-
Posts
309 -
Joined
-
Last visited
About Tontj5
Your Golf Game
- Index: 15
- Plays: Righty
Recent Profile Visitors
1,527 profile views
Tontj5's Achievements
-
Tontj5 started following 2022: A Year to Remember in Women's Golf , 2023 Portland Classic , CPKC Women's Open and 1 other
-
My field rating for this event is a very solid 69.5 %, way way up from 32% last year. My breakdown is 78% from the LPGA Priority List and 61% from the Rolex Rankings. Eight of the top ten players in the world will be teeing it up, and fifteen of the top twenty. The field will be led by top ten players: Lilia Vu Nelly Korda Ruoning Yin Lydia Ko Hyo Joo Kim Allisen Corpuz Charley Hull Brooke Henderson Top ten players skipping the event: Jin Young Ko Celine Boutier Other players skipping the event include: Minjee Lee Leona Maguire A Lim Kim Eun He Ji Cheyenne Knight Amy Yang Anna Nordqvist The Local qualifiers were: Riley Reynolds -4 Chanattee Wannasaen -4 Other stuff: Megan Khang was the 9th first time winner this year. Last year there were a record breaking 11 first time winners. Megan Khang's victory this past weekend was the third straight for an American player, and 8th of the season. No other country has more than three. The eight victories for the USA matches last years win total. No other country had more than four in 2022. Megan Khang's victory was the 8th this year that was decided in a playoff. In the important Race to the CME Globe, where finishing in the top 100 will get players into most tournaments in 2024, there were some notable changes: Lucy Li jumps into the top 100, moving from 110-99. Soo Bin Joo falls out 99-101. Lauren Coughlin wrapped up her spot for next year jumping from 80-65. Other players that still have some work to do, but have measurably improved their chances are: Mi Hyang Lee 94-77 Apichaya Yubol 95-83 Jeongeun Lee5 is still on the outside lookin in, but moved up from 123 to 104. There wasn't much movement in the Rolex Rankings this week as most players went up or down just a few spots. The only ones worth reporting are: Megan Khang leaps up from 28-13 Sei Young Kim moves from 50-44 There were some bigger moves outside the top 100: Lauren Coughlin 136-108 Lucy Li 142-126 Alexa Pano 169-146 Mi Hyang Lee 236-193 The Solheim Cup rosters were announced this week with Team Europe sporting three Solheim rookies and Team USA five. Team Europe rookies: Gemma Dryburgh, Maja Stark, and Linn Grant. Team USA rookies: Lilia Vu, Allisen Corpuz, Megan Khang, Andrea Lee, and Cheyenne Knight. Team Europe (playing at home) would seem to have a huge advantage in experience. Solheim records for Team Europe 61-43-14 Solheim records for Team USA 24-26-13. I will have much more on this subject in weeks to come.
-
My field rating for this event is a pretty solid 68%, up from 65% last year. My breakdown is 71.5% from the brand new reshuffled Priority List and 64.5 % from the Rolex Rankings. Nine of the top ten players in the world will be teeing it up and seventeen of the top twenty. The field will be led by the top five players in the world: 1- Lilia Vu 2- Nelly Korda 3- Celine Boutier 4- Jin Young Ko 5- Ruoning Yin Top twenty LPGA players not teeing it up this week: 9- Charley Hull 12- Atthaya Thitikul Paula Reto is the defending champion. There is lots of other news to report this week. The LPGA had its second and final Priority List reshuffle. It is impossible to report all the changes, but here are the most significant ones: Players who gained the most and figure to play in more tournaments than they would have before the reshuffle include: Alexa Pano 168-101 Esther Henseleit 135-107 Stephanie Meadow 127-109 Bailey Tardy 145-114 Lindy Duncan 186-115 Dani Holmqvist 178-142 Soo Bin Jin 164-149 Nicole Broch Estrup 400- 150 Su Oh 170-153 Caroline Hedwall 387-154 Olivia Cowan 376-155 Muni He 192-162 Alanna Sharp 193-164 Players that got hurt the most include: Amanda Dogherty 114-131 Caroline Inglis 112-137 Jaravee Bonchant 117-138 Maddy Szeryk 108-139 Lauren Hartlage 111-144 Natthakritta Vongtaveelap 109-146 Pavarisa Yoktuan 119-152 Marissa Steen 131-151 Christina Kim 155-181 Marijo Uribe 129-174 Alexa Pano was the eighth first time winner this year. Alexa Pano's victory was the seventh tournament this year to be decided by a playoff. Alexa Pano's victory this past week was the seventh tournament won by American players this year. France is second with three wins (all by Celine Boutier). The American players have won in lots of different ways this year: They won with the strongest fields - Lilia Vu (Chevron Championship) and Allisen Corpuz (U.S. Women's Open) both 95% field ratings. They Won with the weakest field - Alexa Pano (ISPS Handa World Invitational) field rating 8%. They won the only Couples event - Cheyenne Knight and Elizabeth Szokel (The dow Grat Lakes Invitational). They won an Inaugural Event - Rose Zhang (Mizuho Americas Open). They won in Asia - Lilia Vu (Honda LPGA Thailand). They won in Europe - Lilia Vu (AIG Women's Open in England) and Alexa Pano (ISPS Handa in Ireland) They won in the United States - four times. They have had five first time winners (Lilia Vu, Allisen Corpuz, Rose Zhang, Elizabeth Szokel, Alexa Pano). They have won three tournaments in playoffs (twice against American opponents). They have done this all without getting victories this year from three of their top ranked players ( Nelly Korda, Danielle Kang, and Lexi Thompson), showing the depth of their players. There was some major movement in the Race to the CME Globe this week. As I note every week, you have to finish in the top 100 to retain full playing privileges for the 2024 season. The most important moves this week: Alexa Pano makes the biggest splash, wrapping up her card for next year (and the year after that because of the victory) with a huge move from 132 to 38. The following players haven't wrapped up their cards for next year yet, but have improved their chances: Olivia Cowan 118-79 Jasmine Suwannapura 91-82 Wichanee Meechai 97-83 Dani Holmqvist 94-84 Azahara Munoz 131-97 Soo Bin Jin 108-99 The following players are still on the outside of the top 100, but now have a better chance than last week: Marissa Steen 110-104 Dewi Weber 135-117 Muni He 136-124 There was not too much movement in the Rolex Rankings this week: Celine Boutier moved up a spot to Number 3 in the world rankings. Jin Young Ko dropped to Number 4. Ryann O'Toole jumps from 83-79 Esther Henseleit Leaps from 129-112 Alexa Pano Catapults up 233 spots from 402-169
- 1 reply
-
- 1
-
Ok. Sorry, thought I did it right.
-
With 34 tournaments on the schedule (including the Solheim Cup & International Crown), this season promises to be one of the most exciting ever. LPGA Tour expert Tony Jesselli shares his predictions for the 2023 Player of the Year. Photos by Ben Harpring. Players on the LPGA Tour are getting more and more talented each and every year so it is very difficult to narrow this down to just 40 players. But let’s give it a go. Here are my top 40 picks for the 2023 season in reverse order: (last year’s actual Player of the Year finish is in parenthesis). 40. Hae Ran Ryu – (rookie) She won medalist honors at the 2022 LPGA Q-Series. She was the KLPGA Rookie of the Year in 2020, and has won five times on that tour. One of two rookies that appear on this list. 39. Maria Fassi (56) – Maria came onto the LPGA as a rookie in 2019 with very high expectations, but has mostly struggled her first few years on tour. Last year she had a very poor first half of the season, but came roaring back in the second half with two third place finishes and three top tens. She led the tour in driving distance last year (280 yards), but was 135th in driving accuracy. She needs to improve on that last number to finish this high. 38. A Lim Kim (53) – A winner of the 2020 U.S. Women’s Open in 2020, she hasn’t won since. She managed just 4 top tens last year in 29 starts. She had all sorts of trouble keeping the ball in the fairway, finishing 125th in that category. She has too much talent to finish outside the top fifty again. 37. Carlota Ciganda (35) – She led Team Spain to an International Crown victory in 2014 and was supposed to be that country’s biggest star for years to come. After winning twice early in her career, she has been a disappointment. In fact, she has now gone six years without a victory on the LPGA Tour. Until she shows that she can win again, I can’t put her higher than this. 36. Eun-Hee Ji (34) – A winner last year of the Bank of Hope Match-Play Championship. It was her 6th LPGA victory. She is a 17 year veteran on the LPGA Tour. She only managed two top tens last year in nineteen starts, so her better days may be behind her. 35. Georgia Hall (35) – Didn’t miss a single cut in nineteen starts in 2022. She managed four top tens but hasn’t won since getting her second LPGA victory in 2020. I look for her to finish about in the same place as last year. 34. Ally Ewing (33) – Not a household name, but Ally has won an LPGA tournament in each of the last three years. She needs to improve her consistency as she had only one other top ten last year. She also has to improve her putting as she was 158th on tour last year. 33. Megan Khang (30) – She makes almost all of her cuts (20 of 24), but has never won on the LPGA Tour. Her six top tens last year shows us she is capable, but until she hits the winner’s circle I can’t rate her higher than this. 32. Nanna Koerstz Madsen (24) – The 28 year old broke through with her first LPGA victory in 2022. On the negative side though, she managed just two other top tens. The fact that she managed to make just twelve cuts in 23 starts is disturbing. 31. Yuko Saso (37) – Winner of the 2021 U.S. Women’s Open, she failed to live up to the expectations that came with that victory. She only had four top ten finishes in 2022 in 26 starts. At just 21 years old, I believe the best is yet to come. Look for her to have a bounce-back season. 30. Madelene Sagstrom (28) – Madelene’s only LPGA victory came in 2020, but did have five top ten finishes this past year. Keeping the ball in the fairway has been a long time problem for her as she finished 136th in that category in 2021 and 151st last year. She is one of the tour’s best putters, finishing 5th in putts per G.I.R. last year. 29. Marina Alex (23) – Recorded her second LPGA victory last year and added four more top tens. A solid player who seems to always finish in this area. 28. Hinako Shibuno (21) – Hinako won a major championship as a non LPGA player in 2019, but has not won again in 40 starts. Missed way too many cuts last year as she only saw the weekend 13 times in 23 starts. 27. Sei Young Kim (37) – Based on her standards, last year was a year to forget. A twelve time winner on the LPGA Tour, she hasn’t won since 2020. Look for that to change this year and she will move up at least ten spots. 26. Xi Yu Lin (21) – Had her best year on the LPGA Tour last year with six top tens, but has yet to win on the LPGA Tour. Can’t rate her higher until she wins. 25. Linn Grant (41) – Played most of the last year on the Ladies European Tour where she won four times. She only played in 6 LPGA events but made five cuts and had two top ten finishes. We will be seeing much more of her this year. 24. Lucy Li (rookie) – The second of two rookies on this list, I look for big things from her in 2023. She qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open when she was eleven years old. She won twice last year on the Epson Tour. Played six times on the LPGA Tour last year with three top 12 finishes. No American player has won top rookie honors since Paula Creamer in 2005. That should change this year. 23. Gaby Lopez (25) – One of the most consistent players on tour, Gaby was a winner for the third time in her career last year. I look for her to have a very similar season this year. 22. Charley Hull (18) – The 26 year old will be entering her 9th year on the LPGA Tour. Her next top ten will be the 30th of her career, but has only found the winner’s circle twice. Needs to turn some of those top tens into wins to finish higher. 21. Jessica Korda (31) – When she is healthy she is still one of the top players on tour. Unfortunately, nagging injuries held her to only 14 starts last year. She did have six top ten finishes, but is still looking for career victory number seven. 20. Lilia Vu (32) – I bet there are many who are not familiar with this name. In her first full season on tour last year she was one of the biggest surprises. She amassed eight top tens and fourteen top twenty finishes. Look for her to continue to rise this season. 19. Ayaka Furue (20) – Struggled the first half of her rookie season last year, but turned it around late in the year. Her maiden victory and all four of her top tens came in the second half of the year. 18. Maja Stark (23) – A big star on the LET where she won five times in 11 months, she won on the LPGA Tour last year as a non-LPGA member. She then accepted membership on the LPGA Tour and had three top ten finishes. A rising star, she could finish much higher than this. 17. Andrea Lee (17) – She started the year on the Epson Tour but when she got her chance at the big show she didn’t disappoint. She not only won her first LPGA tournament, but also had five other top ten finishes. 16. Hyo Joo Kim (7) – She only played in seventeen tournaments last year but had a huge year. She picked up victory number five, and had eight top ten finishes. She needs to play more for me to think she will finish higher than this. 15. Jennifer Kupcho (6) – She was one of only two players to win three times last year including one major championship. Why am I dropping her this year? Other than her wins, she had only one other top ten, and had a miserable second half. She needs to be more consistent to replicate what she did last year. 14. Hannah Green (19) – She has shown she can win on the LPGA Tour as she has not only won twice, but one of those was a major championship. She had eight top ten finishes last year. She seems to be in the mix on Sundays, but hasn’t been able to win in three years. I think that will change this year. 13. In Gee Chun (5) – She has only won four times in her career, but three of those were major championships, including one in 2022. Would like to see more consistency from her as she only had three top tens in nineteen starts. 12. Leona Maguire (9) – It gets really hard rating the remaining players as any of these players could finish on or near the top. Leona won for the first time and had eight top ten finishes in 2022. Doesn’t drive the ball very far (121st), but is one of the best putters in the game (9th). 11. Celine Boutier (12) – She failed to get her 3rd LPGA victory last year but was third on tour with twelve top ten finishes. My Top 10 Predictions for 2023 LPGA Player of the Year 10. Jin Young Ko (13) – She won early in the 2022 season picking up win number thirteen. As we are not sure of the state of her injury or even the state of her game, she could finish higher than this or not in the top forty at all. 9. Nasa Hataoka (16) – She picked up win number six in 2022 and had six other top ten finishes. She sometimes looks like she could be the best player in the game, but also disappears for long stretches. 8. Lexi Thompson (8) – It seems impossible, but Lexi has not won in four years. Always among the leaders in top tens, she will finish this high even if she doesn’t win. She has so many close calls where she can’t seem to sink a putt when it counts. I believe one of those winning putts should drop this year. 7. Minjee Lee (2) – She won twice in 2022 including the U.S. Women’s Open, giving her 8 wins in her career. Incredibly, she did all of that last year even though she finished 103rd in putting. 6. Danielle Kang (13) – She won for the sixth time last year. A very serious illness forced her to miss three months of the season. In just 18 starts she had ten top tens and finished the year very strong. 5. Hye-Jin Choi (11) – Finished second for the rookie of the year award, but had the stats to win it in most years. She did everything but win last year as she had three third place finishes and one second place finish among her ten top tens. 4. Lydia Ko (1) – She won three times last year giving her nineteen wins for her career. She was player of the year and also won the Vare trophy. She is just 2 points away from being the first LPGA player to earn her way into the Hall of Fame with the required 27 points, since Inbee Park. 3. Atthaya Thitikul (4) – The 2022 Rookie of the Year had an amazing season. Not only was she a two time winner, but led the tour with a shocking sixteen top ten finishes. She is only 19 years old, so the best is yet to come. 2. Nelly Korda (10) – Various illnesses and injuries limited her season to just 15 events. She is an eight time winner, and she won the next to last tournament of the season proving that she is finally healthy. She is still just 24 years old and I look for her to have a big year in 2023. 1. Brooke Henderson (3) – Brooke has never had a bad year on tour. In fact she has won every single season except the Covid shortened 2020. She is just 25 years old and has already amassed thirteen victories. She won twice in 2022, and I look for her to win multiple times this year and bring the player of the Year trophy home. Players most likely to make me look foolish for leaving them off this list: Patty Tavatanakit, Mina Harigae, Jeongeun Lee6. There were four veteran players that won for the first time in 2022 after many years on tour. Those players are Ashleigh Buhai, Paula Reto, Jodi-Ewart Shadoff, and Gemma Dryburgh. Although this was an outstanding achievement, I would like to see a follow-up victory before I can say that they are top forty players.
-
2022: A Year to Remember in Women’s Golf When Michael Whan took over as Commissioner of the LPGA in 2010, one of his initial goals was the make the LPGA a “global tour.” Whan is no longer with the LPGA, having left last year after 11 seasons, but it has never been more apparent how successful he was in achieving that goal. The LPGA had a record breaking fourteen countries that had at least one player that won a tournament in 2022. Yes, it was surely a year to remember in women’s golf. For the second consecutive year the USA was the country with the most wins. Its eight wins were double any other country. Here is a list of every country that had a winner this year: United States – (8 wins) – Jennifer Kupcho (3 wins, one with Lizette Salas as partner), Danielle Kang, Marina Alex, Ally Ewing, Andrea Lee, Nelly Korda. Republic of Korea (4) – Jin Young Ko, Hyo-Joo Kim, Eun-Hee Ji, In Gee Chun New Zealand (3) – Lydia Ko (3 wins) Thailand (2) – Atthaya Thitikul (2wins) Japan (2) – Nasa Hataoka, Ayaka Furue Australia (2) – Minjee Lee (2 wins) Canada (2) – Brooke Henderson (2 wins) South Africa (2) – Ashleigh Buhai, Paula Reto England (2) – Charley Hull, Jodi Ewart Shadoff Ireland (1) – Leona Maguire Denmark (1) – Nanna Koerstz Madsen Sweden (1) – Maja Stark Mexico (1) – Gaby Lopez Scotland (1) – Gemma Dryburgh Atthaya Thitikul at the 2022 US Women’s Open. There were also five major championship winners from five different countries: The Chevron Championship – Jennifer Kupcho – USA U.S Women’s Open – Minjee Lee – Australia KPMG Women’s PGA Championship – In Gee Chun – Republic of Korea Amundi Evian Championship – Brooke Henderson – Canada AIG British Open – Ashleigh Buhai – South Africa Yes, it was quite the year to remember. First Time Winners There were also a record breaking eleven first time winners: Leona Maguire – LPGA Drive on Championship Nanna Koerstz Madsen – Honda LPGA Thailand Atthaya Thitikul – JTBC Classic and Walmart NW Arkansas Championship Jennifer Kupcho – The Chevron Championship, Meijer LPGA Classic, Dow Great lakes Ayaka Furue – Trust Women’s Scottish Open Ashleigh Buhai – AIG Women’s Open Maja Stark – ISPS Handa World International Paula Reto – CP Women’s Open Andrea Lee – Portland Classic Jodi Ewart Shadsoff – LPGA MEDIHEAL Championship Gemma Dryburgh – Toto Japan Classic The Rolex Player of the Year was Lydia Ko The Vare trophy was won by Lydia Ko The Rolex Rookie of the Year award was won by Atthaya Thitikul Lydia Ko and Jennifer Kupcho led the tour in wins with three Atthaya Thitikul had the most top tens with sixteen Lydia Ko led the tour in putting with 1.72 putts per greens in regulation Maria Fassi was the longest driver on tour averaging 279.3 yards The player who finished the highest on the money list (6th) without a win – Hye-Jin Choi The player that finished the lowest on the money list with a win (49th) Nanna Koerts Madsen Atthaya Thitikul – 2022 US Womens Open Other Notes Lydia Ko picked up two more Hall of Fame points at the end of the season for winning Player of the Year and the Vare Trophy. She now has 25 points. Twenty-seven is needed for induction. There were five players who did not miss a cut all season on the LPGA Tour: Lydia Ko, Hye-Jin Choi, Hannah Green, Georgia Hall, and Danielle Kang. The final field of eight countries for the 2023 Hanwa Lifeplus International Crown is now set.The eight countries were determined by the combined Rolex Women’s World Rankings of the top four players from each country as of November 21st.The USA and Korea tied with 35 points followed by Japan (85), Sweden (120), Thailand (183), England (187), Australia (298), and the Republic of China (446). South Africa just missed getting in with 475. The players that will represent each country have not yet been determined. That will be finalized on April 23, 2023. The top four Rolex ranked players from each country on that day will qualify. The LPGA announced their 2023 schedule. There will be 33 official tournaments plus the Solheim Cup and the International Crown. They will be playing for a record breaking $101.4 million. Congratulations should also be given out to Linn Grant who was the winner of the Costa Del Sol title, which is given to the player of the year on the Ladies European Tour.
-
A big congratulations goes out to Ha Na Jang for winning the ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open. Her eagle on the 17th hole, and bidie on the 18th, enabled her to blow past the rest of the field and go on to win by 3 strokes. This week the LPGA moves to Thailand for the playing of the Honda LPGA Thailand. Last season brought us close finishes in almost every tournament.....but this was not one of them. Lexi Thompson's twenty under par total of 268 blew away the field, and was 6 strokes better than runner-up In Gee Chun and 7 strokes better than 3rd place finishers Jessica Korda and Amy Yang. It was Lexi's 7th win on the LPGA tour. Lexi Thompson raises her arms in victory at last year's Honda LPGA Thailand event. This will tournament #3 of 34 on the this year's LPGA schedule. Here are the key details: Course: Siam Country Club, Pattaya Old Course Location: Chonburi, Thailand Defending Champion: Lexi Thompson Winning Score: 64-72-64-68 = 268 (-20) Final Field: 69 Players Par: 36/36 = 72 Yardage: 6,642 Purse: $1,600,000 My strength of field rating is a very solid 77.5 % ( down from 78.5 last year). Forty-nine of the top 50 players from the LPGA Priority List will be teeing it up, with only I.K. Kim missing from that list. Thirty-six of the top 50 players will be teeing it up from the Rolex World Rankings. The reason my field rating isn't even higher than it is, is because the limited field lacks depth. Players such as Sung Hyun Park, Paula Creamer, Michelle Wie, Nelly Korda, and Ilhee Lee (to name a few), will not be teeing it up because of the small field. In fact, Inbee Park, Sandra Gal, Yani Tseng, and Ai Miyazato are only playing because they are sponsor invitees, and any prize money they will earn will not count as official earnings. Here are the television times: GC Thursday February 23 - 1:00 a.m. - 5:00 a.m. ET GC Friday February 24 - 1:00 a.m. - 5:00 a.m. ET GC Saturday February 25 - 1:00 a.m. - 5:00 a.m. ET GC Sunday February 26 - 1:00 a.m. - 5:00 a.m. ET I believe the time difference between East Coast and Thailand is 12 hours.
-
ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open Preview & Pairings After a two week break the LPGA heads to Australia for the playing of the ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open. This tournament has a history of very close and very exciting finishes. Who could ever forget 2012, when Jessica Korda won in a 6 player playoff. Or the following year when Jiyai Shin battled it out with Yani Tseng for 72 holes, with Jiyai winning by 2 strokes. In 2014, nine players finished within 3 strokes of the lead with Karrie Webb becoming the eventual winner. In 2015, Lydia Ko brought home the trophy with a two stroke win over runner up Amy Yang. Last year Haru Nomura shot a final round 65, to come out three shots ahead of Lydia Ko. This will be tournament #2 of 34 on this year's LPGA schedule. Here are the key details: Course: The Royal Adelaide Golf Club Location: Grange, South Australia Defending Champion: Haru Nomura Winning Score: 69-68-70-65 = 272 (-16) Final Field: 132 players Par: 73 Yardage: 6,681 Purse: $1,300,000 My strength of field rating is 44% (up from 31.50% last year). Twenty-five of the top 50 players from the LPGA priority list, and 14 of the top 50 players from the current Rolex Rankings will be teeing it up. The field will be led by World #1 Lydia Ko and #2 Ariya Jutanugarn. Other big names teeing it up this week include: Ha Na Jang, Brooke Henderson, Charley Hull, Minjee Lee, Carlota Ciganda, and defending champion Haru Nomura. Most of the American players are sitting this one out, with #31 Mo Martin the highest ranked American in the field. Here are the first round pairings: Here are the television times: (16 hour time differential between East Coast and Australia) Feb 15 - GC 9:00 PM - 2:00 AM ET Feb 16 - GC 11:00 PM - 2:00 AM ET Feb 17 - GC 11:00 PM - 2:00 AM ET Feb 18 - GC 9:00 PM - 2:00 AM ET Players most likely to win: (Top players in the field) Lydia Ko Ariya Jutanugarn Ha Na Jang Brooke Henderson Players to watch out for: (I'm feeling it this week) Carlota Ciganda Charley Hull Jenny Shin Longshot Picks: (Not likely, but not impossible) Megan Khang Nelly Korda Mo Martin In the last tournament (The Pure Silk Bahamas Classic), winner Brittany Lincicome was my longshot pick. Other Tidbits: Stacy Lewis announced that she will be cutting down on her schedule this year to concentrate on "family." Among the tournaments she will be skipping will be the Evian Championship. 2017 will be the final year for Manulife as title sponsor of the Manulife LPGA Classic. “We thank Manulife for being such a wonderful title sponsor and partner to the LPGA for the past six years,” said LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan. “The Waterloo Region is full of tremendous golf fans and the support shown by the community has helped to make this a very successful event both on and off the golf course. We look forward to another great Manulife LPGA Classic this June and will continue to work to bring an LPGA tournament back to this area in the future.”
-
Yes. That is where it is going to be played. I had a link to the story, but your great and powerful leader removed it.
-
The LPGA will announce today a new tournament to be added to the 2017 LPGA schedule. It will be held in Indianapolis, Indiana and played around the famed oval racetrack.
-
Michelle Wie Wins U.S. Open for her First Major Championship Michelle Wie Wins Her First Major Championship We have all waited for this for such a very long time. Michelle Wie won her first major championship today, by winning the U.S. Open by two strokes over Stacy Lewis. Michelle started the day in a tie for first place with Amy Yang. At the start it did not appear that this was going to be Michelle's day as she and her playing partner (Yang), both bogeyed the first hole. At that point in the tournament there were 6 players within 3 strokes of the lead. When So Yeon Ryu birdied 1, 2, and 4, she pulled within 2 strokes of the leaders. Yang then made double Bogey on two, followed by bogeys on 4, 7, 12, and 14, ending any chance she had to win. Meanwhile Michelle would keep her very slim lead by making pars on 8 consecutive holes (2 through 9). When Michelle eagled the par 5 tenth hole she increased her lead to three strokes. One by one all the players chasing her would fall out of contention with the exception of a charging Stacy Lewis, and Stephanie Meadow who was making her professional debut. When Stacy bogeyed the 16th it looked like her chances were over, but birdies on both 17 and 18 got her into the clubhouse at even par, 3 strokes behind Wie. When Michelle double bogeyed the 16th hole her lead shrunk to just one shot. Meanwhile Meadow, who was playing incredibly consistent golf, was still in contention if she could birdie 17 and 18 and tie Stacy for the clubhouse lead. She only managed a par on 17, and when she birdied 18 (to finish 3 under on the back 9) she had 3rd place all to herself. Now it came down to Michelle having to par 17 and 18 to win the championship. She put her approach shot to within 25 feet of the 17th hole and drilled her birdie putt in the center of the hole for a 2 stroke lead. When she sank her par putt on the 18th hole it was all over and she had the 4th victory of her career and first major championship. It was Michelle's second victory of the season, and 9th victory for U.S. players this year. It also made the U.S. 2 for 2 in major championships this year as Lexi Thompson won the Kraft earlier this year.
-
Her name is Inbee Park and she is still (just barely), #1. Your points though are well taken.
-
First let me congratulate Jessica Korda for winning the Airbus LPGA Classic. Jessica defeated Anna Nordqvist by 1 stroke in another incredibly exciting LPGA finish. At one point on the back nine, six players were tied for 1st place. Jessica birdied the 18th hole to secure her victory. Jessica Korda wins 2014 Airbus LPGA Classic I have been critical at times the past couple of years, voicing my disappointment at the results of the American players' finishes at the Solheim Cup, and especially major championships. Going into the British Open last season, Asian players had won 11 consecutive major championships. American players won only 7 times last year in 28 tournaments. There was really no reason coming into the 2014 season to think that things would dramatically change. My reasoning was the following: Stacy Lewis - Sure she has been getting her wins, but she seems to let many more get away. Look at all those second and 3rd place finishes. Paula Creamer - She may break a record before she is finished for the most top 20 finishes, but I was really starting to doubt she would ever win again. Lizette Salas - Contended often for 54 holes, but didn't always break 80 on Sunday. Jessica Korda - So much potential but hadn't won since the first tournament of 2012. Cristie Kerr - Well into her thirties now, her famous putter wasn't as magical as often as it used to be. Michelle Wie - I gave up on her. Lexi Thompson - Won twice late in the 2013 season and was my biggest hope. The Brittany's - Solid players that seemed to be going in the wrong direction. Gerina Piller - Getting better results every year, but can she win? My wife and I might be the biggest LPGA fans on the planet. We attend many LPGA tournaments during the year, including long distance flights to Carnoustie and St. Andrews. We started the 2014 season hopeful, but weren't holding our breaths. The results this year have been a dramatic turn around from the past few years. No one could have possibly expected this. Jessica Korda opens up the season winning the Pure Silk LPGA Classic. Paula Creamer sinks a miracle 75 foot eagle putt in a sudden death playoff to win in Singapore. Lexi Thompson wins the Kraft Nabisco Championship, the first major of the year. Michelle Wie wins the LPGA Lotte Championship in her home state. Stacy Lewis trounces the field in winning the North Texas LPGA Shootout. Lizette Salas makes amends for her previous 4th round collapses, winning the Kingsmill Championship Jessica Korda becomes the first American 2 time winner by winning the Airbus LPGA Classic. WOW! Seven wins by six different players. No other country has had more than one player win this year. The Americans have now matched their entire win total of 2013. They have now also won two of the last three major championships. The LPGA has so many great players that could win on any given week (Lydia Ko, Anna Nordqvist, and Karrie Webb have also won this year), that dominance by any one country I believe will be rare, and should be enjoyed while it lasts. With great players like Suzann Pettersen, Inbee Park, So Yeon Ryu, Ai Miyazato, Shanshan Feng, etc., fans from all over the world will get their chance to smile soon. That is what has always been Commissioner Michael Whan's vision, and what makes the LPGA such an exciting tour. That said, with four of the next eleven LPGA events being major championships, the American fans have to be smiling from ear to ear.
-
I have been writing about the LPGA for quite some time now, but never has it been more enjoyable for me than it is now. What has made this more enjoyable with each passing week, is that things have finally begun to change. There is no doubt that the LPGA in 2014 has reached new heights in popularity that hasn't been seen in many years. Attendance has been up both internationally and here at home. Television ratings have increased dramatically. Media coverage (newspapers, magazines) has increased. Why this sudden turnaround? Here are what I think are the main reasons: First and foremost the LPGA now has a commissioner that has made a commitment to giving its fans the best product he could possibly put out there. He also seems to have a knack of hiring the right people for the right jobs, and because of this he has gotten the results that have led to this turnaround. With 32 tournaments now on the schedule (there were just 23 a few short years ago), fans don't have to wait through long breaks that potentially decreases interest. Television coverage has increased to where over 350 hours will be broadcasted in 2014. The "Race to the CME Globe", and its 1 million dollar first prize has generated interest similar to what the FedEx cup is for the PGA. With 21 tournaments in North America, and tournaments in Asia, Europe, Australia, and Mexico, the LPGA now has fans all around the world. This may be my favorite reason for the big surge in 2014. In recent weeks we have seen victories by hugely popular players such as Paula Creamer, Lydia Ko, Michelle Wie, Stacy Lewis, and Lexi Thompson. I was very satisfied with my above reasoning until I got an e-mail from a dear friend who wrote "I do feel the media has focused on the women more because Tiger is not in the equation." Hmmm. I never really thought about that. Has Tiger's absence from the PGA brought more fans over to the LPGA? The e-mail went on to say (referring to the media), " I hope their mind set will continue with women's golf when he is back playing. Time will tell." Well that is certainly food for thought, so I went on some of the golf forums around the world. I asked people who were new fans of the LPGA to tell my why. I went to forums in the US, Canada, Singapore, Thailand, Korea, and mainland China. I was surprised that the most popular answer I got was that the PGA is suddenly very boring and the LPGA has been a pleasantly surprising alternative. Most elaborated even further saying that they were surprised at the high quality of the women's game. So what conclusions can we draw from the above? I still think that all my reasons listed above are very valid and have contributed to the LPGA's resurgence. Those reasons will continue to draw more and more people to the LPGA. Will things change when Tiger returns? I think only to a certain extent. Yes, people will still want to see what Tiger is doing whether they love him or hate him. But the key here is that the "Tiger effect" was a positive one. The new fans that came over in Tiger's absence enjoyed what they have seen and are not just going to abandon the LPGA. Tiger or no Tiger, the LPGA is here to stay. I see it growing more and more in the coming years.
-
Now that we have completed about 1/3 of the LPGA season, I would like to look at the players that have made the biggest leaps, and taken the biggest falls in the Rolex Rankings this year. The Rolex Rankings system awards points to players based on an accumulated 104-week "rolling" period, with the points awarded in the most recent 13-week period carrying a stronger value. A player is then ranked according to her average points per tournament, as determined by dividing her total number of points by the number of eligible tournaments played during the 104-week period. A minimum divisor (35) is also used. I have gone back to the first Rolex Rankings of the year and compared them to the current rankings. The only requirements for my list is: (1) A player must have been ranked in the top 100 at the start of the year, or be in the top 100 now. (2) A player must have started the year 2014 with a minimum rating of 0.50 (or else this chart would be filled with unknown names.) The Year's Biggest Gainers: 1- Michelle Wie - 1.77 to 4.48 = Gain of 2.71 (moved from #61-#12) 2- Karrie Webb - 5.06 to 7.15 = Gain of 2.09 (move 8 to 5) 3- Lydia Ko - 7.38 to 9.31 = Gain of 1.93 (move 4 to 3) 4- Lexi Thompson - 4.86 to 6.71 = Gain of 1.85 (move 9 to 6) 5- Anna Nordqvist - 3.04 to 4.56 = Gain of 1.62 (move 26 to 11) 6- Stacy Lewis - 8.98 to 9.78 = Gain of 0.80 (move 3 to 2) 7- Charley Hull - 1.13 to 1.87 = Gain of 0.76 (move 103 to 48) 8- Azahara Munoz - 2.73 to 3.48 = Gain of 0.75 (move 31 to 20) 9- Jenny Shin - 1.51 to 2.17 = Gain of 0.66 (move 73 to 39) 10- Se Ri Pak - 2.75 to 3.28 = Gain of 0.53 (move 30 to 22) 11- Kyu-Jung Baek - 0.53 to 1.03 = Gain of 0.50 (move 205 to 100) The Year's Biggest Decliners: 1- Suzann Pettersen - 10.25 to 8.71 = Loss of 1.54 (move 2 to 4) 2- Ai Miyazato - 3.56 to 2.22 = Loss of 1.34 (move from 21 to 38) 3- Mika Miyazato - 3.54 to 2.43 = Loss of 1.11 (move 22 to 34) 4- Na Yeon Choi - 5.36 to 4.31 = Loss of 1.05 (move from 7 to 13) 5- I.K. Kim - 4.55 to 3.57 = Loss of 0.98 (move 10 to 18) 6- So Yeon Ryu - 6.56 to 5.62 = Loss of 0.94 (move 5 to 7) 7- Beatriz Recari - 3.72 to 2.79 = Loss of 0.93 (move 19 to 29) 8- Shanshan Feng - 6.36 to 5.49 = Loss of 0.87 (move 6 to 8) 9- Yani Tseng - 2.62 to 1.79 = Loss of 0.83 (move 35 to 54) 10- Carlotta Ciganda - 2.51 to 1.75 = Loss of 0.76 (move 39 to 56) 11- Inbee Park - 10.72 to 9.99 = Loss of 0.73 (move 1 to 1) 12- Chie Arimura - 1.65 to 0.95 = Loss of 0.70 (move 66 to 110) 12- Jiyai Shin - 3.96 to 3.26 = Loss of 0.70 (move 16 to 23) 14- Ihlee Lee - 2.69 to 2.02 = Loss of 0.67 (move 32 to 44) 15- Miki Saiki - 2.32 to 1.67 = Loss of 0.65 (move 44 to 62) Note : It is interesting to point out that there is not one American player on the above list. Brittany Lincicome is currently #18 on the list. I will revisit this again at the 2/3 mark of the season, and again at season's end. Priority List Reshuffle : The first of two LPGA Priority List reshuffles were done today. The Priority List is what is used to fill the required amount of spots for any given tournament. Without me getting into the categories, which is potentially confusing, here is a brief explanation. Most full field events have a field of 144 players. Usually 140 of the players come from the Priority List ranking. Two players are Monday qualifiers, and 2 more are sponsor exemptions. So to keep it simple, if your Priority Rating is #150, you have to hope that 10 players decide not to play, or you are probably not getting into the field. The biggest gainers were: Mirim Lee 118- 84 Line Vedel 127-86 Hara Nomura 137-87 Mi Hyang Lee 108-88 Tiffany Joh 119-89 Amy Anderson 120-92 Brooke Pancake 114-94 Katie Burnett 115-95 Ashleigh Simon 138-102 Although the above gains are quite impressive, it does not change those players' playing status all that much. Those players were already playing in full field events. The most important gainers were : These players should be playing regularly now. Kim Kaufman 164 - 93 Amelia Lewis 146 - 91 Dori Carter - 142 - 90 Jenny Suh - 160 -100 Laura Davies 154 - 143 Stacey Keating - 175 - 145 Lori Kane - 155- 146 Megan McChrystal 159 - 147 Alejandra Llaneza 162-149 Lee-Anne Pace - 169 - 152 The players that got hurt the most : These players will find it much harder to qualify for tournaments now. Kris Tamulis - 144 -159 Karen Stupples - 147- 158 Maude-Aimee Leblanc - 148 - 161 (chose to play Symetra Tour this year) Mi Hyun Kim - was #58 is now off list. Amanda Blumenherst - Was #140, is now off list. Other Tidbits : Stacy Lewis is now #1 on the money list, leader for the Vare Trophy, leads the Rolex Player of the Year Award and the CME Race to the Globe. Several players had their consecutive cuts made streak snapped. Hee Young Park (21), Eun-Hee Ji (19), Morgan Pressel (16), and Se Ri Pak (15), all missed the cut. Rolex Movers of the Week : Stacy Lewis moves from #3 to #2, and is now within a whisker of taking over the #1 position. Meena Lee leaps up from #70 to #51, while outside the top 100 rookie Kim Kaufman's 4th place finish has vaulted her past 143 players. She soars from #336 to 193. Race to the CME Globe : (1 million dollars) Stacy Lewis has taken a commanding lead with 1,979 points. She is followed by Michelle Wie (1,540), and Karrie Webb (1,417). Who's Hot : Stacy Lewis has finished in the top 10 in 19 of her last 20 tournaments. Although Cristie Kerr has not won this year, she might be playing some of the finest golf of her career. She has six consecutive top 10 finishes. Michelle Wie remains the only LPGA player to finish in the top 20 in every start this year. She has not finished out of the top 16. Who's Not : Ihlee Lee has not yet finished in the top 20 this year in 9 tries. She has also missed 3 cuts. Moriya Jutanugarn has failed to register a top 20 in any of her 10 starts this year. Her best finish was a T28. Louise Friberg has missed 16 consecutive cuts. Reilly Rankin has missed her last 10. Consistently Mediocre : Very strangely, Jodi Ewart Shadoff has made the cut in all 8 of her starts this year but has never finished better than 23rd or worse than 45th.
-
This is the LPGA at its best. It doesn't get better than this. Wie & Lexi in the final group with a Hall of Famer and a future star playing ahead of them. For those people who think the LPGA is a joke, tune in tomorrow you might learn something.