The best are back (1)

It's been 19 days since the Ricoh Women's British Open ended, which means the LPGA hasn't had a single tournament since then; Nevertheless, the tour will be back on track this week thanks to the Safeway Classic to be held August 20-22 in Portland, Oregon; an event that has been part of the tour since 1972.

The field of this tourney is always full of stars, this year, as it's a tradition, we'll have the chance to see the top 10 of the Rolex Rankings. Today we'll talk about players 10 to 6:

10. Song-Hee Kim: she has never won in the LPGA, still her victories in the FUTURES Tour (5) have been enough to put herself among the best. This season, Kim has been runner-up twice and leads some stats such as scoring average (69.98), rounds under par (74%), top 10 (78%), birdies (206) and sub-par holes (210). 

9. In-Kyung Kim: her career has been discrete, nevertheless, she's lifted two LPGA trophies, Longs Drugs Challenge (2008) and LPGA State Farm Classic (2009), and one more from the Ladies European Tour, Dubai Masters (2009). As if that wasn't enough, she's very consistent with her short game.

8. Anna Nordqvist: she's been compared with Annika Sörenstam by media and fans; the 23 year-old Swede has three victories in two seasons as a pro, besides, she's very analytic when she plays. Furthermore, she trains with Sörenstam's former coaches, Henri Reis and Pia Nilsson.

7. Paula Creamer: U.S. Women's Open champion is anxious to play this week, mainly because last year she had to WD from this event due to health issues. The "Pink Panther" came back to the LPGA just in time, she's a crowds' favorite and has the talent needed to help the tour go back on track. 

6. Na Yeon Choi: this year she's won once, at the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic, and has been runner-up twice. With only two seasons as a LPGA member, the South Korean has 3 million dollars in earnings and is fifth in the Player of the Year Award race.

This five players will do everything to win, but they'll also fight to climb the Rolex Rankings and become closer to the first spot.

The next Annika?

Anna Nordqvist is a 22 year old Swedish golfer who made her debut on the LPGA last season. As many Scandinavian athletes, she was drove by her parents to practice sports. Still, she didn't planned to make golf her priority.

With only 10 months as an exempt member of the LPGA, she has won 3 times.

At age 10 her older brother introduced her to golf, but after three months she gave up and decided to focus on other disciplines. Even when she had already chosen to leave the clubs in the garage, her mother instilled her with passion for the game that will later give her fame and fortune.

In 2000 Anna noticed not only mom's improvement but also the rest of the family, which made her the weakest golfer in the house. Her competitive spirit was harmed and she refused to be the worst of the family, so she decided to give golf another shot.

Four years later, as a teenager (17), the Swedish was part of the Junior Team of her country, where she matured and showed she had all the conditions needed to become one of the world's greatest amateurs. Nordqvist won the "Junior Swedish Player of the Year" award in 2004 and 2005, and finished second in the British Girls' Open Amateur Championship. 

Her dream of becoming one of the most outstanding golfers was closer than ever; thanks to her wonderful results, Annika Sörenstam, former world number one, gave her a scholarship to practice with her in Phoenix, Arizona.

Nordqvist's development caught the scouters' attention, which took her to the Arizona State University, where she won two championships (ASU/PING Invitational and Derby Invitational) and awards such as "Frehman of the Year", "First Team Selection", among others.

In 2008 she left college to play in the Ladies European Tour qualifying school, eventually she finished first and grabbed her exempt card; later she went into the LPGA Q-School but couldn't get the same results and started the season as non-exempt.

Nevertheless, her perseverance brought wonderful results and in only her fifth start she won the second major of the schedule, the McDonald's LPGA Championship. Five months later she lifted the LPGA Tour Championship trophy after putting up with Lorena Ochoa.

This past weekend she grabbed her 3rd victory at The Mojo 6, a Raceway Golf event where she defeated Kristy McPherson, Sophie Gustafson, Christina Kim, Cristie Kerr and Amanda Blumenherst.

Today, Anna is one of the top ten golfers of the world and is considered by many to be the future Annika Sörenstam, thanks to her potential, both mentally and psychically, along with her training routine, which includes Annika's former coaches as well as being one of the best students in her Academy.

There's no doubt that Nordqvist is one of the players that will put the LPGA back on track, so keep and eye on her, because she's destined to achieve greatness.

10 of 2010

In 3 days the 2010 LPGA season will kick off; therefore it's time to talk about those players who will be serious contenders to win one or more tournaments out of the 26 events that are already scheduled. Their expertise, curriculum and talent put them as this season's figures.

1. Lorena Ochoa: this year the Mexican has assured that she only  has golf on her mind; we have to remember that world number 1 had a tough 2009, mainly because she was focused in her personal life, specifically on her wedding, which led her to fight for the POY award  until the last event. Now, Ochoa needs to prove that she has what it takes to continue to reign in the LPGA; even when she's made clear that she wants to win 10 tourneys, the feat looks quite complicated due to the competitiveness of the tour. Nevertheless it wouldn't be odd to see her lift more than three trophies.

2. Jiyai Shin: the 21 year old has 30 professional victories under her belt: 20 in the KLPGA, six in the LPGA, two in the Ladies Asian Golf Tour and one in the JLPGA. And if that wasn't enough, Shin is less than two percentile points away from Ochoa at the Rolex Rankings. In 2009 she took home three tittles: HSBC Women's Championship,  Wegmans LPGA and P&G Beauty NW Arkansas Championship, she posted 12 top tens, won the ROY award and topped the Official Money List.

3. Paula Creamer: the "Pink Panther" couldn't win last year  since she caught a rare stomach virus and dealt with a thumb injury, which led her to WD or DNS four times. Anyways, the American earned more than 1 million dollars, posted 10 top tens and  claimed the first position in GIR. The last time Creamer had a win less season was in 2006, but she came back with a triumph in 2007 at the SBS Open and claimed five victories in 2008.

4. Anna Nordqvist: she's one of the LPGA's young promises; after being a non-exempt member, the 22 year old Swedish devoted herself to compete in Monday qualifiers. In her fifth event, the McDonald's LPGA Championship, she surprised with her short game and strong mentality; eventually she won the major and got her exempt card. In November she hold back a ferocious  Lorena Ochoa to claim the season ending LPGA Championship. Anna is considered to be the next Annika Sörenstam.

5. Michelle Wie: after several trips, she managed to win the Lorena Ochoa Invitational last year. Besides, she was part of the victorious 2009 Solheim Cup team after Beth Daniel picked her as one of her wild cards. Her appearance in that event was crucial since she won three out of four matches and tied one. Until now, Wie is considered as one of the players that must assume the tour's leadership to keep it safe and in one piece.

6. Ai Miyazato: the greatest figure of the Far East claimed her first victory in 2009, after almost four seasons of constant fighting. Miyazato lifted the Evian Masters trophy, but she had already shown what she was made of. The Japanese super star completed eight more tourneys in which she posted six top tens. Without hesitations, last year she posted her best season as a LPGA member and will be a threat in 2010. Remember, she has 15 victories in the JLPGA.

7. Na Yeon Choi: another strong South Korean; she has seven professional victories: five in the KLPGA and two in the LPGA. Choi joined the tour in 2008 as non-exempt, but her talent led her to qualify to almost every single tournament of the schedule and was runner-up for the ROY award, behind Taiwanese Yani Tseng.  Her great performance gave her exempt status for 2009, year in which she earned more than 1.3 million dollars after winning the Samsung Championship and the Hana Bank COLON Championship. Besides, she was second in birdies and fifth in eagles; she managed to post 11 top tens and was seventh in scoring average.

8. Mariajo Uribe: she's one of this season's rookies and leads the Latin American contingent. The Colombian has always displayed magnificent skills; nevertheless, it was in the 2008 U.S. Women's Open when media started to look closely at her after she tied for 10th, ahead of players like Cristie Kerr and Annika Sörenstam. Last year she received a sponsor's exemption to play the Lorena Ochoa Invitational, where she tied for eighth along with Brittany Lang y Yani Tseng.

9. Jean Reynolds: last season she finished second in the Duramed FUTURES Tour Money List. Nevertheless, the American  set people talking after grabbing the lead of the 2009 U.S. Women's Open, which she maintained for three rounds; eventually she lost focus and finished tied for 17th in front of Paula Creamer, Crisie Kerr and Brittany Lincicome. It was precisely at that tourney where she amazed everyone with her impeccable short game and sharp iron control. During her time at the Futures she won twice and posted 10 top tens.

10. Amanda Blumenherst: she represented Duke University; as a Blue Devil she became the only golfer to win the NGCA Award three consecutive years and received the LPGA Foundation Award for the second time. In 2006 she got a sponsor's exemption to play the U.S. Women's Open, where she tied for 10th. Two years later Amanda won the U.S. Women's Amateur. In September 2009 she participated in the CVS Pharmacy LPGA Challenge finishing fifth. In November she became medalist of the Q-School and earned her card as an exempt player.

There's no doubt that these golfers will be in the limelight; they have what it takes to grab some titles at the most competitive women's golf tour. For now, those who are going to play in Thailand and Singapore are already there to embrace a new season, one that will be for sure the toughest of the LPGA history.

So long 2009

Another year goes by and with it many memories and achievements stay in our memories. When any of us think of 2009 the names of those golfers who lived the season in the limelight will come into our minds, so let's remember some of them, shall we?

 

Tiger Woods: yes, he cheated and it's been mentioned on a regular basis. Nevertheless, let's not forget that this guy had some pretty nice accomplishments on the course: he won six times, he had 3 top tens in four majors, was named PGA Player of the Year, won the FedEx Cup and took home 10 million dollars in earnings. If this was not enough, Forbes magazine named him the richest athlete in the planet with a 1 billion estimated fortune and AP considered him the Athlete of the Decade.

Y. E. Yang: he took home the PGA Championship, which was special for several reasons; one, he became the first Asian player to accomplish that feat; and two,  he overcame a 2 shot deficit to surpass Tiger. This was the first time Woods lost an event after being the 54 hole leader.

Steve Stricker: he had his best season ever thanks to three victories: Crowne Plaza Invitational, John Deere Classic and Deutsche Bank Championship. This and other good results during the year gave him the opportunity to grab the 3rd position at the World Golf Rankings.

Lorena Ochoa: the Mexican superstar won her 4th Player of the Year Award, which came as a result of 3 wins and 10 top tens. Even when Ochoa didn't get as much titles as she used to in previous years, she maintained the first position at the Rolex World Rankings. She experience some changes in her personal life since she got married to Andrés Conesa, Aeromexico's CEO.

Jiyai Shin: the South Korean won 3 times and was named Rookie of the Year. She almost grabbed the tour's most prestigious awards in a single season, something that has been only accomplished by Nancy Lopez (1978). Shin has shown that she's a very classy lady, with both fans and media, which makes her a favorite in the golf community.

Anna Nordqvist: along with Shin, she was the only rookie who won multiple times in the tour. In her fifth appearance she kept it calm to claim the second major of the season, the McDonald's LPGA Championship, which gave her exempt status and media attention; she was also compared to fellow Swedish woman Annika Sörenstam. Nordqvist closed her season in style after winning the LPGA Tour Championship with a 2 stroke advantage over Lorena Ochoa.

It's pretty obvious that there's a lot of talent and next year's performances should be solid and fun, even with Woods' "retirement", which might end by the Augusta Masters, and Lorena's marriage, which kept her focused on different matters, the toughest difficulty that the executives from all tours will experience will be the financial crisis; they need to find new business models in order to bring more sponsors and, at the end, new tournaments. 2010 must be the year in which golf reemerges.

Nail biting!!!

The last season’s tourney was cut to 54 holes after a terrible washout in Texas. On Friday play was suspended several times until it was announced that it wasn’t going to be possible to continue. Saturday was a bummer since no one played at all, which left almost everybody without even starting the second round. Finally on Sunday the players finished what was supposed to happen on Friday. Today the third round was played and what a season ending tournament it was!

This event replaced the ADT Championship which was played in Florida. 

The LPGA Tour Championship was especially important since Lorena Ochoa, Jiyai Shin and Cristie Kerr were fighting to take home the Player of the Year Award, which wasn’t presented officially during the Gala. The only thing that happen during the ceremony was the acknowledgment to the First-Time Winners, except for Michelle Wie who not only withdrew but also couldn’t accept the Rolex she was supposed to receive since she has a sponsorship with Omega, and of course the Rookie of the Year Award given to Jiyai Shin.

Lorena Ochoa was thefirst round leader after firing a 66, but a couple of mistakes on her next 18 holes put her a bit far from the top. Still, today she stayed patient and calm, even when she bogeyed 17 she managed to birdie 18 and finish as runner-up.

Shin wasn’t as sharp as in previous rounds, she had a tough time on the green, which is pretty unusual for a golfer who has a tremendous short game; she tied for 8th.

The winner was Swedish rookie, Anna Nordqvist, who grabbed her second LPGA victory after winning the McDonald’s LPGA Championship last June. This result gives Anna more confidence and also lets everybody know she has what’s needed to compete in this tour.

So, Lorena Ochoa became a four time Player of the Year and also took home the Vare Trophy for lowest score in the season. She closed 2009 in style after having a tough year, nevertheless she has another commitment ahead: her wedding. She’ll get married December 5 with Aeromexico’s CEO, Andrés Conesa. Let’s hope in 2010 she can comeback as strong and dominant as she used to be in 2007 and 2008.