2021 LPGA Season Odds and Ends

[Rapidcat]

3 minutes ago, KBong said:

This statement is too Pink Shirt for me.🤣

 

On a serious note...things aren't the greatest here....currently having 1 of 3 atmospheric rivers...RAIN...right now on top of our flood issues...the east coast of Canada just got hammered with 6" of rain and flood issues too.

 

And we went through 46*C record breaking weather here at the end of June...WTH.

Doesn't sound good. Weather here isn't that great either - a La Nina summer = heavy rain and not as hot as typical.

 

The world's going to hell and a handbasket...at least we've got Crusty/SNaP/SNap2/Rory/Greg Norman/Old Tom Morris or whoever to whinge about.

 

They should have appointed Greta Thunberg as LPGA commissioner...lol.

[KBong]

50 minutes ago, 18majors said:

 

 

I would've never thought that you, a proper Canadian, would wish me a Happy Thanksgiving.

 

But, of course, you didn't wish me a Happy Thanksgiving; you just used it to bring out your main point.  But, what the heck!  Thanks anyway!

I'm a REAL Chinese...with a Canadian passport.

 

It's best to be REAL Chinese here in Asia Central Van City than to be a BANANA.🤣...don't believe me...just ask @Golf Dino.

 

I'm thankful for American Thanksgiving...cause it's POURING here...so no golf...so I can at least watch 3 NFL games....though I'm only interested in the Bills vs. the Saints game later tonight.

 

Hopefully you don't get stampeded when you go Black Friday Shopping at Walmart tomorrow morning at 6am.

I LUV watching all the Mericans fighting over $200 TV's at Walmart on Youtube....but the "KAREN" Youtube vids are the best.

[18majors]

16 minutes ago, KBong said:

the media attention won't change too much for her...

 

 

Again, I'll defer it to @Supermilo, our resident Japanese Guru!

 

But, as a starter, WOWOW is sending a team to cover Shibuno and Furue at the Q-Series the next two weeks.  They didn't do that for Ai Miyazato.

 

 

[KBong]

3 minutes ago, Rapidcat said:

They should have appointed Greta Thunberg as LPGA commissioner...lol.

She's an IDIOT.

But I guess she could do no worse than Mollie...ugh.

[KBong]

5 minutes ago, Rapidcat said:

The world's going to hell and a handbasket...at least we've got Crusty/SNaP/SNap2/Rory/Greg Norman/Old Tom Morris or whoever to whinge about.

 

I can't believe Rory CHOKED again this past weekend.

 

There's a reason why I call him...MENTAL MIDGET.

[Rapidcat]

3 minutes ago, KBong said:

She's an IDIOT.

But I guess she could do no worse than Mollie...ugh.

I line 'em up, you knock 'em down.

[KBong]

4 minutes ago, 18majors said:

 

 

Again, I'll defer it to @Supermilo, our resident Japanese Guru!

 

But, as a starter, WOWOW is sending a team to cover Shibuno and Furue at the Q-Series the next two weeks.  They didn't do that for Ai Miyazato.

 

 

Furue demolished everyone last night on the JLPGA.

I don't know much about her...I think she's a bit small and may lack a bit of length...if she has FIRE POWER...I think she be one to beat up on the LPGA Yanks in 2022.

[Rapidcat]

2 minutes ago, KBong said:

I can't believe Rory CHOKED again this past weekend.

 

There's a reason why I call him...MENTAL MIDGET.

Hang on...you also call yourself MENTAL MIDGET.

 

Are you CHINESE RORY?

[KBong]

Just now, Rapidcat said:

I line 'em up, you knock 'em down.

Put Pink Shirt Trudeau at the FRONT of the line.....he deserves the FIRST punch.🤣

[KBong]

1 minute ago, Rapidcat said:

Hang on...you also call yourself MENTAL MIDGET.

 

Are you CHINESE RORY?

Believe me...I've GAGGED many many times trying to finish off a round in over 5 decades of swinging the sticks.

 

But I'm way ahead on skins....as there are plenty of other POSER golf friends.🤣

[HMHS]

1 hour ago, KBong said:

Furue demolished everyone last night on the JLPGA.

I don't know much about her...I think she's a bit small and may lack a bit of length...if she has FIRE POWER...I think she be one to beat up on the LPGA Yanks in 2022.

my concern will be her length... (which you rightly pointed out).  i dunno if 240 yds cuts it in the LPGA consistently -- as shibuno said she was 240 before and had to be able to do 260... we will find out next wk or two as a preliminary -- after all LPGA is more a wedge and iron game, in my view, relative to PGA (Morikawa and Matsuyama be damned LOL)...

[KBong]

3 hours ago, Supermilo said:

my concern will be her length... (which you rightly pointed out).  i dunno if 240 yds cuts it in the LPGA consistently -- as shibuno said she was 240 before and had to be able to do 260... we will find out next wk or two as a preliminary -- after all LPGA is more a wedge and iron game, in my view, relative to PGA (Morikawa and Matsuyama be damned LOL)...

You don't have to have huge length to be competitive....but as a minimum avg length.

The only shorty's who are competitive...IMO...are Inbee and Salas.

 

If Shibuno did pick up length, I'm not surprised.

She's not a 1 trick pony....played softball....so likely fairly athletic to develop speed.

I've seen her throw a fastball pitch.

But length without good dispersion is of no value.

 

Just got home to watch the last 1/2 hr.....Raiders win...I HATE the Cowboys....a good game in the end.

Now....Bills vs. Saints....let's thank the Yanks for Thanksgiving football.

[Argonne69]

16 hours ago, KBong said:

Let's face it   @Argonne69 has A LOT of B**** to wear those Dumbo Ears at a LPGA event....he could get MAULED and STABBED by the Attack Girls....Namdalla fans don't like competition....especially from other Korean pros.

 

Lol. I dunno. They seemed pretty tame. Maybe it was too early in the morning. 

 

 

[ChronicSlicer]

22 hours ago, Supermilo said:

 

 

Muni has the most "potential" in terms of growth -- but that greatly assumes a game with it...

She's doing pretty well without much "game" involved. Do we really need to ask why she's so popular, do we need to wonder why Paige has 3m followers? 

I'm not directing my comments at you @Supermilo, just using your quote because it's a great example.
@18majors is convinced Instagram followers equates to more eyes on the LPGA, I'm convinced Instagram followers equates to eyes on other things.
You all seem like a intelligent lot, it's not that hard to see the truth.

[HMHS]

1 hour ago, ChronicSlicer said:

She's doing pretty well without much "game" involved. Do we really need to ask why she's so popular, do we need to wonder why Paige has 3m followers? 

I'm not directing my comments at you @Supermilo, just using your quote because it's a great example.
@18majors is convinced Instagram followers equates to more eyes on the LPGA, I'm convinced Instagram followers equates to eyes on other things.
You all seem like a intelligent lot, it's not that hard to see the truth.

I know it wasnt directed at me but...

 

TBH, i don't find Muni worth following on IG - I actually follow Alex Albon  and Yuki Tsunoda LOL (I find Muni to be "third wheel - esp when she was in Texas for COTA race and Alex and Yuki were chatting in the paddock before/after the race).  Neither do I follow Paige LOL.  Call me oddball...  

 

Nonetheless I do follow Hinako and Yui - and it wasn't initially bec of their golf "ability" actually - as most of you guys know Hinako didn't even make it in her first attempt at the regular JLPGA tour. 

 

Needless to say, I follow Shota Hayafuji and Hideki as well... 🤣

 

It would be interesting to see if someone has done "analysis" of % of followers in terms of demographics of Muni  and Paige -- as in age (never mind gender LOL).  

 

 

 

 

[18majors]

2 hours ago, ChronicSlicer said:

She's doing pretty well without much "game" involved. Do we really need to ask why she's so popular, do we need to wonder why Paige has 3m followers? 

I'm not directing my comments at you @Supermilo, just using your quote because it's a great example.
@18majors is convinced Instagram followers equates to more eyes on the LPGA, I'm convinced Instagram followers equates to eyes on other things.
You all seem like a intelligent lot, it's not that hard to see the truth.

 

 

Thanks for your comments!  Of course, you're right that Muni's Instagram followers isn't based on golf alone.

 

But conversely, Muni having a large follower base would certainly bring in more eye balls to TV, especially if she's contending and on TV.

Edited November 26, 2021 by 18majors

[Argonne69]

3 hours ago, 18majors said:

 

 

Thanks for your comments!  Of course, you're right that Muni's Instagram followers isn't based on golf alone.

 

But conversely, Muni having a large follower base would certainly bring in more eye balls to TV, especially if she's contending and on TV.

 

Muni contending? Hmmm, that's a stretch. I've been a fan since her college days, but she's got a lot of work to do each season to keep her card, never mind contend.

 

[Golf Dino]

Speaking with a social media analyst regarding Instagram, something else to keep in mind is that the listed number of followers may involve "ghost accounts".  They are acquired for the purpose of boosting the number of followers.  Advertising via Instagram is now being driven more and more by the interactions of the account.  That includes the "quality" of the interactions -- "likes" are not as valued by advertisers as much as "comments" and replies from the account holder.  

 

In some markets, Instagram has been running a beta program omitting the number of followers and/or the number of likes, etc.   

 

One thing for certain is that the adoption of the GDPR - General Data Protection Regulations by the EU and other protection of private information regulations by others means that there is an upheaval in the analytics area.  Instagram and Facebook (Meta) are already working on other methods of analytical tracking so we will see what shakes out and what it means for Instagram "influencers" such as Paige, etc.

[HMHS]

2 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

 

Muni contending? Hmmm, that's a stretch. I've been a fan since her college days, but she's got a lot of work to do each season to keep her card, never mind contend.

 

I've never really bothered to follow her game closely, what is her "go to" strength of her game? Certainly not length, is it iron play or putting? She certainly did well enough to keep her card for 2022 ...

[JungleJimbo]

On 11/24/2021 at 2:39 AM, 18majors said:

 

At one time within the past year, Jessica Korda, Danielle Kang, Lydia Ko and Nelly Korda all had about 170,000 Instagram followers.  That's changed today:

1.    Nelly Korda                            397,500
2.    Jessica Korda                        251,700
3.    Lydia Ko                                  214,500
4.    Danielle Kang                        203,800

All've grown considerably because of Tokyo Olympics.  

 

With her Gold Medal, Nelly has grown more than twice in less than one year.  She's still growing her followers everyday even though the pace has slowed down since the Olympics days.

 

She's on her way to be the first LPGA player to join the one million follower club, barring injuries and that she sustains her Rolex #1 ranking in the foreseeable future.

HyunJoo Yu has ~356k followers ie more than #2,3,4 on @18majors’ List shown above? 
(...or is this KLPGA pro = also considered a “part-time pro & full-time model”? 😬🚫🤬)
 

https://www.instagram.com/_hyunju.__/

[KBong]

42 minutes ago, JungleJimbo said:

HyunJoo Yu has ~356k followers ie more than #2,3,4 on @18majors’ List shown above? 
(...or is this KLPGA pro = also considered a “part-time pro & full-time model”? 😬🚫🤬)
 

https://www.instagram.com/_hyunju.__/

Korean SMOKESHOW.

If Mollie is smart she'd offer HyunJoo a honorary LPGA membership.

Why?

Why not!🤣

[KBong]

52 minutes ago, Supermilo said:

I've never really bothered to follow her game closely, what is her "go to" strength of her game? Certainly not length, is it iron play or putting? She certainly did well enough to keep her card for 2022 ...

Trying to avoid trunk slams!🤣

[KBong]

On 11/25/2021 at 2:18 PM, Supermilo said:

my concern will be her length... (which you rightly pointed out).  i dunno if 240 yds cuts it in the LPGA consistently -- as shibuno said she was 240 before and had to be able to do 260... we will find out next wk or two as a preliminary -- after all LPGA is more a wedge and iron game, in my view, relative to PGA (Morikawa and Matsuyama be damned LOL)...

Furue came back down to earth and gagged to a 73.....still has a 1 stroke lead after 36 holes.

[KBong]

They are showing the final LET event on a delay on GC.

They showed Thitikul on day 1....no Thitikul on day 2 because she was not at the top of the leaderboard...so no coverage of Thitikul's play.

 

Thitikul shot 72 & 70.

She was putting lousy on day one.

 

As I've said before....I think Thitikul's weakness is her putting.....a bit worrisome.

She will miss those 6 foot putts to the right....we saw this at the end of the Hinda costing her a chance at the trophy.

I'm not keen on her left hand low putting grip...IMO...she has an issue closing her putter face to square at impact with this grip.

I think she can be a bit aggressive in her lag putting at times too.

 

I hope she and her team notices this for work during the off season.

 

I'm of the belief that very good & great putter are born and not necessarily made...though work and practice can help with improvement.

[JungleJimbo]

2 hours ago, Supermilo said:

I've never really bothered to follow her game closely, what is her "go to" strength of her game? Certainly not length, is it iron play or putting? She certainly did well enough to keep her card for 2022 ...

@Supermilo: Your instincts are correct re Muni He. 
 

ranked ~108 for Avg driving distance (~251 yards) based on the stats on LPGA website

 

Her coach (Ted Oh?) describes her as a grinder ie hybrids/ short game

https://golfweek.usatoday.com/2018/11/08/muni-he-brings-her-it-power-to-lpga-after-earning-2019-card/

 

Extract/ Quote:

”He had a one-dimensional short game when she met Oh ­– 56-degree sand wedge from everywhere.

Oh added to the arsenal during their 11-day cram session – focusing particularly on the bump-and-run shot – and He left Pinehurst feeling her short game had gone to another level.

It wasn’t long after the celebrations had died down that Oh laid it out bluntly for He about what comes next. Earning an LPGA card is only a small step in the journey.

“If you want to survive on the LPGA and be a top player,” Oh told her, “you need to add 20 yards.”

Offseason plans include hiring a trainer and speed drills.

One thing that did impress Oh at Q-Series – he was there for both weeks – was the way in which He stayed within herself when playing alongside a big-hitting player like Anne Van Dam, who averages 285 off the tee on the Ladies European Tour. Oh said Van Dam outdrove He by an average of 50 yards.

“She had her hybrids and she was just grinding,” Oh said. “She’s a fighter.”

 

 

_____
 

..p/s: Her 2019 Avg driving distance stats =almost identical ~251 yards (ie doesn’t seem to have added any distance? Regardless of the above quote)

 

https://www.lpga.com/statistics/driving/average-driving-distance?year=2019

Edited November 27, 2021 by JungleJimbo

[Argonne69]

10 hours ago, Supermilo said:

I've never really bothered to follow her game closely, what is her "go to" strength of her game? Certainly not length, is it iron play or putting? She certainly did well enough to keep her card for 2022 ...

 

I don't think she has a strength. Below average in all categories except for driving accuracy (48th). She has the skills to stay on tour, but averaging only 252 yds puts a lot of pressure on her iron game, but she only managed 68% of her greens.

 

[HMHS]

4 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

 

I don't think she has a strength. Below average in all categories except for driving accuracy (48th). She has the skills to stay on tour, but averaging only 252 yds puts a lot of pressure on her iron game, but she only managed 68% of her greens.

 

If that's the case, Shibuno, assuming she passes QSeries, may struggle in the LPGA then.  She's only hitting 260yds these days and that's been a result of adding 20yds in the past 2 yrs after she won the Open.   G

 

Guess we'll find out whether Shibuno's iron game matches with most other Japanese PGA/LPGA players have (Eg exceptional iron game). 

[18majors]

15 hours ago, Supermilo said:

what is her "go to" strength of her game

 

Don't worry, Lily will tell you:

 

 

[KBong]

16 minutes ago, 18majors said:

 

Don't worry, Lily will tell you:

 

 

Chinese POSER....likely related to me...KING POSER!🤣

 

Go China Go!

[KBong]

1 hour ago, Supermilo said:

If that's the case, Shibuno, assuming she passes QSeries, may struggle in the LPGA then.  She's only hitting 260yds these days and that's been a result of adding 20yds in the past 2 yrs after she won the Open.   G

 

Guess we'll find out whether Shibuno's iron game matches with most other Japanese PGA/LPGA players have (Eg exceptional iron game). 

260 is more than fine to handle typical LPGA course set ups at 6400....even at a 420 yard par 4....6 iron approach...or 5 iron into the wind.

 

The critical piece is how good is her ball striking/approach shots into the green.

GIR is a key measurement.