2019 Honda LPGA Thailand Feb 21-24

[Stooch]

I actually enjoy this course and it's set up or any course with similar configurations. If you are on you can score and if you are off you get beat up. It's all about the approach shot and where you leave it. Hit it to the right spot on the green and you get a great look at birdie but hit it on the wrong spot on the green and 3-putting is a good outcome. It's tough to fake your way around this golf course.

[bravedave]

 

Chillin at the 19th hole.

[Argonne69]

'Nice finish by Jenny to grab the lead. There's an interesting mix of players near the top with plenty of golf left. I thought Amy Yang might do well here, and she's only two shots back. Lizette is looking to forget her late stumble at Indy last year. Lydia had a nice 5 under round to (somewhat) climb back into the event.

 

Brooke had an off day shooting 73 with an odd double on the 18th. Wha? Michelle hanging in there. Su having another poor showing, as is Emma.

 

Scores looked much higher in general.

[Stooch]

Minjee looking great, I think it's her week, she seems to be playing very well but also seems to be getting all the right bounces this week too, and that's usually the combo that gets you the win every week.

 

Also got laugh from Duncan French twitter, gas lighting Ariya and Amy Olson on 18 for not protecting the field lol. Ariya didn't mark her ball on the 18th green and the video looks like Amy almost asks Ariya not to mark it by the way she turned her head and stopped as she walked to the green then Amy proceeds to chip and hit Ariya's ball and lucky it did cause she'd probably still be chipping and putting the 18th. The bad optics is the fist bump at the end lol

 

To me I understand the competitive integrity part of it but also if you are chipping of the green and can hit another players ball on purpose (or by accident) well that's a good shot by you lol Plus it's done on the men's game all the time, usually between friends but still. I guess if I was a competitor and Amy wins or finished ahead of me I would have issues with Ariya lol

[Stooch]

'Nice finish by Jenny to grab the lead. There's an interesting mix of players near the top with plenty of golf left. I thought Amy Yang might do well here, and she's only two shots back. Lizette is looking to forget her late stumble at Indy last year. Lydia had a nice 5 under round to (somewhat) climb back into the event.

 

Brooke had an off day shooting 73 with an odd double on the 18th. Wha? Michelle hanging in there. Su having another poor showing, as is Emma.

 

Scores looked much higher in general.

lol yeah Brooke picked a bad time on 18 to hit the "Bad One". We didn't get to see the shot but when Jerry came on after the break and said Brooke was hitting her 4th from the fairway, I thought she made a mess from the bunker or the rough, I was shocked that she hit it out of bounds, cause it looks like there's lots of room for errors. Plus Brooke is pretty deadly accurate with her driver and even her misses aren't usually very far off line, well except this one lol

[DavePelz4]

Is this course playing really fast? Creamer averaged 270 off the tee in round 2 and over 260 for both rounds? Something smells like bad sushi.

[Stooch]

Is this course playing really fast? Creamer averaged 270 off the tee in round 2 and over 260 for both rounds? Something smells like bad sushi.

Greens are pretty fast and the fairways are rolling out decently too, maybe Paula hit the gym in the off season, but Danielle Kang was looking like Rory off the tee herself, the players are probably getting some help. I hope this helps but Mo Martin average drive off the tee was 217 yards so all is still right in the world lol

[tbowles411]

Firm and fast. It's like a thousand degrees there.

[DavePelz4]

Firm and fast. It's like a thousand degrees there.

 

You have to be correct Sir. Looked at a couple of other players...Lexi must be hitting 3W off the tee. Brooke and Lydia are both in the 270ish range. Maybe it's the Sketchers.

[Stooch]

Firm and fast. It's like a thousand degrees there.

 

You have to be correct Sir. Looked at a couple of other players...Lexi must be hitting 3W off the tee. Brooke and Lydia are both in the 270ish range. Maybe it's the Sketchers.

Nah, sketchers only make you a bad tipper lol

[Holy Moses]

Minjee looking great, I think it's her week, she seems to be playing very well but also seems to be getting all the right bounces this week too, and that's usually the combo that gets you the win every week.

 

Also got laugh from Duncan French twitter, gas lighting Ariya and Amy Olson on 18 for not protecting the field lol. Ariya didn't mark her ball on the 18th green and the video looks like Amy almost asks Ariya not to mark it by the way she turned her head and stopped as she walked to the green then Amy proceeds to chip and hit Ariya's ball and lucky it did cause she'd probably still be chipping and putting the 18th. The bad optics is the fist bump at the end lol

 

To me I understand the competitive integrity part of it but also if you are chipping of the green and can hit another players ball on purpose (or by accident) well that's a good shot by you lol Plus it's done on the men's game all the time, usually between friends but still. I guess if I was a competitor and Amy wins or finished ahead of me I would have issues with Ariya lol

 

It’s against the rules and they both should be penalized

[Stooch]

Minjee looking great, I think it's her week, she seems to be playing very well but also seems to be getting all the right bounces this week too, and that's usually the combo that gets you the win every week.

 

Also got laugh from Duncan French twitter, gas lighting Ariya and Amy Olson on 18 for not protecting the field lol. Ariya didn't mark her ball on the 18th green and the video looks like Amy almost asks Ariya not to mark it by the way she turned her head and stopped as she walked to the green then Amy proceeds to chip and hit Ariya's ball and lucky it did cause she'd probably still be chipping and putting the 18th. The bad optics is the fist bump at the end lol

 

To me I understand the competitive integrity part of it but also if you are chipping of the green and can hit another players ball on purpose (or by accident) well that's a good shot by you lol Plus it's done on the men's game all the time, usually between friends but still. I guess if I was a competitor and Amy wins or finished ahead of me I would have issues with Ariya lol

 

It's against the rules and they both should be penalized

Don't disagree and would have no problem with both being penalized, just for me not marking your ball on the greens is the not the high priority of things I get riled up about in golf. That said rules are rules and need to be enforced, cause this practice seems to happen most times between friends and that makes it even more of a competitive imbalance IMO

[Argonne69]

Oy. In Gee only averaging 238 yds for two rounds. Something is definitely amiss with her swing. Lydia must have hit the weights in the off season, as she has averaged 261 yds.

[Lottaouts]

Yesterday was entertaining to watch. The Backstopping Incident. Players reacting to being put on the clock. Pitch shot with sizeable divot taken out of the 18th green, and Dannielle Kang hopped-up on adrenaline. Blabbing loudly to her caddy buddy and oblivious to her playing partners across the 13th fairway. Mugging for the Camera at every chance. I guess blondes do have more fun.

 

The 18th green is borderline goofy but provides drama. Especially with a rear hole location.

 

Setting up the 15th hole at only 260 yds was a good call. I hope they do it again on Sunday.

 

Need Brooke and the Thai girls to go low today. Glad to have Minjee to root for this weekend.

[Seamus_McDuff]

For those who didn’t see the backstopping incident, there’s video in this article. Unfortunately it doesn’t show Ariya making the move to go mark her ball and being told not to by either Olsen or Olsen’s caddie.

 

https://golfweek.com/2019/02/22/shackelford-rise-of-backstopping-drives-at-integrity-of-golf/

[Stooch]

For those who didn’t see the backstopping incident, there’s video in this article. Unfortunately it doesn’t show Ariya making the move to go mark her ball and being told not to by either Olsen or Olsen’s caddie.

 

https://golfweek.com...egrity-of-golf/

Here's the whole thing or a more in-depth version. Just click the tweet thread chain and its the 2nd vid in Duncan's post

 

[Titleist_PT23]

Oy. In Gee only averaging 238 yds for two rounds. Something is definitely amiss with her swing. Lydia must have hit the weights in the off season, as she has averaged 261 yds.

I was surprised to see In Gee's distance drop off last year (you pointed this out elsewhere). Her swing is so sound that you'd think she can just flush it shot after shot. I obviously hope this isn't the case, but I wonder if she's dealing with some type of medical issue given how much she slimmed down last year. I.e. this has caused her to lose some strength/speed. I also think this is a big year for her. She seemed to be under a lot of pressure from not winning since Evian (was close a lot). Hopefully, the UL Crown and win late last year can propel her forward. I don't know if she'd ever dominate, but I thought she had the game to get to where So Yeon Ryu is.

 

Not sure on Lydia (also slimmed down a ton). She's lost marginal distance too the last few years, despite trying to switch to a draw (maybe abandoned at this point) and numerous claims at various points that she's hitting it farther.

 

Both are a bit strange. They were each averaging ~250 a few years ago. I would have thought they could pickup a few yards until they turned 25 yrs old or so (combination of getting marginally stronger, mechanics, etc).

[Argonne69]

My theory is that In Gee is still suffering back issues associated with luggagegate. She was also ill at one point last season, and I believe it was somewhat serious.

 

Lydia's swing looks better every week. Her diet caused her to lose weight, but it seems her workout routine is putting on muscle, so maybe that's the key to the added distance. That, and finally being comfortable with the swing. However, keep in mind that she's averaging 248 for the season. That's better than last year's 245, but she still has a way to go to get into the Goldilocks zone.

[Titleist_PT23]

Minjee looking great, I think it's her week, she seems to be playing very well but also seems to be getting all the right bounces this week too, and that's usually the combo that gets you the win every week.

Hope she does well. I think she has a lot of potential out of the very very good group of players. She's got 10 yards on most of the players, and she seems a bit more focused on golf than some of the others.

 

Not saying it's easy but if anything I think she could have squeezed out a few more wins so far. Hopefully the trajectory continues upward. I wouldn't be surprised to see her get to #1 within a few years.

[Stooch]

This whole back stopping thing is getting lots of play in the media, Golf Central just went through it also. I wonder if we will see a couple 2 stroke penalties once the round starts today? LPGA might wanna save face and with Amy so close to the lead might not want the headache of not giving out a penalty if she were to go on and win

[xxio]

Definitely back stop but I doubt penalties will be asked. As mentioned, Olson nera the lead. The bigger issue would be penalizing Ariya in Thailand when she is the lesser guilty party.

[Titleist_PT23]

Minjee looking great, I think it's her week, she seems to be playing very well but also seems to be getting all the right bounces this week too, and that's usually the combo that gets you the win every week.

 

Also got laugh from Duncan French twitter, gas lighting Ariya and Amy Olson on 18 for not protecting the field lol. Ariya didn't mark her ball on the 18th green and the video looks like Amy almost asks Ariya not to mark it by the way she turned her head and stopped as she walked to the green then Amy proceeds to chip and hit Ariya's ball and lucky it did cause she'd probably still be chipping and putting the 18th. The bad optics is the fist bump at the end lol

 

To me I understand the competitive integrity part of it but also if you are chipping of the green and can hit another players ball on purpose (or by accident) well that's a good shot by you lol Plus it's done on the men's game all the time, usually between friends but still. I guess if I was a competitor and Amy wins or finished ahead of me I would have issues with Ariya lol

 

It's against the rules and they both should be penalized

Don't disagree and would have no problem with both being penalized, just for me not marking your ball on the greens is the not the high priority of things I get riled up about in golf. That said rules are rules and need to be enforced, cause this practice seems to happen most times between friends and that makes it even more of a competitive imbalance IMO

I don't dispute the technical reading of the rule. However, this is also one thing I don't really care about.

 

Practically, shots hit from off the green can hit another player's ball at anytime (greenside chip to 250 yards out for the men) causing both good and bad outcomes. Do we want to start marking the ball after every approach shot that finds the green? Clearly this is less likely but a ball on the 17th at TPC Sawgrass behind the pin on Sunday is a backstop. Should the player run up and mark it?

 

Mostly, I don't want any rules official to be the "judge" of whether the players "agreed," "conspired," or simply played their shot without marking in the normal routine of play.

 

I'm fine if the player hitting the shot requests the other ball either be marked or left and the other player obliges (friend or not) out of respect. I can't imagine someone refusing to mark a ball if it was in the way, so why not leave it there if requested.

 

Again, maybe not the correct "reading of the rule" but practically it's my best solution.

[Stooch]

Definitely back stop but I doubt penalties will be asked. As mentioned, Olson nera the lead. The bigger issue would be penalizing Ariya in Thailand when she is the lesser guilty party.

I agree, they'll probably let it go but this would have been a great opportunity to nip it in the butt on the LPGA going forward, now this will probably embolden others to do it with no repercussions lol

[Stooch]

Minjee looking great, I think it's her week, she seems to be playing very well but also seems to be getting all the right bounces this week too, and that's usually the combo that gets you the win every week.

 

Also got laugh from Duncan French twitter, gas lighting Ariya and Amy Olson on 18 for not protecting the field lol. Ariya didn't mark her ball on the 18th green and the video looks like Amy almost asks Ariya not to mark it by the way she turned her head and stopped as she walked to the green then Amy proceeds to chip and hit Ariya's ball and lucky it did cause she'd probably still be chipping and putting the 18th. The bad optics is the fist bump at the end lol

 

To me I understand the competitive integrity part of it but also if you are chipping of the green and can hit another players ball on purpose (or by accident) well that's a good shot by you lol Plus it's done on the men's game all the time, usually between friends but still. I guess if I was a competitor and Amy wins or finished ahead of me I would have issues with Ariya lol

 

It's against the rules and they both should be penalized

Don't disagree and would have no problem with both being penalized, just for me not marking your ball on the greens is the not the high priority of things I get riled up about in golf. That said rules are rules and need to be enforced, cause this practice seems to happen most times between friends and that makes it even more of a competitive imbalance IMO

I don't dispute the technical reading of the rule. However, this is also one thing I don't really care about.

 

Practically, shots hit from off the green can hit another player's ball at anytime (greenside chip to 250 yards out for the men) causing both good and bad outcomes. Do we want to start marking the ball after every approach shot that finds the green? Clearly this is less likely but a ball on the 17th at TPC Sawgrass behind the pin on Sunday is a backstop. Should the player run up and mark it?

 

Mostly, I don't want any rules official to be the "judge" of whether the players "agreed," "conspired," or simply played their shot without marking in the normal routine of play.

 

I'm fine if the player hitting the shot requests the other ball either be marked or left and the other player obliges (friend or not) out of respect. I can't imagine someone refusing to mark a ball if it was in the way, so why not leave it there if requested.

 

Again, maybe not the correct "reading of the rule" but practically it's my best solution.

 

I've been going back and forth about it all day lol On one hand I don't care on the other is that this exact situation is what is meant by protecting the integrity of the field. If Amy's ball hadn't hit Ariya's then Amy's ball is hitting that slope and going completely off the green leaving a challenging chip. Most player I saw that did the same thing missed the par putt. So theoretically Amy would be at -7 rather than -9, which is a huge difference and can potentially affect the tournament results

[Hawkeye77]

Good interview! She seems honest and she is right - context matters.

 

No rule violated.

 

Piss off Shackelford!

[Raving Shanker]

...opportunity to nip it in the butt

 

Nip it in the butt? Wow, you guys are just obsessed. Obsessed, I say.

[dunn]

Such bs them talking about chip shot which hit a players a ball and stopped......rules clearly state that both players have to have agreed to do it in conspiracy to help each other out....or actually only one cuz other ball goes back anyways so it doesnt hell her......no agreement was made (which really) your opponent is gonna help you out anyway, lol......and media making a big stink.....

People just love friggen drama and someone to point the finger at....it was a golfing incident which I have seen numerous times and now social media is here they have to say oh oh did you see that......what is professional golfing now reality tv?....

 

I guess the chick who hit the chip shot got alot of s*** for it, and pissed me off that people just look for anything to gripe about....

 

Lighten the F up...jeez,

 

It happens, I've seen it....

[joeshmo]

Nice leader board....18 green's not very friendly

[Raving Shanker]

Such bs them talking about chip shot which hit a players a ball and stopped......rules clearly state that both players have to have agreed to do it in conspiracy to help each other out....or actually only one cuz other ball goes back anyways so it doesnt hell her......no agreement was made (which really) your opponent is gonna help you out anyway, lol......and media making a big stink.....

People just love friggen drama and someone to point the finger at....it was a golfing incident which I have seen numerous times and now social media is here they have to say oh oh did you see that......what is professional golfing now reality tv?....

 

I guess the chick who hit the chip shot got alot of s*** for it, and pissed me off that people just look for anything to gripe about....

 

Lighten the F up...jeez,

 

It happens, I've seen it....

Totally disagree with your argument, and its offensive tone.

[jmvargas]

I'm rooting for Nelly Korda to go back-to-back!!