2019 Lotte Championship Apr 17 - 20

[Raving Shanker]

> @"deadsolid...shank" said:

> It’s hard to believe how little actual golf they manage to show during the LPGA broadcasts. I’m already completely sick of looking at the two commentators as they yammer on and on. If they think they have to talk that much, at least show golf while they’re doing it.

Shankers of the world agree on this matter. Everyone talks about the cost of covering golf tournaments. So, they've got the cameras there, they've flown the technical crew half way around the world for it...now just let it roll! Show some ******** golf!!

 

 

[Raving Shanker]

I see Karen Chung has teed it up, and in with -4. Does anyone know anything about her?

Me and a mate had a few laughs with her in a tournament in 2017. Well, she was laughing at us...well my mate really. Like, laughing AT him, not with him. But it was all good. Little moments like that make you follow a player!

[pmcuk]

So.... Hyejin Choi steps up to the stage. She's like 19? And on the KLPGA? Any news on if and when she'll join the LPGA?

[Argonne69]

> @pmcuk said:

> So.... Hyejin Choi steps up to the stage. She's like 19? And on the KLPGA? Any news on if and when she'll join the LPGA?

 

I'm assuming 2021, unless she manages to grab a win this week, or later this year at the BMW Ladies Championship. In that case she'd follow Jin Young's path and take membership next year.

 

Hye Jin averaged 304 yds on her drives in the first round. Like Sei Young, she generates a lot of clubhead speed from a small frame.

[Stooch]

Some nice scores to start the event but things are gonna change today I think. The winds will start getting stronger going into the weekend and lots of the scoring are gonna take a tumble going forward. I think the late/early groupings are gonna get a small benefit as it looks like the winds will be higher this afternoon than they were yesterday afternoon. And now I'm off to start my day like we all wish we could start everyday, by going to the hospital and getting a Colonoscopy lol

[North Texas]

> @"deadsolid...shank" said:

> It’s hard to believe how little actual golf they manage to show during the LPGA broadcasts. I’m already completely sick of looking at the two commentators as they yammer on and on. If they think they have to talk that much, at least show golf while they’re doing it.

 

This is EVERY golf tournament regardless of which tour and regardless of which network. The people who direct golf telecasts do not get it.

[Argonne69]

> @"Raving Shanker" said:

> I see Karen Chung has teed it up, and in with -4. Does anyone know anything about her?

> Me and a mate had a few laughs with her in a tournament in 2017. Well, she was laughing at us...well my mate really. Like, laughing AT him, not with him. But it was all good. Little moments like that make you follow a player!

 

She had 3 wins at USC. She earned her card for 2017, but had a horrendous rookie season. In 19 tournaments she made 8 cuts. Her best finish was 41T. She played on the Symetra Tour in 2018, finishing 17th on the money list. She's played 4 Symetra events this year, and is currently 8th on the money list.

[18majors]

> @agolf1 said:

> > @18majors said:

> > This Korean article lamented about the struggles of In Gee Chun, So Yeon Ryu and Na Yeon Choi; arguably, three of the most popular Korean golfers before the new wave of Sung Hyun Park, Jin Young Ko and Lucky 6.

> >

> > 

> > [https://sports.v.daum.net/v/20190416080001334](https://sports.v.daum.net/v/20190416080001334 "https://sports.v.daum.net/v/20190416080001334")

> It's hard to expect much from NYC at this point. She was one of my favorites to watch when I got back into the game (SYR and Hee Young Park the others). Realistically, making cuts is probably a decent outcome for her in the near-term.

>

> So Yeon started fairly slow last year as well, and then had a decent year. Excluding today, it does seem worse this year though. Her scoring average this year is a bit worse (although she played more tournaments up to this point last year, so that may be impacting things) and while I don't have her YTD stats at this point in 2018 it's hard to imagine her driving accuracy and GIR being worse. Hopefully, her last big moment wasn't the 7-iron into the water on the 71st hole at the KPMG Women's PGA last year (as a fan, this one still kills me. She had outplayed SHP and Brooke, two players that are/will probably be regarded as better than her, for 34 of 36 holes on the weekend. I also think this would have changed some peoples' perspective on her, given the issues with Lexi at the 2017 ANA).

>

> So many comments on In Gee before as well. Her and Lydia seem similar to me - Lydia clearly had a better record, but both seemed to have so much potential at the end of 2016. Even though each of them won last year, I'm not sure their games were better in 2018 vs 2017 and outside of Lydia's average driving distance neither has shown any significant improvement so far this year. We can only hope they both get better from here.

 

I agree. I's hoping to see a change in In Gee's driving distance after her Instagram slides, but yesterday was the same old.

This's So Yeon's eighth LPGA season; she won't suddenly go off the track.

Who can forget Na Yeon Choi's pure grace and elegance, and her total dominance at Blackwolf Run in 2012; it's only a short 7 years ago!

[legitimategolf]

Beware of the penguin.

[18majors]

Yani Tseng is DFL at +9; Michelle Wie T138 at +5.

I still remember 15 years old Yani shocked 14 years old defending champion Michelle to win 2004 Women's Amateur Public Links; how time has flown by!

[18majors]

Nelly Korda, born 1998, took inspiration from Tiger and shot 63 yesterday; even Alexa Pano, born 2004, was inspired by Tiger's Masters win.

Se Ri Pak inspired and created Korean women's golf phenomena. By comparison, Tiger Woods has inspired the whole world; men or women, boys or girls.

 

[Argonne69]

Muni's rookie season is off to a rocky start. She needs a solid round today to avoid missing her 3rd cut in 5 starts.

 

[18majors]

The fact of matter is Muni still hasn't won any official money.

Muni had a respectable amateur career including NCAA; but she isn't Jennifer Kupcho or Kristen Gillman. At LPGA, she showed promises; she will get better as time goes on.

 

[Kaysquare]

Looks like Nellie Korda wants this tournament, and Wie always seems to be in pain somewhere. The mute button on my remote gets a real workout whenever Karen Stupples is in the booth. She just simply talks way too much!

[deadsolid...shank]

> @Kaysquare said:

>. The mute button on my remote gets a real workout whenever Karen Stupples is in the booth. She just simply talks way too much!

 

Without ever really saying much.

 

 

[North Texas]

> @"deadsolid...shank" said:

> > @Kaysquare said:

> >. The mute button on my remote gets a real workout whenever Karen Stupples is in the booth. She just simply talks way too much!

>

> Without ever really saying much.

>

>

 

I'm pretty sure that there is not one single golf announcer that has ever heard the expression "less is more".

[deadsolid...shank]

> @"North Texas" said:

> > @"deadsolid...shank" said:

> > > @Kaysquare said:

> > >. The mute button on my remote gets a real workout whenever Karen Stupples is in the booth. She just simply talks way too much!

> >

> > Without ever really saying much.

> >

> >

>

> I'm pretty sure that there is not one single golf announcer that has ever heard the expression "less is more".

 

Of all of them, you’d think she might have learned some of the style of the guys from across the pond. Where at times they would just sit quietly and let the viewer watch. So refreshing.

 

 

[hebsan]

From this monring's Honolulu Star Advertiser:

 

Michelle Wie, the Honolulu product who won here in 2014, shot 5-over 77. In the middle of a three-hole run of bogeys on No. 11, Wie aggravated the right hand that underwent surgery last year. After the round she told reporters she expected to play in Thursday’s second round.

 

“Hopefully they can patch it up a bit and I’ll be good to go tomorrow,” Wie said.

[deadsolid...shank]

It really is a shame how much someone messed her up. That footage of her when she was 16......that swing, including the putting stroke, was so natural and easy.

[Seamus_McDuff]

Yani is using a Career Top-20 exemption this year along with Webb, Creamer, and Matthew.

 

For Yani and Matthew it’s the second of two allowed.

[pmcuk]

Is anybody else watching Minami Katsu? 2 wins on the Japanese tour, 20 years old, and steadily improving. Seems to be playing well so far here.

[Argonne69]

> @pmcuk said:

> Is anybody else watching Minami Katsu? 2 wins on the Japanese tour, 20 years old, and steadily improving. Seems to be playing well so far here.

 

Suzuka Yamaguchi is another young Japanese player to watch.

[North Texas]

> @"deadsolid...shank" said:

> It really is a shame how much someone messed her up. That footage of her when she was 16......that swing, including the putting stroke, was so natural and easy.

 

I'll say it. She could have been the Tiger Woods of the LPGA.

[BMC]

Amy Olson sat in the booth and did some announcing after her round. She was excellent.

Great voice, delivery, and content. There's your next LPGA color commentator. You heard it here first.

[Titleist_PT23]

I didn't see these comments from So Yeon at the ANA. They are a little bit cryptic and I'm not entirely sure what her perspective is. I.e. Option A: she's at the age were there are other considerations/interests besides golf or Option B: just can't do golf 7 days a week for multiple weeks in a row when on the road playing.

 

No doubt that adjusting one's schedule slightly could be beneficial and she could do better once she gets used to it. However, I don't take either option as particularly good as it pertains to being a top 5 player (which is fine if that's not her objective). I think it is possible that her path will look like many (in both the men's and women's game) that got to #1 for a brief period but were never the multi-year (semi) dominant star. It seems like these people put everything they have into it for a 1-2 year period, but after that it's just not sustainable. Both from the fact that other players get better/work harder and focusing 100% on golf requires you to give up so much in other aspects of your life. Jason Day on the men's side had an article late last year that was talking about stuff like this.

 

Anyways, hope she can play well enough over the next year plus to make the Olympic Team in 2020. Right now, one would think Jin Young Ko and SHP will make the team, leaving two spots available. I could see Inbee not playing even if she makes the team, but even so there's a lot of competition for two spots among many players that just need to continue to develop or get hot over a 12 months stretch.

 

http://www.lpga.com/news/2019-so-yeon-ryu-goes-low-at-lotte-championship

_In her last start at the ANA Inspiration, where she won in 2017 and finished T39 two weeks ago, Ryu spoke about her desire to find more balance in her life away from the golf course. This week’s event in Hawaii is helping the current world No. 9 to achieve that goal.

 

“It's really hard to find some enjoyment off the golf course when we are traveling,” Ryu said Wednesday. “But here, like once you're off the golf course like so many great things around, and then I totally feel like I can make really, really good balance between my personal life and golfer's life. That's one the main focus I been trying hard to have it.”

 

To maintain that balance, the six-time winner on Tour plans to compartmentalize her work. She intends to take off Mondays and get back into grinding mode on Tuesdays. She stuck with that plan this week in Hawaii, which freed her up to spend more time sightseeing and at the beach.

 

“I just sort of kind of like had like agreement just by myself so like Tuesday is a grinding day, and I'm going to try to have at least one day off, which is maybe Monday. Then once I start to play like pro-am and everything, I just want to be like playing mode instead of just think about the technique too much.” _

[Argonne69]

I didn't notice it as much yesterday, but the course is looking really scruffy in places. They've had a dry winter, and it shows.

 

Sigh. Cristie taking 1:15+ to make a putt. I'm being generous with that time. Bring on the shot clock.

 

Azahara having another fine round.

[quackhead]

Did Anne van Dam pull out of the tournament? Saw her name listed in the pairings, but no scores.

[Titleist_PT23]

Muni looked like she was going to make the cut after it slipped to even. But she bogeyed her last hole to miss it by 1 shot.

 

For those that follow the junior/amateur game, was she lucky to earn a card last year? What are the odds she keeps her card this year? As noted, she hasn't made a cut yet (only played four rounds in no cut events).

 

I watched her hit a few balls at the HSBC. Her swing still looks quite lose/long - maybe this is just her follow-through (backswing is comparably short) but it seems like that of someone very young/flexible (and probably not as consistent as it could be).

[Titleist_PT23]

So Yeon and In Gee basically shot themselves out of it with even par rounds. At least not a disaster but not ideal either.

 

Minjee is 4 shots back so it won't be easy. If she gets the lead or within a shot over the weekend I will be interested to see if she can close it out. She's been close a lot - needs a few more wins in these tight situations to make the jump to the next level.

[SwooshLT]

Dark horse Top 5: Ms. Talley.....she's gaining more confidence each week