2019 Lotte Championship Apr 17 - 20

[Warrick]

always nice to see Brooke playing well. Nice to see Hye Jin Choi back as well.

I was a big tennis fan back when I was younger, remember watching Korda play, Nelly and Jessica are both great, seem like very nice young ladies with some serious game.

Kinda hope the leaders find that even par round today, tighten things up a little

[pmcuk]

> Kinda hope the leaders find that even par round today, tighten things up a little

Evil thoughts, but we've all had them!

[ChronicSlicer]

Nice to see Madelene Sagstrom have two decent rounds so far, hope to see a top ten from her. Pretty crazy seeing such a diverse top 8 as of now (nationality wise) , not used to seeing so many different colored flags up there lol. Not surprised to see Nelly near the top, but I`m impressed to see the consistent high level of play every week, just hope she manages her schedule well enough to avoid a burnout.

[wpeters]

Where are the fans? There are no crowds whatsoever. It must be demoralizing for the players when no one comes to see you play.

[18majors]

> @agolf1 said:

> 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).

 

LPGA Q-School is such a long and arduous process that luck alone is never good enough. On the other hand, Leona Maguire, Andrea Lee and Patty Tavatanakit, players who ranked much higher than Muni He as amateurs, all failed to qualify.

It's common for rookies to struggle. Nasa Hataoka bombed out as a rookie in 2017, she re-qualified for 2018 and won twice. As good as Nelly Korda is today, she didn't distinguish herself when she's a rookie in 2017.

Muni He is close and she'll get better and better, she's a 50-50 chance to finish inside top 100 in order of merit and keeps her card.

 

 

 

[18majors]

> @agolf1 said:

> 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.

 

It's disappointing that In Gee had the shortest average driving distance of the entire field in round 2.

On the other hand, she had 4 birdies; just one less than round 1.

Both So Yeon Ryu and Jin Young Ko benefited by having new swing coaches after joining LPGA; unfortunately In Gee will never change coaches because Dr. Won Park is like god to Chun family.

[Argonne69]

I agree that there's little luck involved in making it through Q Series. It's a real grind. I'd say the odds of keeping the card are less than 50/50. Rookies generally don't get to play many events, and missing cuts never helps. On top of that the players are seeing courses for the first time while getting a handle on the ins and out of tour life. There have been a lot of players that have gone back to the Symetra Tour after a uneventful rookie season, and come back a year later in better form.

[Argonne69]

> @wpeters said:

> Where are the fans? There are no crowds whatsoever. It must be demoralizing for the players when no one comes to see you play.

 

It's a resort course. Even the PGA doesn't attract big crowds on the islands. Sunday should be better.

 

[Argonne69]

> @ChronicSlicer said:

> Nice to see Madelene Sagstrom have two decent rounds so far, hope to see a top ten from her. Pretty crazy seeing such a diverse top 8 as of now (nationality wise) , not used to seeing so many different colored flags up there lol. Not surprised to see Nelly near the top, but I`m impressed to see the consistent high level of play every week, just hope she manages her schedule well enough to avoid a burnout.

 

At this point Nelly is on the same pace as last season. She played 22 events last year, which was below average for the top players.

[legitimategolf]

> @18majors said:

> > @agolf1 said:

> > 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).

>

> LPGA Q-School is such a long and arduous process that luck alone is never good enough. On the other hand, Leona Maguire, Andrea Lee and Patty Tavatanakit, players who ranked much higher than Muni He as amateurs, all failed to qualify.

> It's common for rookies to struggle. Nasa Hataoka bombed out as a rookie in 2017, she re-qualified for 2018 and won twice. As good as Nelly Korda is today, she didn't distinguish herself when she's a rookie in 2017.

> Muni He is close and she'll get better and better, she's a 50-50 chance to finish inside top 100 in order of merit and keeps her card.

>

>

>

You speak with such absolute authority.

 

[legitimategolf]

Michelle and the golf media have been extremely mum about Michelle's upcoming nuptials, which I find so strange. That's not the Michelle I know, and not the golf media I know either.

[Argonne69]

A bit of separation at the top. If the winds pick up it's going to be much harder to make up ground. I was watching the cut line, and thought it might drop to even par. Rookie Youngin Chun makes her first cut on the nose.

[Argonne69]

> @quackhead said:

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

 

She's not listed in the pairings, so I assume she made it into the field based on the priority list when another player withdrew at the last minute, but she wasn't on Oahu, and couldn't get there in time.

 

[BobMorris]

> @"North Texas" said:

> > @"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.

 

> @"North Texas" said:

> > @"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.

 

If you believed what the media was shoveling back then, yes.

[legitimategolf]

> @"North Texas" said:

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

I could not disagree more. In fact I am in such vehement disagreement right now I have to stop myself from throwing this computer across the room. Tiger Woods? The guy with 81 wins? The three-time US Am champion? Tiger dominated all levels of competition. Arguably Michelle never dominated anything, except maybe Hawaiian amateur golf circa 2004. I will try to be patient though. If you want to explain how Michelle Wie could've been the Tiger Woods of the LPGA, I will do my best to hear you out. Also curious to know what went wrong, in your estimation. I.e. why did she not become Tiger.

[legitimategolf]

> @agolf1 said:

> 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).

 

 

She'll be fine.

[Stooch]

I don't see anyone not at -10 winning, too much quality with higher scores at the top and one of them will go low over the weekend.

The thing I enjoyed most about the 2nd round was seeing something that will actually improve my girls Brooke's scoring if the trend continues. It wasn't anything technical or even by Brooke's doing herself. It was Brittany stepping up as the caddie and being assertive and calling Brooke off a bad decision on the approach at 18. I always get caught up in cheering Brooke's growth and progress but forget Brittany is going through the same growth as a caddie starting the journey with Brooke. Although I'm not sure saying to your player "why would do that?" would go over very well if you weren't family lol I guess when you give the caddie a sponsorship deal she feels she has to earn it :)

 

 

[18majors]

> @Stooch said:

> I don't see anyone not at -10 winning, too much quality with higher scores at the top and one of them will go low over the weekend.

> The thing I enjoyed most about the 2nd round was seeing something that will actually improve my girls Brooke's scoring if the trend continues. It wasn't anything technical or even by Brooke's doing herself. It was Brittany stepping up as the caddie and being assertive and calling Brooke off a bad decision on the approach at 18. I always get caught up in cheering Brooke's growth and progress but forget Brittany is going through the same growth as a caddie starting the journey with Brooke. Although I'm not sure saying to your player "why would do that?" would go over very well if you weren't family lol I guess when you give the caddie a sponsorship deal she feels she has to earn it :)

>

>

 

Welcome back and congratulations for a clean bill of health!

Jin Young Ko could go -8 and -8 over the weekend to reach -22, but it's unlikely because of her mental block after winning her first major and reaching world No. 1.

Nelly Korda out dueled Brooke at the Founders Cup when they paired together in Round 3; it'd be fun if they're paired together tomorrow in the final group.

People don't know Brooke and Nelly are contemporary because Brooke has been in public eyes much longer; but she is only 10 months older than Nelly.

[Stooch]

> @18majors said:

> > @Stooch said:

> > I don't see anyone not at -10 winning, too much quality with higher scores at the top and one of them will go low over the weekend.

> > The thing I enjoyed most about the 2nd round was seeing something that will actually improve my girls Brooke's scoring if the trend continues. It wasn't anything technical or even by Brooke's doing herself. It was Brittany stepping up as the caddie and being assertive and calling Brooke off a bad decision on the approach at 18. I always get caught up in cheering Brooke's growth and progress but forget Brittany is going through the same growth as a caddie starting the journey with Brooke. Although I'm not sure saying to your player "why would do that?" would go over very well if you weren't family lol I guess when you give the caddie a sponsorship deal she feels she has to earn it :)

> >

> >

>

> Welcome back and congratulations for a clean bill of health!

> Jin Young Ko could go -8 and -8 over the weekend to reach -22, but it's unlikely because of her mental block after winning her first major and reaching world No. 1.

> Nelly Korda out dueled Brooke at the Founders Cup when they paired together in Round 3; it'd be fun if they're paired together tomorrow in the final group.

> People don't know Brooke and Nelly are contemporary because Brooke has been in public eyes much longer; but she is only 10 months older than Nelly.

 

Thanks! It wasn't technically a clean bill of health but with a family history of such problems, I started to get checked out early and as a result we were only dealing with small issues that are easily fixed as opposed to letting things go unchecked a become a problem, I always recommend men getting checked out because you won't notice anything til it becomes a big problem and a colonoscopy isn't that big a deal they knock you out for it.

 

Yeah Nelly is playing great right now, she's improved or dialed in all aspects of her game right now but the biggest improvement from what I've seen is her putting. She's really rolling the ball well right now and making many putts from distance. I would kinda compare it to Ariya 2018 her putting was off the charts and allowed her to dominated and I think Nelly can have a similar type year if her putting and iron play remains as strong as they are right now. When a long player marries great ball-striking and putting they are tough to beat for 90% of the field most weeks.

 

I also see lots of talk about the rookies, I wouldn't stress that much about any result here, slow greens and winds tends to beat up the "rooks" at this course. As it relates to Muni. IMO it depends on expectations, I don't think she'll ever be a top competitive player on tour but can she have a 15 year career and get a few wins along the way, that I can see.

[SwooshLT]

> @Argonne69 said:

> > @wpeters said:

> > Where are the fans? There are no crowds whatsoever. It must be demoralizing for the players when no one comes to see you play.

>

> It's a resort course. Even the PGA doesn't attract big crowds on the islands. Sunday should be better.

>

 

Then the crowds should be EVEN SMALLER with a Saturday finish! Just busting your chops.....???

[Golf Dino]

Well, Eun-Hee Ji had quite the round yesterday -- she will be teeing off in a couple of hours. The way she is playing and with some of the good fortune that she is having, I think that she will eventually triumph as the winner -- though I am cheering for Brooke! I just love her "never say never" or "never die" attitude!

[hebsan]

> @Argonne69 said:

> > @wpeters said:

> > Where are the fans? There are no crowds whatsoever. It must be demoralizing for the players when no one comes to see you play.

>

> It's a resort course. Even the PGA doesn't attract big crowds on the islands. Sunday should be better.

> If Michelle had made the cut you would have seen larger crowds today and tomorrow.

 

 

[18majors]

> @"Golf Dino" said:

> Well, Eun-Hee Ji had quite the round yesterday -- she will be teeing off in a couple of hours. The way she is playing and with some of the good fortune that she is having, I think that she will eventually triumph as the winner -- though I am cheering for Brooke! I just love her "never say never" or "never die" attitude!

 

Eun Hee Ji is already the oldest Korean ever to win a LPGA event, 32 year and 8 months, when she won Diamond Resorts in January; she'll be raising the bar higher and higher if she keeps on winning.

Eun Hee is a good front runner, she keeps the pedal to the metal; but she needs to, with Nelly, Minjee and Brooke in the rear view mirror.

[AWinfortheAges]

> @agolf1 said:

> 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.” _

 

I thought someone would have mentioned this already, but Tom Abbott mentioned during the ANA broadcast that So Yeon is looking to play in more events in Korea in the future. Apparently she decided to do this because she enjoyed the time playing the Intl. Crown there. There was no indication of how her schedule will look and how many fewer events she will play on the U.S. based tour.

 

I was in favor of the Intl. Crown being played around the world, but I say from now on the Intl. Crown only be played in the U.S. and Canada. I don't want Nasa, Minjee, Carlotta, the Jutanugarns and others to get any ideas about playing in their regional or national tours and leave us fans in the Western Hemisphere and of the U.S. tour behind. j/k

[North Texas]

> @BobMorris said:

> > @"North Texas" said:

> > > @"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.

>

> > @"North Texas" said:

> > > @"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.

>

> If you believed what the media was shoveling back then, yes.

 

The media has zero to do with her accomplishments from age 10-16 which are pretty damn amazing including playing in the final group of the final round of a major championship at the age of 13 after shooting a 66 in the third round. . Not going to bother to list the rest since anyone can do that for themselves.

 

 

[North Texas]

> @legitimategolf said:

> > @"North Texas" said:

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

> I could not disagree more. In fact I am in such vehement disagreement right now I have to stop myself from throwing this computer across the room. Tiger Woods? The guy with 81 wins? The three-time US Am champion? Tiger dominated all levels of competition. Arguably Michelle never dominated anything, except maybe Hawaiian amateur golf circa 2004. I will try to be patient though. If you want to explain how Michelle Wie could've been the Tiger Woods of the LPGA, I will do my best to hear you out. Also curious to know what went wrong, in your estimation. I.e. why did she not become Tiger.

 

Your reaction is a little over the top but whatever and I really don't care about your patience.

 

What she accomplished in golf from age 10-16 was pretty damn impressive. The girl played in the final group of the final round an LPGA major at the age of 13 after shooting a 66 in the 3rd round. No one, I repeat no one, had ever done that nor have they since. I'll let you google her and read up on some of the other things she accomplished during that period. Had she been able to continue at that level she would have been an all-time needle mover for the LPGA Tour. There is no question about that especially considering how she could hit the ball.

 

As far as what I think went wrong, I think the biggest factor is most likely she simply did not have the drive and mentality that is needed to dominate. And I think her parents were probably a factor as well.

 

 

[Argonne69]

Crazy what a little wind can do to the scoring. Brooke, Ariya, and Carlota seem to have figured it out, but everyone else seems to be treading water. Eun Hee was leaking oil, but got back on track. Minjee looked sharp early, then developed a bad case of the lefts off the tee.

[Stooch]

Gonna be a great Saturday, lots of quality at the top of this leaderboard and Nelly and Brooke decided to even let Ariya come to the party.

[Stooch]

And a Nelly, Brooke and Minjee final parring is gonna be a great treat.

[pmcuk]

> @Stooch said:

> And a Nelly, Brooke and Minjee final parring is gonna be a great treat.

 

Makes Minjee look old at 23 this year!