2022 LPGA Season Odds and Ends

[18majors]

1 hour ago, Seamus_McDuff said:

2023 schedule

 

https://www.lpga.com/news/2022/lpga-tour-announces-record-breaking-2023-schedule

 

 

My first impression was a bit of underwhelming:

1.   There're still 12 tournaments with purse of less than $2.0 million; purses at Thailand and Singapore haven't changed forever
2.   Australia is completely off the map

The best news are:

1.   Breakthrough purses at Majors will continue to grow this year
2.   There're now 5 regular tour events with purse of $2.7 million or higher; there were none as of 2020

 

 

 

[18majors]

 

 

This is a good story:

ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BAG - EPSON TOUR PLAYERS CADDYING FOR OTHER EPSON TOUR PLAYERS AT STAGE II

 

"This week at Stage II of Q-school we are seeing a clear display of players tag-teaming. Six players in the field have a fellow Epson Tour player carrying their bags.

Here is what the lineup looks like - Julianne Alvarez caddying for Abegail Arevalo, Vicky Hurst for Roberta Liti, Anna Appert Lund for Louise Ridderstrom, Lindsey McCurdy for Alisa Rodriguez, Laetitia Beck for Kathleen Scavo, and Daniela Iacobelli for Sarah White."

[18majors]

6 hours ago, 18majors said:

 

 

My first impression was a bit of underwhelming:

1.   There're still 12 tournaments with purse of less than $2.0 million; purses at Thailand and Singapore haven't changed forever
2.   Australia is completely off the map

The best news are:

1.   Breakthrough purses at Majors will continue to grow this year
2.   There're now 5 regular tour events with purse of $2.7 million or higher; there were none as of 2020

 

 

As "Johnboy" of Seoul Sisters Forum pointed out, the biggest shortcoming of the new 2023 schedule is the gap of full field events between 2022 and 2023:

 

November 10-13,  2022:         Pelican's Women's Championship

March 9-12, 2023:                   Blue Bay LPGA

 

It's 15 weeks, more than a quarter of the year.

 

                           

Edited November 19, 2022 by 18majors

[HMHS]

50 minutes ago, 18majors said:

 

 

This is a good story:

ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BAG - EPSON TOUR PLAYERS CADDYING FOR OTHER EPSON TOUR PLAYERS AT STAGE II

 

"This week at Stage II of Q-school we are seeing a clear display of players tag-teaming. Six players in the field have a fellow Epson Tour player carrying their bags.

Here is what the lineup looks like - Julianne Alvarez caddying for Abegail Arevalo, Vicky Hurst for Roberta Liti, Anna Appert Lund for Louise Ridderstrom, Lindsey McCurdy for Alisa Rodriguez, Laetitia Beck for Kathleen Scavo, and Daniela Iacobelli for Sarah White."

Daniella Iacobelli is now a “veteran” of the Epson Tour.  Sad to say but Abby Arevalo will most likely miss out on advancing to stage 3. 
 

it’s not completely unheard of for these players to caddy for the other in QSchool: Anita Uwadia had her former gamecock teammate LK Go caddy for her in 2021 qseries, only to miss her card by one stroke (if I recall right). So many other examples actually too many to enumerate here 😄 

 

 

[BadgerLin]

13 hours ago, 18majors said:

 

 

This is a good story:

ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BAG - EPSON TOUR PLAYERS CADDYING FOR OTHER EPSON TOUR PLAYERS AT STAGE II

 

"This week at Stage II of Q-school we are seeing a clear display of players tag-teaming. Six players in the field have a fellow Epson Tour player carrying their bags.

Here is what the lineup looks like - Julianne Alvarez caddying for Abegail Arevalo, Vicky Hurst for Roberta Liti, Anna Appert Lund for Louise Ridderstrom, Lindsey McCurdy for Alisa Rodriguez, Laetitia Beck for Kathleen Scavo, and Daniela Iacobelli for Sarah White."

What caught my eye about this story was the players who are “lifers”  on the Epson Tour, like Vicky Hurst and Daniela Iacobelli.  There’s been a lot of talk about players on the LPGA  not making enough $ to live on if they aren’t regularly finishing well above the cut line.  It’s hard to see how more than a handful of Epson Tour players earn a living wage each year.  Obviously the “lifers” must have another source of $ and must really love the lifestyle.  It would seem to me it would get kind of depressing to see a bunch of youngsters pass you by year after year.

[18majors]

 

Rolex Ranking today:

1.       Nelly Korda                    7.5963
2.       Lydia Ko                         7.5090
3.       Atthaya Thitikul             6.8555

Good news for Nelly is that she leads Lydia by a hair; bad news is the lead is so small she can't coast it throughout the offseason.

 

Number 1 ranking probably will flip flop between Nelly and Lydia depending on how their points are aging.

Edited November 21, 2022 by 18majors

[18majors]

 

There it is:

EIGHT COUNTRIES LOCKED IN FOR 2023 HANWHA LIFEPLUS INTERNATIONAL CROWN

 

"The countries that will compete at TPC Harding Park are the United States (35 points), the Republic of Korea (35 points), Japan (85 points), Sweden (120 points), Thailand (183 points), England (197 points), Australia (298 points) and the People’s Republic of China (446 points). South Africa (475 points) just missed on qualifying for its first Hanwha LIFEPLUS International Crown."

[18majors]

 

This is a surprise that Anna Davis didn't turn pro like Alexa Pano:

 

"i’m happy to announce my commitment to auburn university. thank you to coach luellen and coach kim for giving me this opportunity. #wardamneagle"

 

 

 

[AKL Kiwi]

5 hours ago, 18majors said:

 

There it is:

EIGHT COUNTRIES LOCKED IN FOR 2023 HANWHA LIFEPLUS INTERNATIONAL CROWN

 

"The countries that will compete at TPC Harding Park are the United States (35 points), the Republic of Korea (35 points), Japan (85 points), Sweden (120 points), Thailand (183 points), England (197 points), Australia (298 points) and the People’s Republic of China (446 points). South Africa (475 points) just missed on qualifying for its first Hanwha LIFEPLUS International Crown."

Can Lydia play for Korea? I really don't mind if she does our claim over her has almost diminished to nothing now anyway 😔. Just like to see the worlds best players competing  🙂  

[18majors]

10 minutes ago, AKL Kiwi said:

Can Lydia play for Korea? I really don't mind if she does our claim over her has almost diminished to nothing now anyway 😔. Just like to see the worlds best players competing  🙂  

 

No doubt South Korea would welcome it!  It's up to Lydia, her family and the State of New Zealand.

 

 

[AKL Kiwi]

8 minutes ago, 18majors said:

 

No doubt South Korea would welcome it!  It's up to Lydia, her family and the State of New Zealand.

 

 

After seeing and hearing her comments after her recent win in South Korea I think she would be as passionate about playing for her country of birth as much as representing NZ. I'm sure there would be a lot of backlash from some of the NZ public but NZ golf and the government have a lot to answer for for not getting more players to the LPGA to support her. 

[woahnelly]

7 hours ago, 18majors said:

 

There it is:

EIGHT COUNTRIES LOCKED IN FOR 2023 HANWHA LIFEPLUS INTERNATIONAL CROWN

 

"The countries that will compete at TPC Harding Park are the United States (35 points), the Republic of Korea (35 points), Japan (85 points), Sweden (120 points), Thailand (183 points), England (197 points), Australia (298 points) and the People’s Republic of China (446 points). South Africa (475 points) just missed on qualifying for its first Hanwha LIFEPLUS International Crown."

 

 

I'd like to see Lydia in the event as well, but under the conditions of the improving golf foundation she has laid in NZ vs. Kevin Durant style joining the Korean team.  SK can trot out their D team and still be competitive. 

Edited November 22, 2022 by woahnelly

[JungleJimbo]

6 minutes ago, woahnelly said:

 

i'm no Math wiz but isn't 475 greater than 446? 

 

I'd like to see Lydia in the event as well, but under the conditions of the improving golf foundation she has laid in NZ vs. Kevin Durant style joining the Korean team.  SK can trot out their D team and still be competitive. 

 

@woahnelly The statement in @18majors post is correct i.e. China's lower aggregate ranking number (446) beats out South Africa (475) to get the 8th spot.

 

If curious ... the RolexRankings can be downloaded as a ".csv" file here, for you to double-check the calcs/pivot-table/etc for other analysis.

 

Link: https://www.rolexrankings.com/rankings 

 

e.g. The South Korea team has the joint-lowest 4-aggregate ranking number ("35").

If South Korea fielded a "team B"... then it's aggregate ranking number = "99" i.e. would be the 4th-best-ranked team after Japan's "85" (and better than Sweden's "120"). 

 

[woahnelly]

11 hours ago, JungleJimbo said:

 

@woahnelly The statement in @18majors post is correct i.e. China's lower aggregate ranking number (446) beats out South Africa (475) to get the 8th spot.

 

If curious ... the RolexRankings can be downloaded as a ".csv" file here, for you to double-check the calcs/pivot-table/etc for other analysis.

 

Link: https://www.rolexrankings.com/rankings 

 

e.g. The South Korea team has the joint-lowest 4-aggregate ranking number ("35").

If South Korea fielded a "team B"... then it's aggregate ranking number = "99" i.e. would be the 4th-best-ranked team after Japan's "85" (and better than Sweden's "120"). 

 

 

Yah I had to ninja edit my comment bc I didn't read it properly 🤣

[BadgerLin]

On 11/21/2022 at 2:14 PM, 18majors said:

 

This is a surprise that Anna Davis didn't turn pro like Alexa Pano:

 

"i’m happy to announce my commitment to auburn university. thank you to coach luellen and coach kim for giving me this opportunity. #wardamneagle"

 

 

 

Good for her.   She’s going to have the college experience.

[Seamus_McDuff]

I believe Davis is currently a Junior and Pano turned pro towards the end of her Senior year. There’s still time. 
 

ETA

 

https://golfweek.usatoday.com/2022/11/22/college-golf-anna-davis-commits-to-auburn-anwa-champion/

Edited November 22, 2022 by Seamus_McDuff

[18majors]

 

 

LPGA's coaching situation is a big merry-go-round!  Lydia Ko left Sean Foley, but it seems Yealimi Noh has just signed up with Sean.

 

I don't know whether it's a good idea not to stick with her original coach Erik Stone; but glad Yealimi has found a coach she can commit to.

Edited November 22, 2022 by 18majors

[18majors]

30 minutes ago, Seamus_McDuff said:

I believe Davis is currently a Junior and Pano turned pro towards the end of her Senior year. There’s still time. 
 

ETA

 

https://golfweek.usatoday.com/2022/11/22/college-golf-anna-davis-commits-to-auburn-anwa-champion/

 

I understand Anna is leaving her options open; but I respect golfers like Alexa and Lucy Li who has never committed to any colleges!

[woahnelly]

2 hours ago, 18majors said:

 

I understand Anna is leaving her options open; but I respect golfers like Alexa and Lucy Li who has never committed to any colleges!

 

If you are good enough, you are good enough - college won't change that. Yealimi turned pro and has netted over $1 million in career earnings already while her peers are cramming for useless exams and eating cold pizza. 

[ChronicSlicer]

3 hours ago, 18majors said:

 

I understand Anna is leaving her options open; but I respect golfers like Alexa and Lucy Li who has never committed to any colleges!

Just curious, but care to share why you respect them so much for passing on college.

[MagicClassic407]

31 minutes ago, ChronicSlicer said:

Just curious, but care to share why you respect them so much for passing on college.

Can we just say "delaying college"? I didn't get my degree until I was in my 40's. I did complete freshman year after high school, but I appreciated learning/classes much more as an older adult. Consequently, if you have the talent to join LPGA ranks after high school, go for it! Hit up college later on.

[Titleist_PT23]

5 hours ago, ChronicSlicer said:

Just curious, but care to share why you respect them so much for passing on college.

Guessing but it's the guts to chase what you dream and believe you will succeed.

 

No one changed the world taking the safe and easy route.

[iBanesto]

On 11/22/2022 at 7:14 AM, 18majors said:

 

This is a surprise that Anna Davis didn't turn pro like Alexa Pano:

 

"i’m happy to announce my commitment to auburn university. thank you to coach luellen and coach kim for giving me this opportunity. #wardamneagle"

 

 

 

 

No bucket hat!

 

[iBanesto]

On 11/22/2022 at 1:41 PM, JungleJimbo said:

 

@woahnelly The statement in @18majors post is correct i.e. China's lower aggregate ranking number (446) beats out South Africa (475) to get the 8th spot.

 

If curious ... the RolexRankings can be downloaded as a ".csv" file here, for you to double-check the calcs/pivot-table/etc for other analysis.

 

Link: https://www.rolexrankings.com/rankings 

 

e.g. The South Korea team has the joint-lowest 4-aggregate ranking number ("35").

If South Korea fielded a "team B"... then it's aggregate ranking number = "99" i.e. would be the 4th-best-ranked team after Japan's "85" (and better than Sweden's "120"). 

 

 

Reminds me of the strength of the Korean Olympic team in Tokyo.

 

Aggregate of 15!

 

	Ko Jin-young	South Korea	2
	Inbee Park	South Korea	3
	Kim Sei-young	South Korea	4
	Kim Hyo-joo	South Korea	6

Edited November 23, 2022 by iBanesto

[MagicClassic407]

On 11/21/2022 at 8:06 PM, 18majors said:

 

No doubt South Korea would welcome it!  It's up to Lydia, her family and the State of New Zealand.

 

 

Except for SK Player #4!!   Let's put Brooke on Team USA!!

[18majors]

 

@woahnelly

 

I'm dying to find out whether Ina Yoon is in Q-Series next week.  She's exempted to enter Q-Series; she's ranked #71 on August 8, 2022.

[Seamus_McDuff]

I want to see if Pia Babnik enters. 

[woahnelly]

1 hour ago, 18majors said:

 

@woahnelly

 

I'm dying to find out whether Ina Yoon is in Q-Series next week.  She's exempted to enter Q-Series; she's ranked #71 on August 8, 2022.

 

I would be surprised if she does, more likely she plays on the JLPGA or LET in selective events or the KLPGA wisens up before next season and removes her ban. She was not even present at the KLPGA awards despite being a winner this season. 

[Argonne69]

Just now, woahnelly said:

 

I would be surprised if she does, more likely she plays on the JLPGA or LET in selective events or the KLPGA wisens up before next season and removes her ban. She was not even present at the KLPGA awards despite being a winner this season. 

 

The JLPGA already completed its qualifying school. I think she missed that boat.

 

[AWinfortheAges]

On 11/21/2022 at 9:41 PM, JungleJimbo said:

 

@woahnelly The statement in @18majors post is correct i.e. China's lower aggregate ranking number (446) beats out South Africa (475) to get the 8th spot.

 

If curious ... the RolexRankings can be downloaded as a ".csv" file here, for you to double-check the calcs/pivot-table/etc for other analysis.

 

Link: https://www.rolexrankings.com/rankings 

 

e.g. The South Korea team has the joint-lowest 4-aggregate ranking number ("35").

If South Korea fielded a "team B"... then it's aggregate ranking number = "99" i.e. would be the 4th-best-ranked team after Japan's "85" (and better than Sweden's "120"). 

 

I think as the Korean players have their Holiday parties they should talk Min Ji Park into playing in the International Crown.