2019 HSBC Women's World Championship Feb 28 - Mar 03

[18majors]

Impressive rounds by the penultimate group today. I was most surprised by Jodi's round, especially her (suspect) putting. 'Great lag putting today, and she made every one of the knee knockers that she tends to miss. Jodi and Ariya were both bogie free.

 

Jin Young seems to have the firepower to chase down the leader tomorrow if she puts up another mid-60's round. The players at -7 really have their work cut out for them. I don't really see Ariya or Minjee shooting worse than -3, so a 64 would be needed to hoist the trophy.

 

Nice bounce back by Brooke today. After a meh 71 yesterday, she managed 8 birdies today, along with 3 bogies.

 

In Gee has really turned into an enigma. She plays solid golf in the toughest of conditions, and yet stumbles when birdies are dropping like crazy. Her 75 today was the highest round of any player in the top 30.

 

Danielle with an 81 today. I'm betting Ollie has a few good stories to tell over drinks this evening.

 

After a decent finish last week, Muni is really struggling. She has work to do this year if she wants to keep her card.

 

Jin Young Ko is a great ball striker; her putting sometimes held her back.

On the other end of the spectrum, In Gee's ball striking has continued to deteriorate; she's been staying afloat by short games and putting.

Golf is tough without good ball striking, she's bound to have bad rounds.

Her problem is she continues to trust Dr. Won Park; she needs a second pair of eyes.

[Argonne69]

I think the coverage has been pretty decent. If I'm not mistaken, we get to see a lot more different players than simply the final two groups. Also, while it takes them a little too long to get to the actual play, their highlight package is very good in bringing us up to the current timeline. Well, except for today's third round coverage where it took some time before they showed the leaderboard to show that Amy had dropped a few shots, and Ariya had picked up two shots to take the lead.

[Titleist_PT23]

In Gee has really turned into an enigma. She plays solid golf in the toughest of conditions, and yet stumbles when birdies are dropping like crazy. Her 75 today was the highest round of any player in the top 30.

On the other end of the spectrum, In Gee's ball striking has continued to deteriorate; she's been staying afloat by short games and putting.

Golf is tough without good ball striking, she's bound to have bad rounds.

Her problem is she continues to trust Dr. Won Park; she needs a second pair of eyes.

I don't profess to know what her issue is, but her stats have really been sliding since 2017. She definitely seems to be losing distance off the tee, which is odd. Don't know if this is just putting more pressure on her iron game or if there's also some mechanics that are off.

 

I thought she was setup to go on a tear for the next few years - even though she didn't win in 2017 she had like 5 seconds and 2 thirds. Even though she won last year (2018), I think KEB and Kingsmill were the only really strong showings (I guess she had 1 other top 10 but I don't recall this one being close).

 

Will be interesting to see whether her and Lydia can get it turned around and consistently be around the top 5 players. Or, if 1 win and a 5-10 top 10s per year is what is normal for these two (still very very good but not all-time great levels).

 

The other players I like to watch are Minjee and So Yeon Ryu. Minjee seems to be constantly improving little by little, and although the future is uncertain one would think she has a good few years ahead of her (caveat is what happened to Chun, Lydia, etc). I think 2017-2018 is probably as good as it gets for Ryu. The question being if she can sustain it, and how much longer she'll be around (a few years older than the others). Hopefully, she can have a good 2019-2020 - make the Olympic Team in 2020 (seems like a big deal for her) and maybe grab another major.

[jmvargas]

Congrats to Sung Hyun Park for a well-deserved win!!....was rooting for Ariya but when the winner shoots 9 birdies in the last round everyone else will be playing for 2nd place.

 

and sad for MinJee for not winning but 2nd place 2 weeks in a row is not a bad consolation prize!!

[Titleist_PT23]

Congrats to Sung Hyun Park for a well-deserved win!!....was rooting for Ariya but when the winner shoots 9 birdies it the last round everyone else will be playing for 2nd place.

 

and sad for MinJee for not winning but 2nd place 2 weeks in a row is not a bad consolation prize!!

Yes, what a round by SHP! I am surprised it wasn't just a Minjee /Ariya race.

 

Another difficult loss for Minjee. Was leading going to the back 9, and after the birdie on 12 I thought it was hers.

 

I feel like she's either going to figure out how to win these close situations and then start winning a ton or it's going to haunt her being so close and playing great but coming up a little short. Let's hope for the first scenario.

[Warrick]

I got a little nervous after she made the bogey on 8, especially with how she finished round 3.

 

What a back 9 from an amazing talent, what a pleasure to watch.

[Argonne69]

It appears that my crystal ball was crystal clear. I thought the leaders would shoot no worse than 3 under, and that the chasers would have to go crazy low. Yup, Sung Hyun did just that. For a player who struggled on the back nine all week, she sure the heck figured it out today. Exceptional round, and a well deserved win.

 

Minjee had this in the bag though, but really stumbled on the back. 'Great par save on the 13th, but what a mess on the short par 14th. One simply has to get the ball on the green on the approach, and her third was a dreadful chip. She still had a chance, but it seems she went conservative after that. She must have known that she was three shots clear of third place, so no idea why she came up way short on the par 3 17th, and she third on the par 5 16th was also meh. That said, I can't say she lost the tournament, but after a wonderful front nine she left a few out there on the back.

 

Ariya? She's had quite an up and down season so far. It seems she's super focused at times, and then she mentally checks out for a few seconds, and poof.

 

Jodi doing Jodi things. After keeping up with Ariya and Minjee yesterday there was some hope, but she fell back into her Sunday ways with the putter. 'Good to see her finish the final 8 holes nicely, but by then it was too late.

 

Aza and Jin Joung both playing great golf to start the season. 'Not sure Aza has a win in her future, but she could become a solid top 10 machine. Jin Young simply needs to get that one bad round out of her system.

 

Amy Olson is quietly becoming a top American player. Solid ballstriker, she needs to polish her putting.

 

Inbee looks like she ran out of gas. She's obviously a solid player with her longer clubs, but on a long course she's at a disadvantage, and needs her putter to be red hot. 'Nice to see her back though.

 

Progress for In Gee this week. If she manages even par on Saturday she cracks the top 10. Her game is so similar to Jin Young's. Solid ballstriking, and a brilliant flat stick at times, offset by some not so great putting.

 

It's nice to see Lydia averaging over 250 yds off the tee. Yeah, it was firm out there, but she seems to finally be swinging with confidence. On the flipside, In Gee only managed 239 yds for the week. Incredible. As others have noted, she needs a new doctor.

[Warrick]

I could just follow Jin Young Ko around all day. I am going to watch video of her swing before I go play my rounds this year....lol.

[ChronicSlicer]

 

 

Amy Olson is quietly becoming a top American player. Solid ballstriker, she needs to polish her putting.

 

 

I wish I could say I`m glad to see a surging American player, but I`m just not. She just doesn`t make me want to watch her. Sorry, I`ll pass.

[postfold]

I was watching the third round on dvr yesterday and Inbee was scuffling. Thanks to this thread I kept saying to nobody in particular “That’s Inbee not doing Inbee things”

[Stooch]

Congrats to SHP on a great win, when she is on she can definitely go low and is very fun to watch. Minjee had a great tournament but a late mistake really hurt her and she ran into a buzz saw in Park. Little surprised Ariya fell apart like she did but it happens so move onto the next event.

[Mellow]

Gahh :( Was so hoping for Minjee to get this one. So happy to see her playing so great. But these near-wins must hurt. When one of them does become a win soon, she'll really deserve it. Hope she's upbeat, she's got a lot to be happy about.

 

Ariya did seem to have something of a semi-collapsing Sunday. I guess you just kind of never know with her. Will she overpower everyone and leave them in the dust, or will she out-think / under-think herself?

 

Sung Hyun sure came out to terminate today, and she did right from the start. Got the feeling really quick that there was going to be no stopping her. My lone consolation here is that maybe this will cheer up Legitimate...

 

My totally ignorant thoughts on In Gee: I think it's like was said, she needs someone who will take care of her more than most players. Needs the atmosphere to be positive. She's a gentle sort.

[Mellow]

The other players I like to watch are Minjee and So Yeon Ryu. Minjee seems to be constantly improving little by little, and although the future is uncertain one would think she has a good few years ahead of her (caveat is what happened to Chun, Lydia, etc). I think 2017-2018 is probably as good as it gets for Ryu. The question being if she can sustain it, and how much longer she'll be around (a few years older than the others). Hopefully, she can have a good 2019-2020 - make the Olympic Team in 2020 (seems like a big deal for her) and maybe grab another major.

 

Those are a lot of my favorites too! I think your assessments are right on. For Lydia, I'm pulling for her to continue the long recovery back, to whatever will be the new her. I thought she was a good benevolent monarch during her reign, want her to find success again. She's doing great already, hope she continues moving up. Meanwhile it feels like Minjee's really grown as a player, these are exciting times for her. During 2017-18, So Yeon was like a guaranteed top 5 or 10 every week - hard to match that, don't know if it's findable again. I am real glad she hit # 1 since that seems to have been a big life goal. I am 100% not looking forward to the 2020 Korean Olympic team scramble. It is too few slots and too much overpressure. And I worry the 2016 madness still impacts In Gee's back to this day.

 

Haven't gotten to see other favorites this season yet.

[Argonne69]

Overall I thought it was a great tournament. With such a strong field, and the course playing tough, but fair, it almost felt like a major. Scoring was definitely possible, especially on Sunday, but danger lurked everywhere. 'Loved the greens, although I really do miss the 18th at the Serapong course, the site of more than a few LPGA highlights. It would be great if they rotated the two courses every two years.

 

'Still early in the year, but I'm already sensing a shift at the top of the World rankings. I guess we'll have to wait until the ANA to see if the changes are real, or simply the result of a few players stumbling out of the gate after a long winter layoff.

[joeshmo]

Was surprised to see Park finally do something on the back 9 Sunday.

Friday and Saturday the back 9 kicked her butt.

[Stooch]

I think it's still to early to judge anyone that negatively at this point, Minjee misses a cut 3 events ago before finding it her last 2. SHP looked terrible last week and shaky most of this week before finding it Sunday. Ariya hasn't looked good at all til the first 3 rounds this week before looking like she has earlier in the season on Sunday. Even Lexi had a heater yesterday dropping eagles all over (1 was an ACE).

 

The only players I'll put in top notch form right now is Nelly, Eun Hee Ji and Minjee. I wouldn't say any of the top player are playing really bad, they just aren't playing consistent. Most seem all the parts are there just not quite putting it together enough for 4 rounds. It's always great for those who come out of the gate completely on form but I'll probably wait til after the ANA and give them all a chance to get into the routine.

[tbowles411]

Overall I thought it was a great tournament. With such a strong field, and the course playing tough, but fair, it almost felt like a major. Scoring was definitely possible, especially on Sunday, but danger lurked everywhere. 'Loved the greens, although I really do miss the 18th at the Serapong course, the site of more than a few LPGA highlights. It would be great if they rotated the two courses every two years.

 

'Still early in the year, but I'm already sensing a shift at the top of the World rankings. I guess we'll have to wait until the ANA to see if the changes are real, or simply the result of a few players stubling out of the gate after a long winter layoff.

It was a solid tournament. It had a little bit of everything, but I thought for sure Minjee was going to take it.

[Titleist_PT23]

For Lydia, I'm pulling for her to continue the long recovery back, to whatever will be the new her. I thought she was a good benevolent monarch during her reign, want her to find success again. She's doing great already, hope she continues moving up.

I was never a big fan of Lydia when she originally started on tour and was winning left and right.

 

I am interested in whether she can make it back to the top/have another similar run or if the stars just happened to align early on, etc.

 

I am kind of pulling for her though, as she seems to be one of the friendly people on tour, and has handled the good times and bad times about the same (maybe her caddies / swing coaches would claim differently but to the general golfing public she appears to treat people well).

[jmvargas]

For Lydia, I'm pulling for her to continue the long recovery back, to whatever will be the new her. I thought she was a good benevolent monarch during her reign, want her to find success again. She's doing great already, hope she continues moving up.

I was never a big fan of Lydia when she originally started on tour and was winning left and right.

 

I am interested in whether she can make it back to the top/have another similar run or if the stars just happened to align early on, etc.

 

I am kind of pulling for her though, as she seems to be one of the friendly people on tour, and has handled the good times and bad times about the same (maybe her caddies / swing coaches would claim differently but to the general golfing public she appears to treat people well).

 

 

I still cannot fully understand what is really causing Lydia's drop in form compared to when she was a dominant no. 1 a few years back..

 

...from what I have seen it is definitely a combination of her changing of almost everything "except her name" plus her putting is definitely not what it was before..

 

am also not sure if her apparent drop in weight has also something to do with it..

 

whatever it is and I hope I'm wrong but I don't see her catching up and overtaking the likes of Ariya, Sung Hyun, MinJee, Brooke and even Nelly Korda anytime soon..

[Raving Shanker]

Well, Minjee has now eliminated that one bad round, but sometimes that is still not enough! Now, time to reload to do it all again, just a bit better!

 

Well done to SHP. Brilliant stuff.

[Argonne69]

I believe some of Lydia's drop was driven by the focus on her swing changes, which led to more time on the range, and less time working on her short game. She lost distance and accuracy off the tee during this time, but they alone can't account for the drop. However, when a player with such a great short game isn't practicing getting up and down, it's apparent. From 2016 through 2018 she still managed to hit 72% of her greens. Failing to make par on the missed ones was the key.

 

I don't think the weight loss was a major factor, as her game was spiraling down before she lost weight early last year. Yeah, she may have lost a bit of strength, but she seems to be in better shape this year. The diet and lifestyle changes may have taken a season to fully take. In any case she seems to have picked up over 10 yards off the tee. She's averaging 253 yds this season vs. 245 last year, and 243 the year before.

 

However, believe it or not, the biggest factor was simply that the competition stepped up. In 2015 Lydia's scoring average was 69.4, and she finished 2nd in the scoring race. In '16 it was 69.6, also good for 2nd. In '17 it was 69.9, but she fell to 9th on the scoring list. Last season it was 70.0, good for 7th place. So she's dropped 0.6 strokes on average, or just over 2 strokes per week, but players such as Ariya, Minjee, Brooke, Lexi, and Sung Hyun passed her by.

[Titleist_PT23]

I believe some of Lydia's drop was driven by the focus on her swing changes, which led to more time on the range, and less time working on her short game. She lost distance and accuracy off the tee during this time, but they alone can't account for the drop. However, when a player with such a great short game isn't practicing getting up and down, it's apparent. From 2016 through 2018 she still managed to hit 72% of her greens. Failing to make par on the missed ones was the key.

 

I don't think the weight loss was a major factor, as her game was spiraling down before she lost weight early last year. Yeah, she may have lost a bit of strength, but she seems to be in better shape this year. The diet and lifestyle changes may have taken a season to fully take. In any case she seems to have picked up over 10 yards off the tee. She's averaging 253 yds this season vs. 245 last year, and 243 the year before.

 

However, believe it or not, the biggest factor was simply that the competition stepped up. In 2015 Lydia's scoring average was 69.4, and she finished 2nd in the scoring race. In '16 it was 69.6, also good for 2nd. In '17 it was 69.9, but she fell to 9th on the scoring list. Last season it was 70.0, good for 7th place. So she's dropped 0.6 strokes on average, or just over 2 strokes per week, but players such as Ariya, Minjee, Brooke, Lexi, and Sung Hyun passed her by.

Her swing definitely doesn't seem to be as sharp (I don't profess to know what happened or what she needs to do to fix it). In 2014-2015 her GIR was 74%-77% good for #2 and #7. Since then, its fallen off to ranking in the #24-#31 range (still very good), likely partly due to her driving also getting slightly worse. Add any slip in short game/putting and the margin for error at the top just isn't wide enough.

 

I do think the competition has changed a bit too but maybe in a slightly different way. In 2014-2015, the two other top players (at least by money won) were Inbee and Stacy Lewis (Stacy didn't win in 2015 but was still playing at a high level). While no one can dispute the success these two players had (especially Inbee), they played similar games to Lydia. In contrast, Ariya, Brooke, Lexi, and Sung Hyun are so long off the tee that when everything else (putting) lines up they can be very hard to beat. I.e. the normal variances in these players games may be good for a win or two a year where they can't be caught vs. grinding out the wins by playing the percentages of just doing everything a little better than others week after week.

 

Unfortunately, Lydia's game has also slipped ever so much (her scoring has gotten worse on an absolute basis every year so it's not just that she's been "passed" while remaining the same), so we don't really know how she would fare if she was still at her best. I think her situation is somewhat similar to Spieth - when they win people say they do the things they are relatively bad at "good enough" and have heart/are clutch, etc. And then when they don't win people say they don't do X, Y, or Z good enough to compete every week.

 

What is interesting is that I think she actually was playing better in 2017 than last year. However, since she booked a W last year and 2017 followed 2014-2016 it's generally assumed that she's recovered. Regardless, her game looked a little better late last year and her start to this year is OK so hopefully she can continue upwards.

[Argonne69]

I believe Lydia's GIR has dropped because she was missing fairways. Last year she ranked 107th (69.6%), which is quite poor for such a short hitter. It was 78.4% in '17, 70.9% in '16, and 75.4% in '15. Short and crooked can't compete with the longer hitters. She's currently ranked 100th (67.7%). Ugh.

[WestTex]

 

My totally ignorant thoughts on In Gee: I think it's like was said, she needs someone who will take care of her more than most players. Needs the atmosphere to be positive. She's a gentle sort.

 

Overheard her agent/rep? and coach saying this very thing in 2018. I think she needs to follow suit with Lydia and Danielle and get a new coach and a new perspective on things. How much of this game is mental? She also doesn't seem to have the killer instinct like SHP. I would guess - and this is merely my assumption - her appraoch to the game is more "do my best and hope it's enough vs. I'm here to run the field." She doesn't need to be arrogant, but a quiet confidence would do wonders.

[Stooch]

Well in 2011 and 2012 no single player on the LPGA finished the season with a scoring average under 70.00, starting in 2013 there were 3 who finished the year with a scoring average under 70.00 and that was the minimum amount with a high of 12 players in 2017 til now (currently 10 in 2019). Also look at all the players switching with the number 1 rolex ranking and even in the whole top 10 itself, if you're not doing things you ranking tumbles cause so many other players are doing things.

 

I just think the tour at the top end has gotten very tough and to win you almost have to be perfect, you can't have one off round and shoot even par that will most likely cost you a chance at a win. You gotta be able to put 4 rounds in the 60's and even then you probably need 1 or 2 65 or better. I'm not sure for the next little while we will have a real dominant LPGA player, rather I think we'll have a dominant group of players scrapping it for wins and ranking positions. My only question is which players will put themselves among that group, we sorta lucking into a start of next generation of great LPGA talent.

[18majors]

My bet is Nelly Korda, 20, will be inside top 3 before 2020 and No. 1 before 2021.

Other contenders are Jin Young Ko, Sung Hyun Park, 2019 and 2020 rookies.

[Shilgy]

I believe some of Lydia's drop was driven by the focus on her swing changes, which led to more time on the range, and less time working on her short game. She lost distance and accuracy off the tee during this time, but they alone can't account for the drop. However, when a player with such a great short game isn't practicing getting up and down, it's apparent. From 2016 through 2018 she still managed to hit 72% of her greens. Failing to make par on the missed ones was the key.

 

I don't think the weight loss was a major factor, as her game was spiraling down before she lost weight early last year. Yeah, she may have lost a bit of strength, but she seems to be in better shape this year. The diet and lifestyle changes may have taken a season to fully take. In any case she seems to have picked up over 10 yards off the tee. She's averaging 253 yds this season vs. 245 last year, and 243 the year before.

 

However, believe it or not, the biggest factor was simply that the competition stepped up. In 2015 Lydia's scoring average was 69.4, and she finished 2nd in the scoring race. In '16 it was 69.6, also good for 2nd. In '17 it was 69.9, but she fell to 9th on the scoring list. Last season it was 70.0, good for 7th place. So she's dropped 0.6 strokes on average, or just over 2 strokes per week, but players such as Ariya, Minjee, Brooke, Lexi, and Sung Hyun passed her by.

On the pro tours 0.6 strokes per round is huge. The men's tour is even more bunched up.

[Argonne69]

I believe some of Lydia's drop was driven by the focus on her swing changes, which led to more time on the range, and less time working on her short game. She lost distance and accuracy off the tee during this time, but they alone can't account for the drop. However, when a player with such a great short game isn't practicing getting up and down, it's apparent. From 2016 through 2018 she still managed to hit 72% of her greens. Failing to make par on the missed ones was the key.

 

I don't think the weight loss was a major factor, as her game was spiraling down before she lost weight early last year. Yeah, she may have lost a bit of strength, but she seems to be in better shape this year. The diet and lifestyle changes may have taken a season to fully take. In any case she seems to have picked up over 10 yards off the tee. She's averaging 253 yds this season vs. 245 last year, and 243 the year before.

 

However, believe it or not, the biggest factor was simply that the competition stepped up. In 2015 Lydia's scoring average was 69.4, and she finished 2nd in the scoring race. In '16 it was 69.6, also good for 2nd. In '17 it was 69.9, but she fell to 9th on the scoring list. Last season it was 70.0, good for 7th place. So she's dropped 0.6 strokes on average, or just over 2 strokes per week, but players such as Ariya, Minjee, Brooke, Lexi, and Sung Hyun passed her by.

On the pro tours 0.6 strokes per round is huge. The men's tour is even more bunched up.

 

It depends on where one is in the scoring average pack. There's more separation at the top. In 2018, 0.6 strokes was the gap between first and 5th. Midpack it's the difference between 83rd and 124th.

 

I agree, though, that a top pro dropping 0.6 is a big deal by itself over the course of a season. I really wish the LPGA published scrambling stats. The change could simply be a matter of one less up and down for par every other round.

[Shilgy]

I believe some of Lydia's drop was driven by the focus on her swing changes, which led to more time on the range, and less time working on her short game. She lost distance and accuracy off the tee during this time, but they alone can't account for the drop. However, when a player with such a great short game isn't practicing getting up and down, it's apparent. From 2016 through 2018 she still managed to hit 72% of her greens. Failing to make par on the missed ones was the key.

 

I don't think the weight loss was a major factor, as her game was spiraling down before she lost weight early last year. Yeah, she may have lost a bit of strength, but she seems to be in better shape this year. The diet and lifestyle changes may have taken a season to fully take. In any case she seems to have picked up over 10 yards off the tee. She's averaging 253 yds this season vs. 245 last year, and 243 the year before.

 

However, believe it or not, the biggest factor was simply that the competition stepped up. In 2015 Lydia's scoring average was 69.4, and she finished 2nd in the scoring race. In '16 it was 69.6, also good for 2nd. In '17 it was 69.9, but she fell to 9th on the scoring list. Last season it was 70.0, good for 7th place. So she's dropped 0.6 strokes on average, or just over 2 strokes per week, but players such as Ariya, Minjee, Brooke, Lexi, and Sung Hyun passed her by.

On the pro tours 0.6 strokes per round is huge. The men's tour is even more bunched up.

 

It depends on where one is in the scoring average pack. There's more separation at the top. In 2018, 0.6 strokes was the gap between first and 5th. Midpack it's the difference between 83rd and 124th.

 

I agree, though, that a top pro dropping 0.6 is a big deal by itself over the course of a season. I really wish the LPGA published scrambling stats. The change could simply be a matter of one less up and down for par every other round.

I would say 0.6 is huge over just a single event. 2.4 strokes for four rounds can be a big deal.

 

I think we're both saying the same thing in a different way. :)

[jmvargas]

My bet is Nelly Korda, 20, will be inside top 3 before 2020 and No. 1 before 2021.

Other contenders are Jin Young Ko, Sung Hyun Park, 2019 and 2020 rookies.

 

Sung Yung Park just became no. 1!

 

she is here now in the Philippines playing in a $100,000 and leading after 2 rounds at 135(-9) with our own Yuka Saso 4 strokes behind...Saso lost in a play-off for the 1st Ladies Asia-Pacific Amateur last year..