2020 LPGA Season Odds and Ends

[18majors]

Fortunately, they're 144 player full field events.

[Stooch]

What they could do is repo the Symetra tour event in Florida Mar 6-8 and try and add another event for the Symetra girls later in the season. Symetra girls wouldn't like it but the big tour does support the small one.

[18majors]

 

It's a great idea!

They should appoint you as the Commissioner of LPGA.

[Titleist_PT23]

When is the first reshuffle? I guess Thailand and SG cancel only indirectly impacts the Q School players. They wouldn't have played these two anyway. But the the spill over will be that other tournaments have fewer spots for outside Top 80 etc as mentioned.

Either way, seems like it could be a huge advantage for lower ranked players that teed it up already and cashed a decent check or two.

I was wondering where Muni He has been. She played the two Australia events and Thailand/SG last year on sponsor exemption. I thought she might play the one Florida event or two Australia events via her higher ranking from winning Q-School. I guess she should be able to play some early USA events, assuming she is not stuck in China.

[Titleist_PT23]

Apparently South Korea has "strongly advised" its citizens to refrain from travelling to Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Japan and Taiwan.

Kind of hard to hold the tournaments if all of their players withdraw.

[Titleist_PT23]

Others have commented on the shortfalls of the Rolex Rankings. But it is amazing how much people move around based on recent play / a few good showings.

Right now, Nelly, Nasa, Danielle Kang, and SYK are ranked ahead of Brooke, Minjee, Lee6, and Lexi.

I tend to think the second group is better than the first, although this may be looking backwards, not forward.

Also wondering if the Korean Olympic team qualifying is going to have a lot of uncertainty or if the current Top 4 will retain their positions until the end. Inbee and/or SYR need a win to make it interesting!

[Stooch]

Brooke and Sei Young Kim should get some benefit from the cancellations, they should lose 2-3 events from their divisor getting them closer to 50 events, where I like to see my favorites. I would love for Brooke to skip tournaments like the Kia and the Swinging Skirts cause she can't putt on Poe Annua grass and are usually bad finishes or missed cuts, but I'll use a polite adjective and say she's stubborn lol. She does do very well at the Lotte but usually more because of putting on a ball striking clinic rather than the putts, also could be a variation of the grass for windy condition and ocean air.

Losing 3 events isn't a good thing for the chasers for Olympic teams. Not sure when the cut-off is but I wonder if they'll add an event or two to it?

[18majors]

 

Time is running out; there'll be only 13 tournaments after this week when the Olympics births will be decided. The saving grace is there're 3 majors among the 13.

Other than Jin Young Ko; Top-10 are interchangeable because their point differentials are so small (5.99 to 4.78); a solo second finish at a major will move a player from No. 10 to No. 2.

Speaking of competition, the future is now. Players like Maria Fassi will start to blossom this year.

 

 

 

[Newinup]

speaking of olympics, it seems like the cancellation of events may favor Shibuno in retaining her top 15 ranking and ensuring more Japanese women participants for their "home course" event... :)

[18majors]

The easiest way for Symetra Tour graduates and Q-Series qualifiers to qualify for ANA Inspiration is item 11 of the exemption list:

11. Top-20 players plus ties on the current year LPGA Tour official money list at the end of the last official tournament prior to the current ANA Inspiration, not otherwise qualified above, provided such players are within the top-80 positions on the current year LPGA Tour official money list at the beginning of the tournament competition

Players will be picked after Kia Tournament.

As of now, players who're are inside the Top-80 are:

5, Hee Young Park

11, Perrine Delacour

25, Leona Maguire

26, Klara Spilkova

27, Christina Kim

30, Yui Kawamoto

44, Dana Finkelstein

46, Lindsey Weaver

53, Yealimi Noh

58, Jillian Hollis

70, Haegi Kang

74, Dottie Ardina

79, Elizabeth Szokol

The purses of Founder cup, $1.5 million and Kia, $1.8 million, are higher than the two Australian events; it'll go a long way to determine the qualifiers.

2020 ANA Inspiration - Wikipedia

 

[18majors]

Thanks, Volvik!

 

[18majors]

The best laid plans fail

LPGA players face a waiting game as season enters unexpected month-long break

 

 

[Stooch]

Are you telling me the girls wouldn't wanna play this event for free to honor the founders like originally planned lol

[Stooch]

I was looking at the Rolex Rankings and the next 10 events are gonna be exciting for my gal Brooke, well if she performs. With her Ranking it will be down to 52 and stay there for her divisor and she'll be replacing events that are probably her worst stretch for her on the LPGA tour. She has 2 missed cuts and a WD in the run of events plus a whole bunch of un-Brooke like finishes, especially a 48th at the ANA. Brooke does have a win at the Lotte and a 4th at Kingsmill to defend but other than that her best finish was a 22nd. She may not win the Lotte again but she should place well as she knows how to attack that specific course. A positive outcome does depend on execution, but if she can find a win or some top 10 or more importantly Top 5's she should lock herself solidly in the top 5 in the world as she'll be adding points with these results while not defending many points with a lower divisor. Excited for the tour to start back up although it's more than a month away.

[Titleist_PT23]

I'm surprised she didn't play earlier in the year. If I understand correctly, any money from the three Asian events wouldn't have counted as official money (sponsor exemption and no cut). She has good starting ranking this year via winning Q-School. It would be a waste to lose that in the reshuffle simply due to not playing enough.

I still have no idea if she can play (well) on tour. She could pull a HYP and win/have a great year. Or flounder around and be back playing Q-School late next year. Regardless, winnings from a few events (especially with weaker fields) could be the difference between Top 80, etc at the end of the year.

Players need to pace themselves and have a schedule that works outside of golf too, but not sure this was the best decision?

[MagicClassic407]

With the LPGA on a long hiatus, wouldn't it be a good fit for The Golf Channel to obtain the LET feed for their next couple of tournaments? I see there are many gals from these last weeks in Australia with tee times this week (Fassi, Cho, Hollis, C. Kim et al), as the LET is still in Australia. With the LPGA/LET new collaboration, makes total sense to me.

[18majors]

Congratulations, Bianca!

 

[18majors]

Looking forward to follow this!

 

[18majors]

Welcome, Hinako!

"This time, Hinako Shibuno has won the AIG Women's Open last year and has expressed his intention to participate in the U.S. tour from 2021."

渋野日向子がたどる東京五輪出場から米ツアー参戦というルート　“メジャーチャンプ”の期待に応える準備の一年【米ツアーに挑む女たち】

 

[Newinup]

She's actually willing to go through QSeries to make the US Tour... I guess she knows her priorities in life :) (eg Olympics, Satisfy domestic sponsors first, adjust to being a major champion and a "better ranked" pro, prepare for an American lifestyle, etc)...

[Singapore Joe]

livetv.ru schedule indicates the Saturday round from Australia will be available. Whether that actually happens or not is a different question altogether. It may also pop up in cricfree.sc but currently it's not on their schedule.

If you wish to use those sites make sure your ad blocker, pop-up blocker and anti-virus software are up to date and also be prepared to do quite a bit of mocking about with the streams. Pushing ads is their business model, the more intrusive and annoying the better. For example, the streams on cricfree.sc start muted and when you find the volume control the first couple of clicks launch a browser window with ads and then you get to adjust the volume and make the stream full screen. Some streams are also patchy at best. I find cricfree.sc more reliable and it's easier to select the stream you wish to view (i.e. to avoid Golf Channel and alike with way too many commercials) but the ads from the site itself are more intrusive.

[MagicClassic407]

Thank you!! I just read where Lauren Stephenson maintained the lead after Day 2 (over Ayean Cho) via an eagle on the last! The final group for Round 3 also features an Australian amateur who is one stroke behind Cho. As it's moving day, I'm still holding out hope for one of my Finnish countrywomen currently T4: Noora Koumulainen.

[Singapore Joe]

Likewise. Went to watch Matilda Castren play at the Vic Open on day 2. I’m glad she made the cut but the weather overwhelmed her a bit on day 3.

Noora Komulainen got a good start in NSW so let’s hope she can keep it going. There’s also the NSW Open next week where I presume the same bunch of Finns will compete as well.

[Singapore Joe]

So much for Finns near the top.

[18majors]

Wisdom by Shanshan Feng

“It’s maybe more fair to the rookies and the players that wouldn’t be in Asia,” said Feng. “Plus, the Diamond Resorts (Tournament of Champions). (Three) tournaments with no cut before the reshuffle. Now it gives the rookies and others a lot more chances.”

With many in China struggling, Shanshan Feng tries to bring a laugh to her friends from afar

[18majors]

A new star is born!

Kyriacou's greatest day in golf | LPGA | Ladies Professional Golf Association

 

 

[18majors]

What a 3 weeks it could have been for Ayean! Imagine she could have won all three tournaments!

유럽여자골프 준우승한 조아연, 우승상금 차지…호주에서 큰 수확

 

[18majors]

Go Anna!

 

[18majors]

Jiwon Jeon and Yu Jeong Son are Korea's hope for sixth consecutive Rookie of the Year.

Sorry, Yealimi Noh; you're a Yankee!

LPGA 신인상 6년 연속 석권, 전지원·손유정이 이뤄낼 수 있을까

[18majors]

 Don’t miss #Road2LPGA rookie @sierrabrooks59 on @gcmorningdrive tomorrow at 7:40 a.m. ET! Set your alarm and tune in ? #DriveOn

Tuesday, February 25, 2020