2016 Marathon Classic

[AKL Kiwi]

Venue: Highland Meadows Golf Club, Sylvania, OH, USA.

Date: July 14 – July 17

Course stats: par 71 6,506 yards

Format: 72 holes

Purse: $1,500,000

Defending Champion: Chella Choi (-14)

 

The field for this tournament (156) with a cut at 70 plus ties.

 

Sponsor Invites: Virginia Elena Carta (a), Jillian Hollis (a), Ying Leo, Sathika Ruenreong (a).

Qualifiers: Jennifer Ha (70), Sara Detlefsen (71)

 

Official Website: http://marathonclassic.com/

 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/...GA/with_replies

[AKL Kiwi]

The field here is back to a just above average one again. As with any tournament Lydia is in now she will be the favourite and having had a T3 and win in her last two outings here even more so. Hopefully we get through without incident this week but the forum did attract record numbers at the finish with well over 300 members on at once something I have not seen before.

 

Just a couple of minor changes to the top RR this week with Amy Yang making a nice jump up to 6th forcing In Gee Chun and Stacy Lewis down a couple. Lydia made another nice gain at #1 for her T3.

Another notable gain was from Gerina Piller who got enough points to get on the Olympic USA team. Congrats to her.

[pmcuk]

They say that "football is a game of two halves" and could be this LPGA season will be likewise - before and after the Open.

 

Whatever happened to early winners Ha Na Jang, Minjee Lee, Haru Nomura, Jenny Shin, Sei Young Kim......?

 

Lexi and Brooke are off the boil. Ariya's winning streak has petered out.

 

Will they start to recover their form and win again? Or will it be time for some of the top ten regulars to get a win in - Stacy, Amy Yang, Gerina, So Yeon Ryu, In Gee Chun....

 

We'll miss Sung Hyun Park.....

 

Nordqvist is holding up well, though, and should be pretty hungry after the Open.

[Leftagain]

Thinking this field is well below average tbh, 4th weakest of the year by my reckoning..

 

5 of the Top 10, 20 of the Top 50, not tragic by any means but well down on usual. A lot of the girls that are involved next week are skipping this one, all the rest get the week off before the Ricoh..

 

Henderson is teeing it up again, I would have thought she may have had the week off after the lackluster USWO, I guess she gets next week off!

 

Be really interested to see how Ha Na plays now that the Olympic qualifying is done with, I wont be surprised to see her game lift a few notches over the next couple of months..

 

Will be some light relief to see a birdie fest after last weeks grind..

[Runt1122]

Taking my daughter to this tournament for the first time on Thursday. Any suggestions on good viewing areas? Will most likely want to be around starting tees/range/autograph alley....are they all located close together?

[Argonne69]

When is the final round airing on The Golf Channel? I don't see it in the program listing, as they're showing Open Championship post-final round coverage?

[Leftagain]

When is the final round airing on The Golf Channel? I don't see it in the program listing, as they're showing Open Championship post-final round coverage?

 

July 17 CBS (ET)4:00 - 6:00 p.m.

[PZero]

I was given 14 tickets for the event and stopped by for a bit today. Definitely noticed the weaker field, but there were a few names that haven't been there in a while that are in the field, like Sandra Gal.

 

Immediately after the tournament they are going to renovate the course. They are making the 18th hole longer, moving the 1st tee box, and extending the range.

[PZero]

Any suggestions on good viewing areas? Will most likely want to be around starting tees/range/autograph alley....are they all located close together?

 

It's going to be hot, so any place with shade. The 9th green, 18th green, 1st tee, 10th tee, and range are all located really close together.

[AKL Kiwi]

When is the final round airing on The Golf Channel? I don't see it in the program listing, as they're showing Open Championship post-final round coverage?

 

Looks like the CBS network will be doing the final round live broadcast Argonne. Sky Sports here in N.Z has the rights again for both the LPGA and PGA tours so that's good for me but it is pay TV via satellite. I complained to them last week about not showing us the extra USGA coverage and feature group coverage but had no luck. I was able to find a live stream though of all the USGA coverage which was great because Lydia was in the feature grouping. I was unable to view it on the USGA website probably geo blocked.

[mallrat]

I think Brooke needs a week off

[AKL Kiwi]

I think Brooke needs a week off

 

Your probably right. We saw Lydia last year fatigued due to too many tournaments in a row causing loss of form. I think at that age they think they are invincible. Not going to get much easier for her though as straight after this she will be off to the UK, long flight and time difference to handle, to prepare for the WBO. On returning she will get a four week break before her own national tournament but to win that she will have to beat the worlds #1 at a tournament that Lydia has practically owned for the last four years.

[Argonne69]

Ugh. Two hours of final round coverage? Let's see, at a 5:00 pace, we'll get to see 7 holes?

[PZero]

Ugh. Two hours of final round coverage? Let's see, at a 5:00 pace, we'll get to see 7 holes?

 

Only 2 hours of live coverage all week.

[PZero]

When I was there today I was watching amateur Virginia Elena Carta tee off on 10 to start her day. She hit her shot and just as she was going to walk off, then Belen came up to her and told her that her group had that practice tee time and that the girls get really mad if you jump in front of them. Virginia was by herself, so I figured Belen would ask her to join her group, but nope. So Virgina leaves her ball out on 10 and walks to the first tee and waits to see who comes up. Up walks Pornanong Phatlum and another player I didn't recognize and immediately invited her to play with them.

[AKL Kiwi]

Ugh. Two hours of final round coverage? Let's see, at a 5:00 pace, we'll get to see 7 holes?

 

Only 2 hours of live coverage all week.

 

For all the hype about the big increase in coverage of the LPGA this year it's been a little deceiving because a lot of it will either be delayed or replayed coverage. Are you sure GC live extra is not showing it live streaming? Lydia tee's off first round at 1.21pm EDT and that's 5.21am here our coverage starts at 8.30am so our coverage will be live. Same time for round two.

[Argonne69]

Generally speaking I don't care if coverage is delayed, especially when weather interrupts play. I'd rather have 3 solid hours of edited play than 3 hours of the announcers filling time while we watch bunkers fill with rain.

 

I guess with The Open Championship this week, all eyes are focused on the men.

[tbowles411]

Generally speaking I don't care if coverage is delayed, especially when weather interrupts play. I'd rather have 3 solid hours of edited play than 3 hours of the announcers filling time while we watch bunkers fill with rain.

 

I guess with The Open Championship this week, all eyes are focused on the men.

I still like-a the ladies. In by best Italian voice. :)

 

If it's delayed it's delayed. It happens all the time actually. Long time LPGA fans know it.

[pmcuk]

 

I'd rather have 3 solid hours of edited play than 3 hours of the announcers filling time while we watch bunkers fill with rain.

 

 

You need Peter Alliss from the UK BBC for rain filled bunkers....

 

"I had an email from a wonderful old lady called Ethel May who has been a long time member in Shropshire. I've known her since before the war and her husband was a sea captain. He used to train sea cadets on one of those old tea clippers - you know, those full rigged ships like the Cutty Sark. Wonderful..... Don't see many of those kind of sailing ships around these days. In fact, talking of tea, I had tea the other week with a lady who does Morris Dancing. Now that's something rare these days, but they still do it, you know? She showed my a photo of her and her husband in their dancing gear - do you know they have bells on their legs? And they have sticks they wave about like swords.... Makes a frightful racket when you have a whole bunch of them............ "

[Argopo]

When I was there today I was watching amateur Virginia Elena Carta tee off on 10 to start her day. She hit her shot and just as she was going to walk off, then Belen came up to her and told her that her group had that practice tee time and that the girls get really mad if you jump in front of them. Virginia was by herself, so I figured Belen would ask her to join her group, but nope. So Virgina leaves her ball out on 10 and walks to the first tee and waits to see who comes up. Up walks Pornanong Phatlum and another player I didn't recognize and immediately invited her to play with them.

 

Virginia Elena Carta is current NCAA champion (Duke).

 

Shame there isn't a bit more generosity by a former collegiate player. I think Belen went to USC.

 

But, why would an amateur not be given a tee time paired up with a couple of professionals during a practice round? Why would she be left on her own to lurk on the start tees?

[hankmoody]

Definitely will miss Sun Hyun Park. I taped the Hana Bank and saved her R1 performance. She's compelling, like you designed a golfer by melding Hyo Joo Kim and Dustin Johnson.

 

Plus her game seems to have some flaws (like wedge play). Please learn some english, or get a Korean caddie and get over here Sun Hyun.

[BLLDWG23]

I picked Stacy for the win this week. She looks like she has almost got it all put together and is due for one.

[PZero]

I went again today for the pro am. Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer was playing, so there were a ton of people there today. They also had the NBA Championship trophy on the first tee box. It always surprises me at how bad 95% of the people that play in the pro am are. A guy playing with Paula hit his opening drive 5 feet to his left. Brooke and Wie had the biggest lines for autographs, not including Urban Meyer who was mobbed every hole.

 

I was standing with Stacy Lewis when Brittany Lang walked by, so she yelled, "Hey, Bethany". She came over and her and Stacy started talking about the US Open Ceremony. Stacy said, "I can't believe she called you Bethany 3 times. She then waved you up and you just froze." They both started laughing. Lang replied, "I'm not use to award ceremonies so I wasn't sure what to do." It was pretty cool getting to listen to that conversation from the new US Open Champ.

 

 

 

Urban Meyer

 

 

[Argopo]

I was standing with Stacy Lewis when Brittany Lang walked by, so she yelled, "Hey, Bethany". She came over and her and Stacy started talking about the US Open Ceremony. Stacy said, "I can't believe she called you Bethany 3 times. She then waved you up and you just froze." They both started laughing. Lang replied, "I'm not use to award ceremonies so I wasn't sure what to do." It was pretty cool getting to listen to that conversation from the new US Open Champ.

 

That's gold @PZero. Gold!

[Argopo]

https://twitter.com/...1482369/photo/1

 

A photo of Brittany Lang and Virgina Elena Carta:

[North Texas]

Paula Creamer has hit 14 of 16 greens so far and is 2 over with 2 bogies and 14 pars.

 

I'm assuming that she has two-putted every hole since she has 32 putts thru 16 holes.

 

Her 2 bogies were on par 5's.

[mallrat]

I think Brooke needs a week off

 

Looks like I was wrong.

 

HOLY CRUD, Michelle Wie under par sighting. That's about as rare as the elusive sewer cougar. Hope she can keep it up

[North Texas]

Michelle Wie in with a 2 under par 69.

 

Only her 3rd sub 70 round of the year.

[North Texas]

Paula Creamer has hit 14 of 16 greens so far and is 2 over with 2 bogies and 14 pars.

 

I'm assuming that she has two-putted every hole since she has 32 putts thru 16 holes.

 

Her 2 bogies were on par 5's.

 

And she takes a triple bogey 6 on her 17th hole.

[mallrat]

When I was there today I was watching amateur Virginia Elena Carta tee off on 10 to start her day. She hit her shot and just as she was going to walk off, then Belen came up to her and told her that her group had that practice tee time and that the girls get really mad if you jump in front of them. Virginia was by herself, so I figured Belen would ask her to join her group, but nope. So Virgina leaves her ball out on 10 and walks to the first tee and waits to see who comes up. Up walks Pornanong Phatlum and another player I didn't recognize and immediately invited her to play with them.

 

As much as everyone loves Belen she deserves a falcon punch for that move. Maybe the means girls aren't just blonde and Republican.