Category: LPGA

In 2004 Marisa Baena was contemplating quitting the LPGA Tour. With non-exempt status and having to Monday-qualify for several events this year Baena said she would give herself two more years before changing careers. What a mistake that would have been as she finally broke through to victory today at the 2005 HSBC Women’s Match Play Championship. Playing as Marisa stated “the best golf I’ve played all season” the 60th-seed golfed confidently today finishing with a 1-up victory against LPGA Tour rookie Meena Lee.

Baena began her quest for the $500,000 first-place check by defeating number-five seed Natalie Gulbis on Thursday. She then picked off top players Grace Park, Jennifer Rosales, Karrie Webb and Candie Kung until finally being matched with 47th-seed Lee.

When asked about how she felt after six years playing on tour without a win Baena chirped, “Amazing! I mean it’s been a great week. I have no words…I made $30,000 all last year and I just made $500,000 in a week!”

Continue reading “Marisa Baena is a First-Time Winner at HSBC Match Play”

The first regular-season women’s match-play event on U.S. soil since 1954 will take place this week at Hamilton Farm Golf Club in Gladstone, New Jersey. 64 of the top women’s golfers will tee it up in an attempt to grab the first-place check of $500,000, the second largest payday on tour. Only the U.S. Women’s Open has a larger first prize.

Continue reading “HSBC Women’s World Match Play Championship Preview”

A terrific low-runner out of the sand trap at eighteen delivered an unlikely 72nd hole birdie to 23-year old Birdie Kim (72). Tied with 17-year old Morgan Pressel (75) throughout the day it was Birdie’s final shot which stole victory from the young amateur. Staring down every leaderboard Pressel felt confident that this was her tournament to win but struggled to find the right club for many of her approach shots.

Birdie played solidly today not allowing the pressure to get to her. Like many golfers today Kim misread greens but didn’t allow herself to get caught up in the drama of the event. She carefully played each hole turning difficult shots into opportunities.

When asked about how she felt after winning one of the most prestigious majors on the LPGA Tour, Kim commented in broken English, “I tried my best just to par to get close to the hole. I can’t believe it! I’m very happy.”

Kim is only the third Korean to win a major LPGA tournament and is in good company with veterans Grace Park and Se Ri Pak.

Continue reading “Birdie Finish for Kim Wins the U.S. Women’s Open”

While everyone was waiting for Annika Sorenstam to make her move at Cherry Hills Chilean rookie Nicole Perrot quietly played her game and stole the thunder from the big names in the field. With a pair of 70’s Perrot is the only player to be under par after the second round of the 60th U.S. Women’s Open.

Playing alongside of Perrot is amateur Morgan Pressel (71) whose temper flared with every missed putt. Repeatedly slamming her hand on her putter Pressel still managed to scrape out a 73 to stay within three strokes of Perrot.

Better-known amateur Michelle Wie’s final three holes of her first round were played early this morning. She led in the clubhouse after the first 18 were completed.

Continue reading “Perrot Takes the Lead at the U.S. Women’s Open”

Darkness forced the first round of the U.S. Women’s Open to a halt this evening. Just over 75 women completed the first round and only four of those players broke par.

Several golfers have already finished for the day including Annika Sorenstam whose round of 71 left her only two strokes behind leaders Angela Stanford (69) and amateur Brittany Lang (69). Michelle Wie is also cruising up the leaderboard currently tied for 4th place with Natalie Gulbis, Nicole Perrot and Liselotte Neumann (70) although she waits until tomorrow to finish her first round.

Continue reading “First Round of U.S. Women’s Open Suspended”

Cherry Hills Country Club sets the stage for the LPGA’s third major tournament of the year. Defending champion Meg Mallon will attempt to grab her share of the $3.1 million purse as she has done on two previous occasions.

A first-place check of $560,000 and the prestige of winning the beautiful sterling trophy has 155 of the best women golfers in the world chomping at the bit for a chance at the glory it represents.

The 72-hole championship originated in 1946 as a match-play event changing over to stroke-play the following year and is the longest-running tournament on the LPGA Tour.

Continue reading “U.S. Women’s Open Preview”

Locust Hill Country Club’s greens were an easy read for Mexican Lorena Ochoa today. With five consecutive birdies on the back nine, Ochoa charged past rookie Paula Creamer to finally win her first title of 2005 by four strokes with a 7-under 65.

Creamer started the day with a two-stroke lead over Ochoa but a rimmed one-foot putt for an opening bogey placed her easily within Ochoa’s grasp.

Lorena has been close to a victory three times this season and today walks away with the trophy and a $225,000 share of the $1.5 million purse. As with most great rounds Ochoa’s putting helped her to win the final round of the Wegmans. “I made that birdie on twelve and that was the beginning of all my birdies,” a happy Ochoa said. “That gave me good momentum and you know it is all about having confidence out there.”

Continue reading “Lorena Ochoa Shows Greatness at Wegmans”

With the U.S. Open as the main focus of the week less attention is being paid to this week’s Wegman’s Rochester LPGA event. That’s too bad because the stellar round that Becky Morgan played today was worthy of praise and adulation.

Two-time runner-up Morgan may have finished with a 3-stroke lead over Lorena Ochoa but it was the exciting way in which she did it that deserves a second look. With strings of birdies from the tenth through the thirteenth and then again from the third through the seventh holes Morgan charged past the competition with ease even though the weather was unagreeably rainy and chillier than expected for the middle of June.

Morgan has not had a victory nor a top-ten finish at all this year, resides at 108th on the ADT Official Money List, has a paltry $27,000 in earnings for the season and missed the cut in five out of the ten tournaments she has entered but feels that her game is finally coming around.

Continue reading “Becky Morgan Captures the First Round Lead at Wegmans-Rochester”

Some professional golfers compete throughout their entire careers without ever winning a tournament. That wasn’t the case for thirty-eight-year old Kim Saiki who was crowned champion of the 2004 Wegman’s Rochester LPGA Tournament for the first time in her professional career.

Saiki sets out to defend her first championship win his week against the hottest LPGA superstars, previous winners of this event and ladies who have been victorious this season, all of whom will be challenging Kim for a $225,000 share of the total $1.5 million purse.

At the beginning of the 2004 Wegman’s, a relative unknown Saiki placed 77th on the money list. With veteran Rosie Jones and Saiki battling for the lead in the final round, Saiki drained a seven-foot birdie at the second most difficult hole of the week for the eventual win while Jones collapsed with a double-bogey. The first-timers’ standings on the ADT Official Money List skyrocketed to 14th place after a winless streak of 272 events.

Continue reading “Wegman’s Rochester LPGA Tournament Preview”