both pay better than three of the four “majors”. With all the shakeups Ms. Bivens has given the LPGA lately, you’d think this oddity would be a “major” concern.
Jeong Jang won last year’s Weetabix by 4 shots over Sophie Gustafson. That event was held at Royal Birkdale in Merseyside (must be near Liverpool, eh?). This year they’ll be teeing it up at Royal Lytham & St. Annes, a par-72 6463-yard course at Lancashire. It was most recently the site of the men’s Open Championship in 2001. David Duval won that event and quickly faded from sight. Hopefully this week’s winner will not suffer that same fate. The course is your typical British venue – links course, with those big pot bunkers and rough that would swallow Mi Hyun Kim alive (if she ever were to miss the fairway – hasn’t done that too much lately). The course is about average in length, so the long hitters shouldn’t dominate. But if the bombers paid attention to Tiger’s strategy at Royal Liverpool two weeks ago and play a lot of long irons and 5-woods to avoid the trouble, they could fill up the leaderboard.
Jang obviously knows how to play the links. Michelle Wie wound up tied for third last year after a rough first round. Kerr and Gulbis both finished in the Top Ten a year ago. But my pick to win this week is Mi Hyun Kim. She missed the cut by one shot last year, but she’s been playing great and her putting is the best on tour right now. My CYA picks are Karrie Webb and Annika Sorenstam.
If the words “British Open” weren’t on the banner, you’d be hard pressed to convince me this is a Major. The entire purse is $1.8 million – last week’s Evian Masters’ purse is 67% larger! Granted the LPGA Championship and the Nabisco are both $1.8 million and I’m not going to question their major status, but the Match Play and the Michelob Ultra both pay better than three of the four “majors”. With all the shakeups Ms. Bivens has given the LPGA lately, you’d think this oddity would be a “major” concern.
Jeong Jang won last year’s Weetabix by 4 shots over Sophie Gustafson. That event was held at Royal Birkdale in Merseyside (must be near Liverpool, eh?). This year they’ll be teeing it up at Royal Lytham & St. Annes, a par-72 6463-yard course at Lancashire. It was most recently the site of the men’s Open Championship in 2001. David Duval won that event and quickly faded from sight. Hopefully this week’s winner will not suffer that same fate. The course is your typical British venue – links course, with those big pot bunkers and rough that would swallow Mi Hyun Kim alive (if she ever were to miss the fairway – hasn’t done that too much lately). The course is about average in length, so the long hitters shouldn’t dominate. But if the bombers paid attention to Tiger’s strategy at Royal Liverpool two weeks ago and play a lot of long irons and 5-woods to avoid the trouble, they could fill up the leaderboard.
Jang obviously knows how to play the links. Michelle Wie wound up tied for third last year after a rough first round. Kerr and Gulbis both finished in the Top Ten a year ago. But my pick to win this week is Mi Hyun Kim. She missed the cut by one shot last year, but she’s been playing great and her putting is the best on tour right now. My CYA picks are Karrie Webb and Annika Sorenstam.
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