Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions Presented by IOA

[Stooch]

Still gotta go with Inbee, Carlota's Sunday collapses are legendary.

[ChronicSlicer]

Fassi needs to make a cut first. 4 cuts out of 11 events last year. All that hype she was getting only to be blown away by Gillman and Kupcho.

[Titleist_PT23]

Do you think Brooke's (and/or SYK's) lost shots are more due to aggressive shots that just don't work all the time or randomly getting into trouble/out of place for whatever reason? I.e. over the year the bogeys come with the birdies and they win when they can control the bogeys. Or, for whatever reason they just have trouble making 32-36 clean swings per round (either lack of concentration for 4+ hours, some minor swing flaws that makes her swing just isn't as solid, etc).

 

I don't know which one it is. I think the second one can theoretically be improved but if it's the first there is only so much that can be changed.

[18majors]

@agolf1

Clearly, I haven't followed Brooke as closely as @Stooch; but Brooke seemed to make most her bogeys during the first six holes of each round. It's almost like a pitcher who gave up 4-5 hits during the first 3 innings then shut out the rest of the game.
It can't be swing related.

[Stooch]

I would say definitely aggression plays a part for both but also consistency. Bad swings happen to all the players but with Brooke especially it's inconsistencies in her short game she'll hit a great one then flub the same shot a few holes later. Brooke also has an insane amount of 3 putts, which are usually concentration related IMO. With Brooke I'd like to see her take more responsibility with her putting, no offense to Brit but she was on the Symetra tour and if her putting was that good she'd have been on the LPGA. Sei Young makes less mistakes with her putting but can miss a few short ones and can get loose with her wedges. Again though all go through this usually to varying degrees, it's just usually managing the misses IMO.

Sei Young put it in the drink on 18 but that's ok, she needed the birdie just hit a bad shot, she had to give it a try. Her dropped shots earlier are what put her in that position on 18. Brooke, she can blame her bad bunker play Saturday. She put 2 balls in the green side bunkers and ended up +3 cause of it, she also flub an easy pitch on 4 to make a bogey today. Both Sei Young and Brooke are very aggressive and wanna push the lead but both were only -3 on the weekend. Perhaps Brooke put too much thought into Inbee on Saturday and Sei Young did the same on Sunday. Ultimately, I think they gotta continue to work on the small things and should help cut down on the mistakes. Brooke is usually 2nd to Ariya in # of birdies each season but the stat they don't show if you looked at the Top 10 in the world Brooke also leads them all in bogeys by a nice margin.

That said both are usually good for lighting it up a couple times a season on a given week and going wire to wire and getting the win, so what do I know ha ha.

 

[18majors]

Congratulations to Jennifer Chang; who's gained automatic entry to Gainbridge.

Dana Finkelstein; priority #139, is now the highest ranked player to play Monday Qualifier today.

There're a total of 76 players vying for 2 spots.

 

LPGA Tour | Ladies Professional Golf Association | reports

 

 

 

[18majors]

Nasa, what a tee shot to about 10 feet!

[18majors]

Gaby made a 20 feet birdie putt!

[18majors]

Congratulations to Gaby; this's her coming out party!

[Toolrushfan96]

Congratulations Gaby!

[18majors]

Is there any significance that a Mexican, a North American, wins the first tournament of 2020 decade?

My expectation is that Gaby, Brooke, Nelly, Danielle and a host of new comers will start to tilt the competitive balance from Korea and Asia to this side of the Pacific Ocean.

[fredogolfer]

The first paragraph of that article is poorly written.

[Sean2]

Nicely done by Gaby...major props to her. :-)

[Argonne69]

Nice win by Gaby. I thought she had the edge going into the playoff. Nasa seemed to be missing short, and a chip in is unlikely. Of course Nasa finally sticks one close, and Gaby drains the long birdie.

I still think they need to incorporate the 17th into the playoff mix next year.

 

[Argonne69]

Heck of a round by MJ yesterday. She got lost in the excitement surrounding the playoff. If the LPGA had an award for comeback player she's certainly get my vote.

Lots of talk about Brooke and Sei Young having rough days, but they still managed top 10's, and Sei Young would have likely snagged a top 5 if she didn't press on the final hole in need of a birdie. Crazy that both can still be in the hunt when they're struggling. They're great to watch.

[Stooch]

Congrats to Gaby, at the start of Sunday I didn't think she'd be the winner. I was more impressed with the birdie on 18 in regulation, that was a clutch shot to get into the playoff. Yeah, MJ has that ability to drop a really low one, the scary part is she had 2 bogeys that round also. We'll see what this win does for Gaby, she been improving every year since becoming a pro.

[18majors]

This is a big deal; just wait until she starts winning!

 

 

[18majors]

Tee time for Gainbridge Qualifier today; @Newinup will be on pins and needles all day.
Favors were given to Sierra Brooks and Christina Kim; otherwise tee time were according to priority list.
P.S. @Newinup Bianca's score will be available around 2:00 PM EST.


https://twitter.com/ANNCAIN_/status/1219281660522442752

[Newinup]

LOL... how do you keep track of the scores? (or is there no way, just a final result at 2pm?)

[18majors]

@Newinup

No livescoring; just the final result.

[18majors]

Gainbridge Qualifier scores started to roll out:

Alison Lee -4

Jiwon Jeon -3

Kendall Dye -3

 

Bianca Pagdanganon +3

LPGA Tour | Ladies Professional Golf Association | reports

 

 

[Newinup]

tough day at the office for B... onward to the next qualifier/tournament...

[18majors]

 

Experience counts; both Alison Lee and Kendall Dye have been LPGA veterans.

Also, the jet lag; remember both Yealimi Noh and Yuka Saso had a lot of problems at Stage II.

[Stooch]

Allison seemed to be finding some form by the end last season but her fate was already decided by then, pretty much. Hope she can get back on track.

[18majors]

 

I agree Alison was rounding into form and was really surprised that she bombed out at the Q-Series.

Alison had incredible junior career (almost as illustrious as Brooke's) and started 2015 with a bang; it's always been a mystery why her LPGA career has faded so quickly.

[Awsi Dooger]

I was pleased to wake up and find out that Gaby won. My preference in the playoff was Inbee, who I followed all week. Once Inbee was knocked out I rooted for Gaby, who I also saw quite a bit.

 

Gaby does need to engage more with her celebrity playing partners. That stood out all week. Virtually no interaction. She treated it like a normal event.

 

I’m sure that will change next year as she realizes the responsibilities of a defending champion.

 

Later tonight I'll post some impressions of this tournament.

[Stooch]

Yeah, Brooke, Minjee and Allison were the standouts from that class, all right there with each other.

[18majors]

The Notables in the field by Golf Channel is a bit refreshing

LPGAGainbridge LPGA at Boca RioThursday-Sunday, Boca Rio GC, Boca Raton, FloridaCourse specs: Par 72, 6,701 yards, designed by Robert von Hagge (1966)Purse: $2 millionDefending champion: Inaugural eventNotables in the field: Nelly Korda, Lexi Thompson, Ariya Jutanugarn, Brooke Henderson, Jennifer Kupcho, Maria Fassi, Patty Tavatanakit, Albane Valenzuela, Yealimi NohTee times: TBDTV schedule: Thursday/Friday, 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday, 3-5:30 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Sunday, 3-5 p.m. ET (Golf Channel)

[Awsi Dooger]

First notice on Thursday is this event is a bigger version of 2019. Greater corporate presence especially the merchandise buildings and fan activities between the first green and second tee box. Most notably the Diamond Resorts CEO Michael Flaskey is not shy about identifying his favorites among the playing field. The largest merchandise building alongside the first green has huge 8 foot high x 3 foot wide glass panes on 3 sides of the building (front, left and right), with each pane depicting a player in a golf action pose. There are perhaps 20 panes total. Michelle Wie was obviously a late unexpected scratch because one pane depicts her. Overall it is a familiar allotment but one aspect stands out above all: Michael Flaskey has a particular favorite. The celebrity who is depicted in the greatest number of panes on that building is Michael FlaskeyBlair O'Neal is very pregnant. I didn't realize she was pregnant at all. But she seems to be playing better this year. Her swing is slower and more controlled, perhaps to compensate for the belly. She is aiming right. Again, perhaps that is another compensation. Once in a while she aims particularly right off the tee, as much as 25 yards right. Most significant of all, however, is that her short putting is vastly improved. Last season in this event Blair threw away one shot after another with nervous short putts. This year that was all but gone, although I did see an early miss on Sunday. Blair is more of a fan favorite than most would realize. Spectators call out her name between holes as much as any celebrity. She responds with a smile and positive reply. It is so awesome when Ariya plays herself out of contention early. I was loving those early numbersBut what are the Kordas doing? Both strangely struggling, on what seemingly is an easy day. Neither Korda in contention all week was probably the greatest surprise I took from this eventThe absence of Jeremy Roenick is a huge deal and is really impacting how the players conduct themselves. That was glaring immediately. Last year Roenick took it upon himself as the class clown. There were off color jokes with spectators while walking between holes. He would shout across fairways to other celebrities, needling them and offering wagers. They responded in kind. It reminded me of a Lake Tahoe event more than an LPGA event with an actual outcome at stake. This year as soon as I saw that predictable social media comment that Roenick made, I knew darn well he would not be playing in this event. In this era we won't care about lies and cheating, no matter how flagrant or impactful, since your side will look away and rationalize the lies and cheating. But any type of sexually suggestive comment is forbidden and will result in banishment, at least in the short term. That's why a Jeremy Roenick is banished while a Justin Verlander is not only playing in this event but welcome on Saturday in the same group as the CEO Michael Flaskey.I can't believe they still can't figure out what to do on the 5th and 6th holes. I emphasized this aspect last year, although I'm sure it never makes the TV coverage. Last year spectators were prevented from walking 5 and 6. They blocked us off except for one brief window on Friday. I snuck through during that window. What is the big deal? Other than no gallery ropes these are perfectly normal holes. They gave me some nonsense story about wildlife protection. Sure pal. Those two holes were fully blocked the remainder of 2019. Spectators were halted behind the 4th green and could not resume watching until the second shot on the 7th hole, a par 5. This time the holes were walkable early on Thursday but the gallery ropes still were not up. That meant something was going on. Sure enough, when Inbee's group reached that area I heard commotion at the 5th tee. A guy zoomed up in a cart and was confronting the chief marshall. "These holes are supposed to be blocked. The LPGA wants them blocked." The marshall responded that it was the third different story he has heard today, but that his boss insists the holes are to remain open so he's going with that. Well done. I applauded. Others did also. We walked the holes. Again, there is absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. Finally on Friday the spectator ropes were up on 5 and 6 and remained there for the remainder of the week. Sheer normalcy walking those holes. And on Friday afternoon I finally got a straight answer from a ranking member of the tournament staff. He told me that the homeowners near the tee box on #7 have a tremendous degree of clout, and they didn't want to be disturbed by throngs of spectators walking in that area. The 7th tee is indeed very close to a huge expensive home...maybe 20 yards away given the angle of how that home sits. In looping those 5th and 6th holes you emerge behind the 7th tee box. The solution had been to block 5 and 6 completely so spectators couldn't get anywhere near that 7th tee. But we're talking dozens of people tops. Not many spectators make that faraway loop on 5 and 6. I think the specific homeowner must have finally realized based on Thursday's example that they were scared of nothing. This isn't exactly a Tiger gallery. By Friday not only were spectators allowed to make the loop but there were a few people in that backyard alongside the 7th tee cheering the players and celebrities.I decided to follow Inbee because I love the Olympics and her dedication to making another Olympic team. Besides, she has indeed been a part time player recently, as mentioned earlier in this thread. I hadn't gotten a look at her game in so long. Inbee has no thought process off the tee. That really works in her favor. She isn't long enough to make strategic choices. She pulls out the driver and hits the same shot every time... a moderately short moderately low dependably straight tee ball. Her putting didn't seem to be as aggressive as in her prime. She made several and finished -6 but I never felt she would sink the long ones. During her best years those 25 or 30 footers would fall with shocking regularity, especially when it matteredInbee's husband always follows her group quietly and sits on a chair that spikes into the ground. He is friendly but overall doesn't say much. Between 7th green and 8th tee I heard a long time LPGA caddie ask Inbee's husband about what they did in the offseason: "Did you go to Korea? "Yes" "Was it cold?" "Yes...cold. Very cold." "Have you been playing golf yourself?" "Yes...74...73...76." "Wow, that's good. So you've been beating Inbee?" "No (laughs). No beat Inbee."Just like last year, a standout from this event is how well organized the shuttle system is. Parking is free, which is a massive plus. Compare to the Players Championship, a rip off at $35 or $45 depending on which day of the week. Parking here is in an original street level Disney World Parking lot. The shuttles are frequent and whisk you to and from the course in brisk dependable order.

[Awsi Dooger]

Friday was a wonderfully windy testing gusty day, the type of day I always rooted for to test the men at Doral. The lead score of -8 obviously wouldn't bump much if at all. Marina Alex was having the worst of it. I followed her for a few holes early. Lots of bogey caliber shots. They indeed produced bogeys. Later I saw her score mounting and Marina perplexed. She was silently practicing swing keys and everything else. Her playing partners and notably the CEO Mike Laskey were staying away, allowing Marina to deal with her thoughts. I didn't see Marina's mom in the gallery and I remember thinking that was a good thing. An 81 needs as few witnesses as possibleMardy Fish is not fooling me again. That was one of my mental notes heading into this event. He fooled me last year. Fish hits the greatest number of pro caliber shots. His mannerisms are most like a PGA player. Meanwhile he can't putt at all. None of it matters because he can't putt at all. It's not normal for a lefty golfer to stand up there and not threaten as a competent putter. Fish manages itInbee was paired with Larry Fitzgerald and Justin Verlander. Basically the opposite of the class spectrum. Fitzgerald is fun to watch out there. One striking aspect of this event is so few truly errant shots, even from the amateurs. Fitzgerald is a necessary exception. He never hit a wood all day yet can miss 25+ yards in either direction. Many of the marshalls had Larry Fitzgerald stories of where he hit it the prior day, pointing to a yonder patch. Sure enough, he'd over correct to an opposite yonder patch today. But Fitzgerald was not flustered. He had a good time out there and everyone was enjoying his attitude. I overheard heard him speaking to Inbee several times about her career. This was Inbee's first celebrity event, as I found out later in the day from her high school coaches. It was never noticeable. Inbee was speaking to both playing partners including asking Fitzgerald about his family on the 5th tee. Fitzgerald said he was there with his three young kids and the week was all about them enjoying Disney World, with golf occasionally getting in the way. Later in the round Fitzgerald straightened out his irons and hit several legitimately impressive shots.The autograph mob was there for Justin Verlander. That was a standout aspect of Friday, far beyond the golf. These guys are ruthless professionals. I overheard their strategy sessions many times. They didn't give a flip about the golf. There were 6 of them following Verlander's group wearing his baseball jerseys, some from the Astros and some from the Tigers. They would approach Verlander on every hole and ask him to autograph the jersey. He refused every time. He knew the game. He could tell it was an organized group. That group was complaining amidst each other about the new rule for this event that each fan could only bring one jersey and they had to be wearing it. That is to prevent bagfuls of jerseys, a new one summoned after the prior one is signed. Gad, did they whine about that rule. Verlander did sign a jersey for one 40ish guy who begged him on each of the first 4 holes but appeared to be a normal dad. He was. I heard him talk to the group later, near the 8th tee. "Guys, you make it too obvious. You're hanging out together. You're not even watching the golf." After that 8th hole one of the autograph hounds approached again. He looked like he was from India. Several of them appeared to be from India. Once Verlander said no again, Larry Fitzgerald piped up, speaking to the hound, "I like this guy. He's funny. He's asked you 10 times. You say no every time. I'm sure he'll keep doing it." The hound took it as a compliment. He said, "I'm persistent." Two holes later it reached heightened absurdity. After Verlander said no exiting the 10th green, the other hound from India said in loud mocking fashion, "See ya on 11." All day I was really wanting to dislike Justin Verlander due to the cheating scandal and the glaring aspect that everyone in the inner circle had to fully know and approve. I still feel that way but I must confess I did enjoy him turning away the jersey hounds. Verlander was signing regular autographs for everyday fansBeth Ann Nichols was out there walking the course frequently this week, especially toward the later stages of the front nine. I admired that, as opposed to so many writers who hang around the press area. Apparently Beth was seeking feature stories on some of the celebrity angles. I saw her speaking to Fitzgerald on Friday and on Saturday I noticed her taking notes while interviewing someone who knew Chad PfeiferOn the 4th hole Friday I said something about Inbee's Las Vegas background and it caught the attention of an older couple standing nearby along the gallery ropes. They introduced themselves as Inbee's middle school and high school golf coaches from Mount Dora in the Orlando area. That amazed me. I had no idea Inbee had any connection to Orlando. Dave and Jeannie said they have known Inbee for 17 years. They raved about her character and her game, saying she was always a joy to coach and to be around. Jeannie said Inbee still holds the local high school record of 29 for 9 holes and she did it in 8th grade. We ended up walking together for much of the final three days, reacting to Inbee's fortunes on the course. When I mentioned Inbee's propensity to wear white pants Dave pulled out several pictures off his smart phone, showing Inbee wearing white shorts while playing for the high school team. Then on Sunday he quickly and kiddingly pointed out that Inbee switched to black pants. I told him I wasn't sure that was a good idea...just stick to what is working. Dave and Jeannie have attended many of Inbee's major victories including all 3 during the season she opened by winning the first 3 majors. When Inbee won the gold medal in Rio in 2016, Dave and Jeannie called quickly to leave a congratulatory voice message. Instead Inbee answered when she saw who it was, and she talked to them from right there alongside the 18th green. On Sunday I found out Jeannie is battling a serious health matter. That was a jolt. Fortunately an experimental treatment has been successful. Jeannie was walking the course in strong upbeat fashion. I never would have known she was sick. All my best to Jeannie and Dave. Extremely impressive couple.