2011 Evian Masters, day 1

Lots of movement in the Evian Master Golf Course, actually in all the city! This little and picturesque town goes nuts when the LPGA comes to visit. Banners and flags with the tourneys logo line up all over the place.

The ideal thing is to catch a flight to Geneva, Switzerland, there you can take a taxi or ferry all the way to Évian-les-Bains; others prefer to fly to Paris, where they take a train to Geneva, Either way, press members, players and caddies are transported by the organizers, both from the airport and the train station all the way to their hotels. There's a lot of place to stay and for all budgets.

If you go to Evian from Geneva by car you should be there in an hour, tops. When you cross the frontier you won't see any kind of officials or checkpoints, you just go through as you owned the place, although there's a tool booth1(.70 euros / 2.41 dollars)

You won't get any sign directions on the road to get to Évian until you're actually 10 minutes away (lots of posters and banners will lead you there). In downtown expect to see all kind of goodies of the tournament, decorating the shop windows, as well as the hotel and restaurant entrances.

Lots of vans, or courtesy cars as they call them officially, around the place, and as I said earlier, they transport media members, players and caddies, this time, from their hotels to the course and vice-versa.

Now, as for the players, they are all here people so there's a lot of activity for being a Tuesday; some of them have been since Sunday! It's been raining a lot, not hard but constantly, nevertheless, players suck it up and keep it going, like Yani Tseng, who's here with her mother. Speaking of Yani, she's very relaxed and is hitting the ball pretty solid

Another gal who brought mom and dad with her is.... yes, you guessed correctly: Michelle Wie. Whom I saw at the putting green and let me tell you people, she wasn't sinking much, but she said "the course is in great shape, regardless of the soggy conditions".

Alison Nicholas is also here and she's watching the Euros pretty closely, and how wouldn't she? The Solheim Cup is around the corner (September 23- 25).

It seems like tomorrow's weather conditions should improve, it hasn't stop raining since early in the morning and it's chilly. Anyways, we have to wait and see if rain becomes a factor, meanwhile, expect quite a show!

The first LPGA major is almost here

Everything is set for the 40th anniversary of the Kraft Nabisco Championship, the first Grand Slam of the season. After four tourneys, the best women golfers are ready to visit Rancho Mirage, CA.

This will certainly be a tournament to remember, it will have more than 30 entertainers from music, TV and movies. Of course it'll display a star studded field, with 23 of the top 25 players of the Rolex Rankings.

Expect to see an Asian leader board, probably led by world number one Yani Tseng, who aside from being the defending champion, has had a stelar year so far. For starters, she won her first four tourneys, one in Taiwan, two in Australia (Ladies European Tour) and one more in Thailand (LPGA), and has two top 5 finishes and a T19 in her last three appearances in the LPGA.

South Korean Jiyai Shin will also be a serious contender for the title, even when she started with three ties (35, 11 and 29), last weekend she showed why she's one of the best players, as she finished runner-up at the Kia Classic, one stroke back from German Sandra Gal

Keep an eye on Australia's Karrie Webb, who has already won twice in 2011, at the HSBC Women's Champions and RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup; and also in Michelle Wie, who has two top 10 finishes in three events.

LPGA off to a hot start

The top women's golf tour couldn't be happier with the way the season started. World number 1, Yani Tseng, won the season-opener, Honda HSBC Thailand; while veteran and HOF, Karrie Webb, grabbed the HSBC Women's Champions.

Yani Tseng not only took home the first trophy, she did it the same way as in the last 3 events she's won in 2011, coming from behind. The Taiwanese showed that closing strong is one of her specialties; she left Michelle Wie on the way with a 3 stroke advantage. Tseng's victory strengthened her status as the best golfer in the world and stretched her winning streak to five tournaments.

One week later, Australian Karrie Webb made her experience prevail and pushed Japanese Chie Arimura to 2nd place, even when she had lead for 3 rounds. Webb shot a 69 final round, 13 under overall. With this victory, Webb has 37 LPGA titles and 51 as a pro.

Although the LPGA has been dominated by youngsters in recent years, veterans are still in the fight. Regarding nationality, South Korea keeps dominating, but they're not the only players shinning, here is the top 10 of both tourneys with players' nationality and age:

Honda LPGA Thailand

1. Yani Tseng - Taiwan, 22.

2.  Michelle Wie - United States, 21.

3. Karrie Webb - Australia, 36, and In-Kyung Kim - South Korea, 22.

5. Paula Creamer - United States, 24.

6. Juli Inkster - United States, 50.

7. Amy Yang - South Korea, 21.

8. Maria Hjorth - Sweden, 37; Ariya Jutanugarn - Thailand, 15 (amateur); Catriona Matthew - Scotland, 41; Suzann Pettersen - Norway, 29, and M.J. Hur - South Korea, 21.

HSBC Women's Champions

1. Karrie Webb - Australia, 36.

2. Chie Arimura - Japan, 23.

3. Yani Tseng - Taiwan, 22.

4. Sun Young Yoo - South Korea, 24.

5. Morgan Pressel - United States, 22.

6. Na Yeon Choi - South Korea, 23.

7. In-Kyung Kim - South Korea, 22.

8. Catriona Matthew - Scotland, 41.

9. Stacy Lewis - United States, 26, and Cristie Kerr - United States, 33.

With start studded leaderboards, the LPGA was going through great momentum, but 18 days between the HSBC Women's Champions and the Founders Cup will certainly make media and fans to draw attention elsewhere, while players in a hot streak, like Webb and Tseng, might comeback not as hot.

The note: Sun Young Yoo, Morgan Pressel and Na Yeon Choi grabbed a spot at the season-ending Titleholders, after their results in the HSBC Women's Champions.

Tseng leads women's golf

The 2011 LPGA season started with a first class event, the Honda LPGA Thailand, which was held last weekend at the Slam Country Club with a 1.4 million dollar purse. The player to follow, from day one, was Yani Tseng, since she started the season as world number 1.

The 22 year old has achieved what many player never accomplished in their careers. Tseng has won 3 out of 4 LPGA majors; the only one she's missing is the U.S. Open, nevertheless, she has had good results, -last year she posted a top 10 in Oakmoant.

To the Kraft Nabisco Championship, LPGA Championship and Women's British Open, Tseng ha added three more crowns at the LPGA Corning Classic, P&G NW Arkansas Championship and, most recently, the Honda LPGA Thailand.

The later was important because not only secured her another week as the best in the world, she also won for the fourth consecutive time. Yani kick-off 2011 in the Taiwanese tour, where she won the Ladies Open Taifong. Later, she participated in the Ladies European Tour, taking away the first two tourneys -ISPS Handa Women's Asutralian Open and ANZ Ladies Masters RACV- after coming from behind.

Tseng went to Thailand hoping to grab the first title of the LPGA season; the first day it was In-Kyung Kim who took the lead, after posting a 9 under round and leaving Yani 3 shots behind. However, she kept it cool and as in previous tournaments, she recovered lost ground and railed to win the title, leaving behind Michelle Wie, Karrie Webb and Paula Creamer.

"Nini" will have a shot to win her 5th event in a row this week, when the tour stops in Singapore for the HSBS Women's Champions. This also represents a chance to keep a larger advantage between her and South Koreans Jiyai Shin and Na Yeon Choi; American Cristie Kerr, and Norwegian Suzann Pettersen, which are looking to take Yani down from the first spot of the Rolex Rankings.

The note: Yani Tseng, Michelle Wie and Karrie Webb secured their way to the season-ending Titleholders.

2011, the LPGA and its players

The new LPGA campaign promises more excitement than in 2010, not only for the new tournaments and formats, but for the players who will contend for the top spot of the Rolex Rankings and the awards given by the tour.

Like every year, there will be a rookie class that will fight for the Rookie of the Year Award. American favorite is Jessica Korda, who was runner-up in the Q-School and at age 17 became professional to play on the tour.

Korda will be joined by Americans (14), South Koreans (3) and Japanese (3) players, plus one from each of the following countries: Australia, Canada, England, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Wales.

The newcomers will contend with the best of the world, a task difficult to achieve, especially since the top 5 of the rankings, Jiyai Shin (1), Yani Tseng (2), Cristie Kerr (3), Suzann Pettersen (4) and Na Yeon Choi (5) haven't slow down for a while.

Shin and Tseng have already seen action this year, after playing in the season opener of the Ladies European Tour. Both were part of the ISPS HANDA Women's Australian Open field, and it was Tseng who took the trophy home, plus enough points to move up from fifth to second place in the Rolex Rankings. Shin finished T2, which ensured her stay, for 15 weeks in a row, as world number one.

It's also important to keep an eye on Ai Miyazato (6) and In-Kyung Kim (7), both won in 2010 and made clear that when they're "on fire" there's no way to stop them.

We'll also see Paula Creamer's resurrection; she's finally healthy, after two complicated seasons, due to a stomach virus, that struck in 2008 and 2009, and a surgery in her left wrist, in 2020, which pushed her to kick-off her season on June, but paid off, when she won the U.S. Women's Open.

Michelle Wie will remain in the public's taste, despite continuing her studies at Stanford University, which sometimes interferes with her schedule, but hasn't put her outside the winners' circle, last year she lifter her second professional trophy, in the CN Canadian Open.

Finally, we can't leave outside the Asian contingent, which has proved to be the strongest group on the tour, not only because each year it brings more member to the LPGA, but also because it has better results.

Making a racket

The crisis struck the LPGA hard, after the sudden departure of sponsors and tournaments, such as the Leon Classic, seemed like come back was going to be more than complicated; nevertheless, lately, the tour has had some sparkles of what it used to be a couple of years ago; but not everything is as good as it seems and, for better or worse, the CN Canadian Women's Open brought a lot of stuff.

Good stuff:

Michele Wie, the girl that has been in the limelight even before she came to the LPGA, grabbed her second title. The first time she did so was in Mexico, at the Lorena Ochoa Invitational, held in Guadalajara, Jalisco. In that tourney, Wie defeated fellow US player Paula Creamer by 2 strokes. Now, Michelle came 3 shots ahead of Kristy McPherson, Suzann Pettersen and Jee Young Lee.

Even when the 20 year-old went winless for 7 months, missed one cut and didn't win the Rookie of the Year honors in her first season, the LPGA trusted her young guns, especially after Lorena Ochoa's sudden retirement. Moreover, it needed a US player back in the winners' circle as soon as possible, since it's a US based tour. All of a sudden, Paula Creamer and Michelle Wie got the message and they gave their people a couple of titles. 

Bad stuff:

Yes, South Korean players Shi Hyun Ahn and Il Mi Chung are having difficulties. They hit the wrong ball in the last hole of the first round and were DQ, but this ain't over yet, cause after some investigation and statements from the caddies were done the issue has grown bigger and bigger. Tim Hegna, Ahn's caddie, noticed his player hit the wrong ball and suggested her to talk to Chung before she putted, but Ahn didn't do it, at least that's what Hegna told to Waggle Room. When they finished, both players went into the scoring tent and later Ahn told Hegan "don't say anything".

Meanwhile, Chris Benz, Chung's caddie, told Golfweek that he mentioned the incident to Donna Early, the third looper in the group, but Il Mi wasn't aware of the situation, at least not until she finished her round. Benz assured that Hegna said it wasn't his job to talk about the issue, which was denied by Tim after declaring that Benz was compromised to keeping his mouth shut.

At the end this whole thing seems like "Chinese whispers" and the tour is hoping to clarify when did the players know they had hit the wrong ball as soon as possible in order to make a ruling. Let's hope this is just a misunderstanding, because if they cheated they'll be hardly criticized by fans and media.

Major challenge

This week, Oakmont Country Club will receive, for the second time in history, the world's top ladies golfers so they can test their abilities in the US Women's Open.

There's no other course that has hosted as many US Opens; Oakmont has hosted eight men's tourneys and two women's, including this year's. Player such as Ben Hogan, Jack Nickalus, Ernie Els and Angel Cabrera are some of the golfers that have achieved excellence there.

Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, it has few tree, more than 200 bunkers and fast and undulated greens, making the short game a priority. Besides, it's been selected as one of the top five courses of the world for the last 50 years, according to Golf Digest.

With this background, it'll be interesting to see how the ladies adjust their games to excel in this 6,500 yards course. Oakmont will be played as par 71 this week, different from 2007 when the men played it as a par 70 of more than 7,000 yards; Angel Cabrera won his first major that year after a 5 over par overall, holding off Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk, who shot 6 over par.

The winner of the 65th US Women's Open will shoot over par, that's almost a fact, so anyone who aspires to see its name on the champion's trophy will have to be very precise with the tee shots and bring her short game as sharp as ever, since the green's speed might go as fast as 13 points in the Stimpmeter scale, which is important since the ladies are used to putting in greens of 12 points.

The course conditions might give some advantage to players like:

Song-Hee Kim: leader of greens in regulation (GIR).

Anna Nordqvist: co-leader of putts per green in regulation.

Cristie Kerr: first place of scoring average and co-leader of putts per green in regulation.

Besides, don't lose track of veteran Juli Inkster and youngsters such as Michelle Wie, Brittany Lincicome, Paula Creamer and Morgan Pressel.

Halfway

With 36 holes to go in the Tres Marías Championship, Mexican Lorena Ochoa is still on her feet and hoping to fight for the crown in her farewell. Even when she's away from the top, the Guadalajara native has a chance to make it through.

Lorena was joined by her family and husband.

Tied in the 6th position, world number 1 is happy to see her fans support her, but being close to the leaders is a bigger incentive. Joined by Miyazato and Gulbis, Lorena fought hard to make birdies, but she only sank four of them compared to the four bogeys she made.

Meanwhile Japanese Ai Miyazato suffered to keep the lead and gave it away to Michelle Wie, who converted 8 birdie opportunities and made three mistakes, two of them in the last couple of holes. On the other hand, Brittany Lincicome made everything to tied for the lead and even made an ace on 13, but it was just not enough.

Now,  these golfers will keep the pace in order to seek for the title and try to overcome the climatic conditions, which have been a affecting their game and that will be a factor to tale into consideration for the weekend.

Lorena ready for a triumph

Mexican Lorena Ochoa started her participation in the Tres Marías Championship breaking par and with a very consistent game. She's 7 under par and in good position to leave on Sunday with a win.

Lorena controlled her approaching shots and putted excellent, which she hadn't done in sometime. This was reflected in her first hole (#10) where she shot an eagle after sinking a 3 footer.

Her round was strong from beginning to end and, even when she showed frustration after some shot, she handled the pressure. Climate conditions were good in the morning, with no wind which helped lots of players to go low and break par.

Japan's Ai Miyazato broke the curse record, set by Ochoa in 2006, with an impressive 10 under (63). Her game was impeccable all day long, especially on the green, which put her as the leader of the tourney.

North American Michelle Wie tied for 3rd, along with Lorena, and seems like she's ready to take home another Mexican event, since she won in Guadalajara last year becoming a Rolex first-time winner.

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.

What an honor!

The victorious US Solheim cup team was invited into the White House. The players were excited to meet Barack Obama at the Oval office.

Beth Daniel, who captained them last September, was also among the group.

While in Washington D.C. they visited some of the most famous monuments, including sites like the Pentagon and the 9/11 Memorial. While Commissioner Michael Whan stud by their side from beginning to end, it was Juli Inkster who couldn't make the trip since she was in Hawaii for personal reasons.

The excitement filled every one fo them and so they shared through their Twitter accounts, Paula Creamer assured "what a great trip.....meeting the President of the USA and being in the Oval office. Lots of fun".

Meanwhile, Christina Kim, one of the most cheerful and outgoing players of the LPGA uploaded several pictures and said "meeting the President yesterday was such an amazing experience. I was trulyhonored to experience what few have ever done".

All players wore matching suits to their White House visit.

Felicidades Michelle!

Great last day here in Guadalajara the people was amazing to all the players and the game was just amazing. Seems like every year the LOI improves and the team involved with the organization has done a fantastic job!

Morgan Pressel shot the best round of the day with a 67, 5 under, and finished T3.

Michelle started the day as co-leader along with fellow American Cristie Kerr at 10 under. Different from other tournaments, in which she had been in contention, Wie stayed focus from beginning to end and scored birdies on holes 1, 3, 7, 11 and 18, compared with two bogeys on 6 and 12.

On the other hand, Kerr was playing quite steady, she scored 36 in the front nine after a birdie on 3 and a bogey on 5. On the back nine she had wire-to-wire birdies in 10 and 11 but bogeyed 15 and 16 to finish even and tied for 3rd. along with Jiyai Shin and Morgan Pressel.

The runner up was Paula Creamer, who continued to falter on the green even when she had clear birdie opportunities. She opened her round with a birdie on 2 and continue to par the rest of the holes of the front nine. Then, she chipped on 10 and scored and eagle which put her tied for the lead with Kerr and Wie. Nevertheless she bogeyed 14 and pared 15. Finally on 16 she had an amazing approach which landed about 3 ft from the flagstick; eventually she birdied the hole.

By that time she was tied for the lead, again, with Michelle. Then on the par 3, 17, her tee shot went right and almost hit the bunker, she made a long birdie putt, but the ball kept its way and stopped about 4 ft from the hole, she missed her par putt too after the ball hit the lip of the cup.

Paula was forced to birdie 18 in order to put pressure on Wie and maybe extend regular play into sudden death. Her approach passed the flagstick and found the rough and she pared it.

On 18 Michelle went for the green in 2 but her ball was caught in the right side bunker; her third shot stopped about 2 ft from the hole and made birdie, she finished 13 under overall and won her first LPGA title.

Sweet youth!

She’s a 21 year old from South Korea and she managed to make it to the top of the Lorena Ochoa Invitational. Jiyai Shin, who’s already clinched the Rookie of the Year Award, is seeking to become the LPGA’S best player this year, which will end with Mexico’s Lorena Ochoa three year’s streak as Player of the Year.

The LOI is the last stop of the LPGA in Mexico this year.

Shin didn’t have a single mistake in the second round and she made 6 birdies un holes 3, 7, 9, 13, 14 and 15. She was pretty relaxed and keep it cool the whole day. Today was key for her cause she claimed the first position and has a three stroke advantage over Paula Creamer AND Michelle Wie.

The “Pink Panther” couldn’t do much today and her round was quite inconsistent, her game on the green was messy and couldn’t seal some clear birdie opportunities. Nevertheless she managed to stay in contention.

There was someone out there who had a great round and it was Michelle Wie, who signed a 66 scorecard, for an 8 under overall. Even when she two birdies on the front nine, the good stuff came at the back: she eagled 10, par 5, and then birdies 12 and 16. She had some trouble with her tee shot on 17 but she mended the mistake on 18 with another birdie.

Tomorrow the last group will display these three players, who have made it clear that the LPGA youth is on fire!

The youngsters…

Yesterday Michelle Wie, Paula Creamer and Jiyai Shin attended a press conference and talked about their expectations about the tournament. These young players are hoping to take the trophy home for very special reasons.

Paula Creamer and Michelle Wie were Solheim Cup team partners. Jiyai Shin will play her first LOI.

First of all, Michelle is seeking her first victory in the LPGA and is hoping to make it happen this week. “I feel like I've done well, but I want to do better… I expect myself to try my hardest here…to win, that would be my No. 1 goal”. BTW, Michelle is still dealing with her ankle, although she’s sure this won’t affect her game.

Then we have Paula Creamer who has had the toughest season since she became pro. As you might know she’s been dealing with some virus which won’t let her eat much and she has to be extra careful, “I brought about 40 pounds of food. It's not Mexico, but my body can't handle it right now”. So she needs to focus a bit more and try to do her very best to get a good result here.

Finally, Jiyai Shin who decided to come just to grab some POY points, which she probably will achive, has been playing great and maybe that momentum will put her in the final group on Sunday.

We’ll see what happens, stay tuned and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter, we’ll have live coverage through that media.

All set

Next Thursday the Lorena Ochoa Invitational (LOI) will take place at the Guadalajara Country Club. The course seems to be in pretty good shape, all the stands are settled and some players have already played the course.

This is the second edition of the LOI, in 2008 Angela Stanford won the event..

Today is the last day that this place will be so calm and calm, because all the activities that involve media will start tomorrow. There are some press conferences scheduled with players such as Lorena Ochoa, Angela Stanford, Michelle Wie and Paula Creamer. It’s almost a fact that by Thursday things will a complete circus.

The return from the ashes?

Yesterday Lorena Ochoa showed she’s not ready to give away her spot at the Rolex World Rankings. The Mexican superstar has been the queen for 129 weeks and seems ready to play the tournament she hosts in November.

Lorena became the second player to win 3 events this year, along with Jiyai Shin.

Ochoa started the final round as the leader of the Navistar Classic, with a 3 stroke advantage over German Sandra Gal; she wanted to defend her title and change what happened last week when Sophie Gustafson defeated her in the CVS/pharmacy LPGA Challenge.
Lorena’s first holes were a mess, she scored bogey on hole 1, birdie on the 4th and double bogey on the 5th; nevertheless, she managed to sink her birdie putts on 8, 11, 14 and 17, which led her to a 70 stroke round, 2 under, and a final score of –16, with this she also broke the tournament record, which she set last year with 15 under.
The rest of the players played for second place even teen sensation Michelle Wie, who scored the best round of the day (-6), wasn’t a threat.
14 year old Alexis Thompson, who shared the lead for the firs t36 holes, couldn’t keep the peace and shot 74 on Saturday and Sunday. Se finally tied the 27th position and was the best amateur of the tournament.

 Alexis is the top-ranked junior.

This result represents Lorena’s first victory in a 5 month drought:

Month	Tournament	Position
May	Michelob Ultra Open	10
	Sybase Classic	19
June	McDonald’s LPGA Championship	23
July	Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic	8
	Women’s U.S. Open	26
	Evian Masters	40
	Ricoh Women’s British Open	28
August	Safeway Classic	49
September	CN Canadian Open	10
	Samsung World Championship	4
	CVS/pharmacy LPGA Challenge	2

Another important thing to say is that Ochoa jumped fro 6th to 2nd in the Player of the Year point’s race, she’s 6 units behind South Korean Jiyai Shin who has 131 points.
Seems like the slump is in the past and that the summer wasn’t the best season for Ochoa; let’s see if the autumn helps her to renovate.